Overall, my trip to San Salvador was eye opening. I have gotten the opportunity see coral reefs and some of the world’s most unique ecosystems and habitats. Not only did I get to fulfill my natural wonder satisfaction while on the trip, I also got the opportunity to see the ways of life for many people in the Bahamas. I would have never known that the Conch throughout the Bahamas are overharvested due to how they are a staple culinary dish in Bahamian culture. This is all connected to the quality of life for Bahamians. While it was illegal for conch to be harvested in the United States that did not stop the importation of conch into Florida, buying mostly from the Bahamas and other island nations. This not only diminished the native conch populations but also affected the lives of Bahamians in the form of money and the loss of culture. As now the conch populations can’t keep up with demand. It found it interesting when we went on the beach and surveyed how many conchs were juvenile and how many were mature. How important this problem was really set in when we saw how many conchs were illegally harvested.
This ties in well the how calcium carbonate is one of the main building blocks of the Bahamas which are what all mollusks, including conch make their shells out of. Mollusks are not the only group who does this Cnidarians, such as Coral make their skeletons. One of my favorite parts about the trip were not seeing the beautiful alive coral full of zooxanthellae producing the colors. I was really amazed by seeing current bleaching and how dead coral are covered in algae, turning these skeletons into fossiliferous limestone structure. I found it amazing seeing fossil reefs above the water line, directly indicating climate change. I thought it was interesting how calcium is used in biological and geological processes both use calcium carbonate and it all ties together into the construction of the island. With construction comes destruction, I was astounded how club med essentially destroyed the aquifer of the island. The people on the island may have seen economic growth in the form of tourism but at the cost of the environment and the ecosystem system services it provides. I now have new insights of the problems that these islanders face. When we saw mail ship come, I felt like I really was in a different country in the middle of the ocean. These people on the island live fragile lives that can be ruined by one hurricane. This trip really changed my outlook on the native islanders and how they rely on the ocean to survive, but us as humans need to protect it from further harm.
I really enjoyed seeing how Sandy helped with the formation of multiple national parks on the island. This inspired me to go to graduate school and try to get a master’s in marine Geoscience or some sort of further education. I am attempting to get my GIS certificate and would like to use my degree to survey natural areas and use GIS to present new protected areas.
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