Bermuda Conservation

 

Quote from "A Discovery of the Barmudas", the first book written about Bermuda, was an account of one of the Sea Venture ship wreck survivors Sylvester Jourdain.

When the Sea Venture ship crashed on Bermuda in 1610 the survivors discovered a land of plenty despite the harsh weather and small size.  As settlements developed, they quickly over exploited the birds, turtles, fish and plants of the island and strained the ecosystem. Several native species went extinct or became endangered from over harvesting, habitat destruction and invasive species such as hogs, rats and insects. Bermudians recognized the need to stop this destruction of their island’s rich biological resources early on, and enacted the first conservation laws of the new world. These laws in 1616 banned the killing of Cahow and other birds “against the spoyle and havocke of the cahows and other birds (Mastny)”, and in 1620 sea turtles “An act against the killinge of ouer young Tortoyse  (Augustinovic) ”. As Bermuda’s population continued to increase conservation efforts struggled to make the island livable for humans and the native species vital for the health of the island and people.  A healthy ecosystem supports the economy and human life in Bermuda as stated in Bermuda Biodiversity Country Study, “Nature provides many services that are essential to human life and, in many cases, are impossible to reproduce artificially (Department of Environment and Natural Resources of Bermuda)”. Bermudians also benefit from the infrastructure and services created by these conservation efforts. Though conservation efforts may seem burdensome, they are key in preserving the islands’ natural resources and biodiversity for future generation of Bermudian people to enjoy and benefit from.

Picture on left is of a grouper which are now protected in Bermuda image from Department of Environment and Natural Resources of Bermuda. "Bermuda Biodiversity Country Study" Picture on right is a Cahow bird which were believed to be extinct in 1620's some remain on a nature preserve "Nonsuch Island" in Bermuda image from Nonsuch Expedition 

Works Cited

Augustinovic, Horst. "The New World's 1st Conservation Legislation." 2019. Bermuda. www.bermuda.com/do-you-know-that-bermuda-passed-the-new-worlds-first-conservation-legislation/. 2 April 2021.

Department of Environment and Natural Resources of Bermuda. "Bermuda Biodiversity Country Study." 18 May 2001. Govenment of Bermuda. www.environment.bm/country-study. 1 April 2021.

Jourdain, SIlvester. "A discovery of the Barmudas, otherwise called the Ile of Diuels." 1650. Early English books online text creation partnership. www.quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo2/A04690.0001.001?rgn=main;view=fulltext. 5 April 2021.

LookBermuda. "Cahow History." 2021. Nonsuch Expeditions. www.nonsuchisland.com/cahow-history. 10 April 2021.

Mastny, Lisa. "Bermuda Ecoregions." n.d. World Wildlife Fund. www.worldwildlife.org/ecoregions/na0301. 3 April 2021.