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Andros slideshow
This document provides information about the ecology of Andros Island in the Bahamas. It includes a map of the island showing its location and proximity to other islands. It also includes the mission and vision statements of ANCAT, the organization tasked with protecting Andros Island's natural resources. The document then discusses the oceanography and vegetation from east to west of the island, highlighting features like the Great Bahama Bank, blueholes, mangroves, pine forests, and coppice lands.
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Andros slideshow
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- 2. Map Island • Independence • Size •Proximity
- 3. ANCAT Mission Statement: To protect,preserve, enhance, and restore the natural resources of Andros Island and its marine environment through education, conservation, and management. Vision statement: ANCAT envisions a future for Andros that embraces and secures our natural environment for the benefit of present and future generations. Marine Marine Land Crab Bluehole Creek & Mangrove
- 4. OCEANOGRAPHY FROM EAST TO WEST GreatBahama Bank Tongue of the Ocean AndrosBarrierReef SHB
- 5. THE GREAT BAHAMABANK
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- 8. TONGUE OF THE OCEAN (clickto hear audio)
- 9. VEGETATI ON FROM EAST TO WEST Wetlands Mangroves PineForest Coppice Coconut VEGETATION FROM EAST TO WEST North and Central Andros Mangrove Cay South Andros SHBL
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- 19. SANDY BEACHSHORE It’s arough life in Eco-Paradise… When we keep our Islands… Clean & Pristine!
Editor's Notes
- #2 Explore Andros This slideshow talks about the ecosystems of andros, including mangrove, coral reef, sea grass, pine forest, sandy shoreline and coppice vegetation.
- #3 Map The Bahamas, a former Brittish colony, has been independent since 1973. The archipelago of the Bahamas covers 100 000 square miles or 259 000 square km and includes more than 700 islands and 2500 cays. Andros island is unique for its large body of landmass, amounting to 50% of all the compiled land area that makes up the Bahamian islands. The land is 100 miles long and 45 miles wide. Moreover, it carries a the majority of all the fresh water available in the Bahamas beneath its large land mass that can be found in our underground water lenses. Consequently, Nassau looks to us to supply their large local population with 60% of their fresh water demands (5 million gallons/day). Location gives andros another distinction, it is only a 30 minute flight for the united states, and a 10 minute flight that connects it to the hub of our capital, Nassau. Andros was named the isla del espirita santo by the Spanish explorers meaning the island of the holy spirit. It was later changed to Andros, possibly after an island off the west coast of Africa, st andro. Andros is known for being one of the largest unexplored terrains in the world!
- #4 ANCAT Andros Conservancy & Trust – point out the different park reserves. Central andros national park encompasses the highest concentration of bluholes, two portions of Andros Barrier reef, land crab management area, north bight mangrove/wetland nursery, covering 288,000 acres collectively and it is the largest national park of the bahamas. Mission Statement: To protect, preserve, enhance, and restore the natural resources of Andros Island and its marine environment through education, conservation, and management. Vision statement: ANCAT envisions a future for Andros that embraces and secures our natural environment for the benefit of present and future generations. One of the marine park reserves is located right outside small hope bay!
- #5 OCEANOGRAPHY FROM EAST TO WEST We will begin by delving into our ocean waters. Of the entire size of the Bahamas, 94% is ocean and only 6% is land mass, therefore most of our wealth is stored in… you guessed it , our deep blue waters. Point out the various areas on the map: Great Bahama Bank, Tongue of the Ocean, Andros Barrior Reef, The Mud, Small hope bay lodge, mention that blueholes can be found throughout the limestone plateau. Andros island sits only 3-4 metres above sea level on the Great Bahama Bank. The islands of the Bahamas sit on top of one of the largest limestone plateaus (began forming at least 130 million years ago) of the world.
- #6 THE GREAT BAHAMA BANK The Bahamas was originally named by the Lucayans who gave called the area Bahamar meaning shallow waters, a very fitting name. The west side of Andros is so shallow that much of the island is uninhabitable by humans but inversely becomes a vast home for an abundance of aquatic life. The Great Bahamas Bank is characterized by sandy bottom with sea grass areas and mud/clay flats. These unconsolidated seafloors have many beneficial effects on the marine ecology. They are feeding and breeding grounds for commercially important species of fish and invertebrates, like grouper, lobster and conch, as well as fish targeted by the recreational sport fishery, bonefish and tarpons. Sponges were plentiful on the west side and back in the early 1900’s the sponging industry in Andros was booming. The sponge is a marine animal. It would be harvested by cutting off at the base to allow for regeneration. Mysteriously, a blight in 1938 killed 99% of the sponges on the bank and the industry seized to a halt. Mangroves are found in abundance bordering the west side of the island. situated in an area called ‘the mud’ because the sediment is clay-like. Will talk more about mangroves later on when we get to vegetation of andros.
- #7 BLUEHOLE CAVE SYSTEMS The Bahamas archipelago has the world’s highest concentration of ‘blue holes’, mysterious water-filled entrances to enormous underground labyrinths. There are over 300 blue holes on Andros, offering a variety of types and selection. Blueholes form slowly over long passages of time. Over the past 2 million years the sea level has risen and fallen over 400 feet as a response to four glacial stages in the last iceage. During the time when sea level was much lower, soft pockets within the limestone rock were eroded by fresh water from the rain. This formed above water cave systems which eventually became submerged during the last ice age as the ocean level rose. Ocean level is currently still rising at a rate of 0.01mm/year. There are three types of blueholes, the inland swimming (round in shape and found on nature trails), fault line, and ocean. Fault line and ocean blueholes have cave systems that can be explored. This is a fault line bluehole. Many of these cave systems like “The Guardian” are well surveyed…but many still remain to be explored! It is offered as one of our specialty dives here. This specific blue hole is located in andros and explored by Brian Kakuk and Brad Pecel. As you can see underwater caves can get quite complex; to explore them takes a lot more than just a flashlight!
- #8 THE ANDROS BARRIER REEF Point out the reef, shallow water, deep water/tongue of the ocean. The Andros barrier reef runs 140miles along the tongue of the ocean making it one of the longest in the world. Look out at the ocean where the waves are crashing out at sea, or for the brown discolouration amongst the blues of the ocean water and there you’ve found it, the Andros reef. From out of water the view is rather mundane, but a whole new world exists as we take you under the ocean to the array of colour and activity within the reef. Brightly coloured corals and fish, grassbeds, turtles, crawfish, sharks and much much more… strange, wonderful and intriguing new things to experience. The reef ecosystem has the greatest amount of species diversity of the world. This is because of its relative isolation from other ecosystems, and therefore have a large biodiversity to support itself independently. Consequently it is also very sensitive to small disturbances such as silt from boats, anchors or changes in water temperature. Spherical corals take a whole year to grow one inch! The reef offers an abundance of wealth and if preserved correctly, can supply andros with fish to last forever!
- #9 TONGUE OF THE OCEAN The eastern margin of Andros is bordered by the Tongue of the Ocean. This Submarine Canyon plunges 6000 feet down into the depths of a whole new and largely unexplored world.
- #10 VEGETATION FROM EAST TO WEST The island is so shallow that it is prodominantly separated by bights into three large masses of land. Point out the three land masses and bights. Point out the 3 different vegetations. The coppice land is deciduous trees that grow well on rocky sediment. In the middle of the island grows the caribbean pine. And to the west it is very shallow and muddy, where the mangroves thrive. Hidden within the depths of our forest are over forty kinds of wild orchids, rare, endemic birds, wild boars, medicinal plants and iguanas. Andros is said to be the home of the legendary chickcharnee; a half human half owl creature found in the thick of the forest hanging upsidedown from a tree branch. Last thing you want to do is laugh at this funny looking creature because you’ll end up with your head backwards and who gets the last laugh?
- #11 SWASHLAND “The Mud” The far western part of the wetlands on Andros are sparse in mangrove growth and is called ‘The Swash’; swampland and marsh. It’s a good spot to encounter some wading birds but you can also find them right around the Lodge along the beach or in the mangroves. Coming more inland the mangrove growth increases. Mangroves are truly amazing because they can thrive in salt water. They are also very important in maintaining coastal food webs and populations of animals that live elsewhere and use the mangroves as nursery. Mangroves are a nursery for marine life at their juvenile stage. The roots of the mangrove form an underwater web in which the baby fishes can hide from predators like baby sharks and stingrays, and the leaves fall and decay to release nutrients for feeding. Their extensive root system also traps sediment and in such a way, eventually the sediment hardens into rock and forms land. This happens over centuries and through the succession of four different species of mangroves. Mangroves have therefore been given the name ‘land builders’. Some coastal developers axniously jump the gun, cut down the mangroves and fill in the swampland to build homes. In parts of florida they are reseeding mangroves to upbuild the land in years to come. By trapping sediment the mangroves also stabilize coastlines, affording protection from winds and storms and also allowing the beaches to retain sand!
- #12 PINE FOREST Grab one of our bicycles and ride North on one of our nature trails to experience the vastness of our caribbean pines which is endemic to the bahamas. Pine Woodlands always occur in areas that have a significant fresh water lens. This ecosystem is characterized by high standing pines and short, dense undergrowth. The most common plant is the palm thatch which is brittle and useful for making roofs. Pine forests would not survive if it weren’t for natural fires that destroy the underlying coppice trees, from which pine forests are resistant. Otherwise the coppiceland would outgrow and destroy the pine within 10-15 years. The pine wood is very heavy, hard and insect resistant and therefore good for construction. Small Hope Bay’s Lounge and all the cabins are made of Bahamian Pine. Also pineforests of the bahamas have been twice lumbered by a paper manufacturing company. The one in andros was called owens illinois. Through the thickets of the pineforests it is possible to see birds and possibly encounter a wild boar!
- #13 Wild Boar Like this handsome looking fella.
- #14 COPPICE LAND Our nature trails going south or nearby the lodge will allow you to experience the diversity and medicinal values of the coppice (hardwood) trees. Our sediment is composed mainly of coral limestone and is sparse in nutrients. Therefore you will find most of our coppiceland is lowlying scrub. Our coppice trees are deciduous plants that retain their leaves all year round. There are over 500 varieties of coppice plants so look carefully at what you might see as just one big ‘bush’. Each tree has different values. The older traditional folks will tell ya how some were used for making boats, others for fences, torches, hooks and buoys, each tree has different properties making it distinct. There are quite a few that the fruit is edible such as the sea grape, cocoplum, pitch apple, wild guava and so on. Some produce a starchy vegetable like our native palmetto and the coontie. Walking through the trails, keep your eyes pealed for lizards, crabs, harmless snakes, bugs and even an iguana!
- #15 Andros Rock Iguana Like this rather astute lookin fella. This specimen is unique to the Andros Island They range from three to four feet in length West Indian iguanas of the genus Cyclura are a group of large, herbivorous lizards that inhabit islands throughout the Greater Antilles and the Bahamas. They are the largest and most conspicuous lizards in the Western Hemisphere. The 16 species constitute one of the most endangered lizard groups in the world. The iguanas inhabit fragile ecosystems that humans have changed, directly or indirectly, and often for the worse. Rock iguana populations have been devastated by habitat loss and over-hunting by local people. Eggs and juveniles are preyed on by feral dogs, cats, pigs and rats introduced to the islands. Iguana populations are naturally small, and the lizards are limited to their islands' shrinking habitats. Therefore, any combination of threats can cause populations to drop significantly or even be wiped out in just a few years. Trade in these lizards is prohibited under Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Under the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) criteria, all but four subspecies are listed as in danger of extinction. The majority of these inhabit the Bahamas. These species are restricted to small cays that are frequently visited by tourists. In the Bahamas, all Cyclura are protected under the Wild Animals Protection Act of 1968. Despite this, iguanas are smuggled for the pet trade and illegally hunted.
- #16 Tourist Tree This variety of coppice has several names such as gumelemi, gumbo lumbo, and tourist tree. Its name is derived from our tourists here that come for the sun and leave with red and pealing skin, just like the bark of this tree.
- #17 Bush Medicine Nature Trail One other thing that these trees have great value for is their medicinal properties. Time ago, the Bahamas was very primitive and lacked modern medicine, but instead there were ‘grannies’ who knew the wisdom of the wild plants. Even today the more deep rooted bahamian can tell ya what bush to find for various ailments. Bahamians can be superstitious people so you can imagine they have a remedy for just about everything and then some. This particular plant is called the five finger or chicken toe. It is distict because the leaves are always in groups of 5. It has a prominent place in bahamian bush medicine because it is one of the infamous three bushes that along with madeira bark and love vine, can be steeped and drunken for strengthening affects. According to bahamian tradition, bush medicine should be boiled in groups that are a multiple of three.
- #18 Androsia The Androsia fabric company began in 1973, coincidentally the same year of our independence. The two goals of androsia were to create employment opportunities and to create a quality product that would, through its design and colour, highlight the beauty of the Bahamas. Androsia is hand batiked and dyed so that no two yards are alike. The process is quite simple. You start off with 100% natural fibre fabric, make a wax stamp and stamp the material, then dye the fabric in cold water and remove the wax in 190 degree hot water. The prints feature shells, birds, fish and flowers, and the fabric is dyed in an array of colours including guava pink, sea green and aquatide. Androsia brightens up the Bahamas and makes a lovely souvenir to brighten your home as well.
- #19 BirdingT There are 300 species of birds that have been reported in the bahamas and at least 222 can be found in Andros. Andros does not have a lot of bird species that are endemic to the island (three) however we are very special in the winter months because migrants come here from as far away as Alaska. Andros and Abaco are the two largest destinations for birding in the bahamas. Of special interest to birders here is the great lizard Cuckoo, whistling duck and Bahama Woodstar.
- #20 SANDY BEACHSHORE The sand that gets wet between high tide and low tide is called the foreshore and is great for finding shells, seaweed and crabs. The backshore is behind the foreshore where the sand stays dry that usually has big pieces of coral and shells, and other debris that gets washed ashore during a storm. The sandy beachshore is a great place to relax and enjoy the ‘good life’. Kids love playing in the sand and in the ripples of our gentle waves.