If Bermuda is to live sustainably the Island must use the products and processes of nature no more quickly than they can be used, Dr. Annie Glass said last night at the Bermuda National Trust Awards Ceremony.

Dr. Glass, the Project Leader of the Bermuda Biodiversity Project, was the featured speaker at the ceremony at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute. She presented a speech about Bermuda?s biodiversity and the delicate balance the Island is in.

?As one of the world?s most densely populated jurisdictions, fully 14 per cent of the Island is covered in solid concrete and an area the size of Ferry Reach is lost to development every three years,? Dr. Glass said. She added: ?There is danger that as we struggle to balance the often conflicting needs of our highly sophisticated society and densely populated Island community that our cultural environment has become little more than than a sideshow.?

Short-term benefits tend to take precedence over long-term investments in environmental health, as more people find employment in sectors not directly linked to the environment which may conflict with human interests, Dr. Glass said. She suggested that as a community everybody on the Island is part of the problem but also part of the solution.

?With the significant efforts of organisations such as the National Trust, we can continue to strive as a community to find areas where we can demonstrate a leadership role in good environmental practice,? Dr. Glass said.

She added: ?Sadly there has been a long held belief that innovative, environmentally friendly practices are costly and detract from profits. However, more and more examples are emerging that sustainable practices can be profitable.? Dr. Glass advised that if Bermuda is to make effective and liveable sustainability strategies, one part of the equation must take account of the Island?s ecological constraints.