| TCI Environmental Club relocates threatened native plants |
 |
 |
 |
| Thursday, 21 October 2010 10:27 | |||
 The TCI Environmental Club recently rescued approximately 300 native plants from destruction in an area of development on Providenciales. Organized by the Department of Environment and Coastal Resources, the club is comprised of concerned citizens with a passion for the protection and promotion of environmental sustainability. Volunteers relocated specimens of country’s unique flora from the threatened site to areas safe from development. Approximately 300 plants and 17 species were rescued, the majority being young seedlings of slow-growing and internationally protected and endangered lignum vitae tree. Also rescued were epiphytes, particularly Encyclia orchids and Tillandsia air plants, and wild frangipani. “Many of the rescued plants are globally threatened, endangered or endemic to the TCI and the Bahamas, and have very restricted worldwide ranges,” the DECR said. “However, not all plants endure relocation, and those that did not, but bear fruit, were rescued by seed collecting.” The DECR noted that during collection, plants were tagged with botanical name, collection date and area of provenance. GPS coordinates for the collection site were logged as well. Permanent relocation for the plants will be within areas protected from development and private and public native plant gardens. Collected seeds will be grown in the DECR’s native plant nurseries in Providenciales and North Caicos. The nursery and the rescue mission are components of a DECR project for Endangered and Endemic Plant Rescue by the U.K. Government’s Joint Nature Conservation Committee. Similar rescues are being planned for the future. Anyone interested in native plant rescues or in the TCI environment in general may join the club, which generally meets at 6 p.m. at the National Environmental Center on the first Thursday of each month. Learn more on the club’s Facebook page or by contacting the DECR at 946-5122. The club is also accepting suggestions for future native plant rescue sites.
|
|||
| Last Updated on Thursday, 21 October 2010 10:31 |
Related Articles
Latest Local News
|
Tourist Board expands adding two new staff members The Turks and Caicos Tourist Board announced this week it welcomed two new staff members to further More... |
|
Cruise terminal to open April 8 Beginning Monday, April 8, thousands of cruise ship passengers will again begin to enjoy the More... |
|
2013 TCI Elecrotal List Available TCI 2013 Electors’ Register is Ready! Supervisor of Elections Mr. Dudley Lewis has announced More... |
|
Misick Declared By-Election Winner Supervisor of Elections Dudley Lewis has advised that the Progressive National Party's (PNP) Amanda More... |
|
New Board leads TCHTA On Wednesday, March 13, Turks and Caicos Hotel and Tourism Association (TCHTA) bid farewell to its More... |
TCI Protected Areas Series
The fp is publishing a series of articles on the Turks and Caicos Islands Protected Area System to increase public awareness and respect for the beauty and value of this "beautiful by nature" country.
The authors, marine ecologist Marsha Pardee and terrestrial ecologist Kathleen Wood, are long-time TCI residents and respected scientists in their fields.
Below are links to their articles, plus related news articles, documents and laws.
- 29/7/10: Chalk Sound National Park: Beauty and ecology
- 22/7/10: Protected Areas designations and differences
- 15/7/10: Long-term prosperity vs. short-term gain
- 8/7/10: Protected Areas save environment, generate revenue
- 5/8/10: Frenchman’s Creek: Prime real estate of TCI wetlands
Related news articles
- 1/7/10: Expert report warned about encroachment on protected areas
- 8/7/10: More than 250 lots carved in Provo parks
Links to environmental documents and laws