Representatives from Smithsonian Institution, Bahamas National Trust, University of Miami and fellow botanical gardens, Fairchild Botanic Garden (Miami), Naples Botanical Garden and The New York Botanical Garden, along with Bruce Holst (far right), Selby Gardens’ Director of Botany.
Leon Levy Native Plant Preserve, Bahamas
Selby Gardens was recently invited to consult with a plant preserve in Eleuthera, Bahamas, the first national park on the island of Eleuthera.
The Winter Botanical Retreat at the Leon Levy Native Plant Preserve on Eleuthera was held in early December 2015. During three days, Bruce Holst, Director of Botany for Selby Gardens, learned about this important preserve alongside representatives from Smithsonian Institution, Bahamas National Trust, University of Miami and fellow botanical gardens, Fairchild Botanic Garden (Miami), Naples Botanical Garden and The New York Botanical Garden.
“Our main focus was to review The Preserve’s current programs and give recommendations on how the institution can move forward with its science program,” Holst said. “We’re glad to be regional partners in conservation and possibly collaborate in future conservation efforts in the Bahamas and Caribbean.”
The biological diversity of the Caribbean islands makes conservation a priority in that region. There are an estimated 13,000 plant species found throughout the Caribbean, with nearly half of those species being found only on single islands, according to The Encyclopedia of Earth. The Preserve opened in 2011 with 25 acres. The island of Eleuthera is located east of Nassau. The Preserve offers visitors trails through the native habitat, as well as educational programs and a growing facility for the propagation of native plants and trees. Now, The Preserve is developing a research plan, considering staffing, infrastructure and future collaborations.
“The Bahamas are home to many interesting plants, including epiphytes like orchids and bromeliads, in which Selby Gardens is a world-leading expert. We’re proud to be in a position to offer our expertise and potentially examine future work with this growing preserve that is important to the Bahamas, as well as the great Caribbean,” said Jennifer O. Rominiecki, President & CEO of Selby Gardens. “We’re so thankful to the Leon Levy Foundation and Leon Levy Native Plant Preserve for inviting Selby Gardens to participate and for making this collaboration possible.”
