Small bahamian preserve becomes powerhouse for caribbean native plant conservation

What was once abandoned farmland and hotel property has transformed into one of the Caribbean’s most important centers for native plant conservation. The Leon Levy Native Plant Preserve on Eleuthera Island in the Bahamas now protects 30 acres of thriving subtropical dry forest, complete with bat-sized black witch moths, fluorescent wasps, and native Jamaican slider turtles basking in artificial wetlands.

This remarkable transformation took place over just two decades. After philanthropist Shelby White purchased the degraded land, years of careful restoration work converted the site into an accredited botanical garden that now serves as the region’s premier hub for Caribbean plant knowledge. The preserve operates through a unique partnership between the Bahamas National Trust, which manages the country’s national parks, and New York’s Leon Levy Foundation.

The success story represents hope for the Bahamas’ threatened subtropical dry forests, ecosystems characterized by limestone-rich, nutrient-poor soils and specialized hardwood trees and shrubs. These forests face mounting pressure from development and climate change across the Caribbean. The preserve now buzzes with life—meter-high termite mounds dot the forest floor, orchard spiders weave intricate webs among mangrove roots, and various native reptiles, amphibians, and insects have reclaimed their habitat.

Beyond its conservation value, the preserve serves as a living laboratory for research and education, demonstrating that with proper funding, scientific expertise, and community partnership, degraded tropical landscapes can be successfully restored to support both biodiversity and local environmental education efforts.