An Ecosystem and Its Inequities: The Bahamas Seagrass Meadow

1.  Introduction

The Bahamas are home to an expansive underwater seagrass meadow, consisting of 40.7% of recorded seagrass area in the world (Fu et al., 2023, p. 1). The meadow exists in a unique area in the Atlantic Basin that is prone to major storms, including tropical hurricanes (James et al., 2020, p. 301). It is found in clear, nutrient-poor tropical waters close to the equator (Fu et al., 2023, p. 2). The nutrient-poor environment causes species to adapt to highly specific niches, and the warm environment allows many organisms to survive there, increasing biodiversity. Understanding the types of ecosystem services, or the ways humans interact with the environment, is key to studying this unique ecosystem. The four main categories of ecosystem services are cultural, provisioning, regulating, and supporting services. Provisioning services are the tangible benefits, such as food, water, and other natural resources, that people can obtain from the ecosystem. Meanwhile, cultural services encompass the intangible benefits that one can acquire from an ecosystem, such as recreation and enjoyment of nature. Regulating services are characteristics of an ecosystem that protect the surrounding area from outside damage, such as filtering water or reducing the impact of storms. Finally, supporting services are features of ecosystems that help maintain the other three ecosystem services. The seagrass meadow provides a myriad of ecosystem services, including tourism, food, and protection from rough weather, yet locals and those in certain regions of the Bahamas do not receive the same amount of food availability and weather protection as others. Researching the meadow’s ecosystem services exposes the barriers to equal food access and weather protection, yet also allow the development of solutions. 

2.  Tourism and its Impact

The Bahamas seagrass meadow provides a hotspot for tourism and enjoying nature, both of which are cultural services. Each year, the area receives approximately 7 million tourists, and the money they spend while on vacation constitutes 40% of the nation’s GDP (Fu et al., 2023, p. 2). Tourists come to enjoy the beauty of the seagrass meadow, which benefits them by increasing their contentment. Tourism revenue also benefits locals, as much of the money in the economy comes from tourists. The number of tourists is growing, with a dramatic increase since the 1950’s compared to the local population increasing linearly at a much slower rate(Smith & Zeller, 2016, p. 119). With even more people coming to enjoy all that the Bahamas have to offer, locals receive more income, but tourists also pose an environmental risk to the seagrass meadow through overfishing. The Bahamas seagrass meadow is biodiverse and provides a habitat for many fishes that provide food, a provisioning service. A study estimated that the total amount of fish caught in the Bahamas peaked in 1985 and 2003, at 24,700 and 22,200 tons per year, respectively, and has since declined (Smith & Zeller, 2016, p. 127). A lack of limits on recreational fishing benefits tourists while depriving locals of a key provisioning service. Although there are regulations on the number of fish each recreational fisher can keep, there are no regulations on how many people can fish recreationally (Smith & Zeller, 2016, p. 129). Without careful restrictions on the number of fish that can be removed from the seagrass meadow, tourists consume more fish than they need as they overfish the area. Meanwhile, residents who depend on fish for their diet may have less access to the food they need due to declining fish populations. Due to a lack of funding, the Bahamas government has not been able to research the relationship between locals and fisheries in the seagrass meadow, resulting in a lack of knowledge about the impacts of overfishing on locals (Smith & Zeller, 2016, p. 118). In other areas, however, the impacts of overfishing on locals include food insecurity, as well as job loss for professional anglers, which leads to economic hardship for the many families relying on the fishing industry for food and money. To positively impact those living in the Bahamas, more research on the specifics of how overfishing affects the unique local population is needed. Additionally, restrictions on the number of recreational anglers would ensure that the area is not overfished, leaving enough food for locals.

3.  Weather Protection

Seagrass meadows decrease the impact of waves from hurricanes. The grasses slow the speed of waves coming in from offshore, so the impact on land is less severe. In the Caribbean, category four and five hurricanes are frequent, occurring at average of 2.4 storms per year, yet a study on seagrass in the Caribbean showed that six months after intense hurricanes, only one very exposed site showed any decrease in seagrass coverage (James et al., 2020, p. 313). Therefore, seagrass meadows provide a consistent regulating service by sheltering those on shore from hurricanes, as they remain rooted in the ground even after intense storms. Not everyone has equal access to this regulating service, however. Those living close to exposed sections of the sea or areas where there is sparse seagrass cover will more intensely feel the effects of hurricanes, as seagrass in those areas is more likely to become unrooted, providing less protection against the waves.

A study of coralline algae and Caribbean seagrasses revealed that the algae and seagrass have a mutualistic relationship. When algae were not present near the seagrass, green sea turtles were more likely to eat the seagrass, resulting in overgrazing and a lack of robust seagrass. When the algae were present on the seagrass, green sea turtles were less likely to graze on the grass (Leemans et al., 2020, p. 1635). The seagrass’ mutualistic relationship with the algae is a supporting service, helping to maintain the regulating service of wave reduction that the seagrass provides. Without overgrazing, more seagrass is available to protect humans living on shore from the waves and potential flooding of hurricanes. Not everyone has equal access to this supporting service, however. Areas of the Bahamas seagrass meadow with a low population of coralline algae are more likely to be overgrazed by sea turtles. Those near the overgrazed areas would experience less of the regulating service that is hurricane protection. To remedy the inequality, the study suggests that algae could be carefully introduced to areas that are overgrazed, so a healthier amount of seagrass can grow back (Leemans et al., 2020, p. 1641). With more algae, the seagrass would not be overgrazed, so those living near previously overgrazed areas would experience less danger from hurricanes.

4.  Conclusion

While the Bahamas seagrass meadow offers plentiful ecosystem services, those local to the Bahamas or near areas with a lack of seagrass do not receive as much benefit. More research on the impact of recreational overfishing on locals should be done, and laws restricting the number of people able to fish recreationally should be established. Additionally, coralline algae can be introduced to deter sea turtles and restore seagrass cover, providing better hurricane protection.