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<p>Restoration of damaged coastal ecosystems is a component of broader conservation strategies. Hurricane Dorian (September 2019) was the worst natural disaster in the history of The Bahamas. This caused widespread societal and ecological damage, including destroying mangrove ecosystems—systems that provide numerous ecosystem services for the country. We first used satellite mapping to document mangrove destruction caused by Dorian. Second, several local, national, and international partners organized to spearhead community-based mangrove planting initiatives that resulted in more than 101,560 trees planted as of December 2024. We carried out a field experiment with the plantings to examine the effects of tree age (propagule vs. seedling), spacing design (clumped vs. spaced), and plant source (The Bahamas vs. Florida). Seedling survival was 4.5&#xa0;× that of propagules—but at a greater time and financial cost—indicating that a combination of planting propagules and seedlings may be a preferred restoration approach. No effect of clumped vs. spaced distribution was found. This suggests other factors, e.g., nutrient limitation or hydroperiod, drive the success of plantings. Source effects (whether&#xa0;propagules were collected&#xa0;from,&#xa0;and grown to seedlings&#xa0;in, The Bahamas or Florida) influenced seedling&#xa0;survival and growth and had an influence similar in magnitude to local patch-scale environmental variation. The need for ecosystem restoration following Hurricane Dorian and the willingness of more than 2,000 community individuals to contribute made possible the scale and scope of this project. These findings will help guide this community-based initiative and it will inform similar restoration efforts in other regions.</p>

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Community-based mangrove restoration following a catastrophic hurricane in The Bahamas

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2025年6月18日

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  • Justin P. Lewis,
  • Sean T. Giery,
  • Keith A. Rossin,
  • Kyle A. Rossin,
  • Jordan R. Cissell,
  • Michael K. Steinberg,
  • Nina L. Sanchez,
  • Aaron J. Adams,
  • Craig A. Layman

摘要

Restoration of damaged coastal ecosystems is a component of broader conservation strategies. Hurricane Dorian (September 2019) was the worst natural disaster in the history of The Bahamas. This caused widespread societal and ecological damage, including destroying mangrove ecosystems—systems that provide numerous ecosystem services for the country. We first used satellite mapping to document mangrove destruction caused by Dorian. Second, several local, national, and international partners organized to spearhead community-based mangrove planting initiatives that resulted in more than 101,560 trees planted as of December 2024. We carried out a field experiment with the plantings to examine the effects of tree age (propagule vs. seedling), spacing design (clumped vs. spaced), and plant source (The Bahamas vs. Florida). Seedling survival was 4.5 × that of propagules—but at a greater time and financial cost—indicating that a combination of planting propagules and seedlings may be a preferred restoration approach. No effect of clumped vs. spaced distribution was found. This suggests other factors, e.g., nutrient limitation or hydroperiod, drive the success of plantings. Source effects (whether propagules were collected from, and grown to seedlings in, The Bahamas or Florida) influenced seedling survival and growth and had an influence similar in magnitude to local patch-scale environmental variation. The need for ecosystem restoration following Hurricane Dorian and the willingness of more than 2,000 community individuals to contribute made possible the scale and scope of this project. These findings will help guide this community-based initiative and it will inform similar restoration efforts in other regions.