As the 20th century draws to a close, there is an emerging, worldwide realisation that the very survival of the human race depends on the earth's natural resources.

Bermuda is no different, and the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo (BAMZ) and the Bermuda Zoological Society (BZS) are coordinating the Island's first concerted effort to create a comprehensive information management system for Bermuda's own natural resources. It is called the Bermuda Biodiversity Project.

Amazingly, there are more than 8,000 species inhabiting this tiny Island and its surrounding marine platform and the Biodiversity team have now embarked on the daunting task of giving `a local habitation and a name' to all of them.

With overall direction from Natural History Museum Curator Dr. Wolfgang Sterrer, and Aquarium and Zoo Curator Jack Ward in charge of all mapping elements, there is now a full-time staff of three. Dr. Anne Glasspool is project leader, assisted by Joseph Furbert and Heather DeSilva.

Now, the Museum is expressing the hope that this ambitious, and long-needed project will attract the interest of students who may wish to undertake fieldwork or practical work on thesis material -- and also, hopefully, to provide entry-level opportunities for scientists when returning to Bermuda. As Dr. Glasspool points out, there are many different fields to pursue -- in photography, filming and computers, for instance. "There is incredible diversity here and we need scientists to look at the land. From the point of view of tourism and even exempt companies, the beauty of this Island is absolutely the cornerstone to everything that has been achieved and is going on here. We would love to meet with students who are back for the holidays to discuss options and opportunities.'' Dr. Sterrer echoes this sentiment with the observation that, in his opinion, this project -- and other scientific projects at the Bermuda Biological Station -- provides a unique opportunity to learn about their own country.

"They will know so much more when they finally do come into the workforce, knowing about Bermuda's environment and how very precious and fragile it is.'' Noting that the project really began a couple of years ago, Dr. Sterrer says that, when complete, Bermuda will have an inventory of everything that lives -- and has lived -- in Bermuda. "I started writing a paper on how many species there are in this tiny area which has now been published in the Bulletin of Marine Science. I think, over the years, I have come across some very interesting tidbits. Some things that used to be very common here have now disappeared completely as the Island is developed more and more.'' Indicating a container in which a small, wriggly creature is basking on some fresh green leaves, he adds, "On the other hand, this worm, which we think is a ribbon worm, seems to have been imported somehow or another very recently. I had never seen it in Bermuda until about a year ago. So we can see that islands are very fragile -- as we know from the cedar blight. Apart from our inventory, the field studies will tell us about the current state of our natural environment. So with that mandate, I managed to get some funding from the Kenridge Fund in the US, and when the Zoological Society pitched in to help, we were able to get started. We were pleasantly surprised to find such enthusiasm about our project. Everyone has been anxious to help. The Planning Department, for example, is anxious to get more information on Bermuda's open spaces.

"I think that everyone is aware now that, as we are a tiny Island to begin with, wide-spread development means we have less and less land, and precious few natural resources left. The eco-system provides -- absolutely free -- the essentials of life which are oxygen (without which we would not be able to breathe), renewal of air and water, retention of topsoil, and so on. We are the eco-system's consumers! In the end, this project will help us manage our natural resources wisely and with sustainability.'' In the scientific world, the oceanic Island of Bermuda has long been renowned as an exceptional `natural laboratory' resulting, over the past century especially, in a massive array of research. Much of this information, however, has remained hidden away. Now, the Museum's projected central recording house will not only assist the scientific world but also prove an invaluable asset to Bermuda's educators, land planners, developers and conservationists as they adopt short and long-term plans for Bermuda's future.

A bibliography of Bermuda's natural history has already been created on the BAMZ Web Site (www.bamz.org) for research, with around 35,000 entries which will obviously grow as more `gaps' are filled in.

Mr. Ward explains that Planning Department is presently conducting a survey for the year 2000, concentrating on a strictly terrestrial survey. "We want to document nature and Annie and I started working on the creation of a data base, which gathers all the information we have, and sort it. We found that Government already had an ongoing system -- a layered, aerial computerised map that builds of knowledge of spatial entity.'' Biodiversity Project "We jumped on the bandwagon of this aerial survey, resulting in a high resolution map. Joe and Heather are doing the fieldwork. Joe comes to us with a degree in environmental science and had already worked with us, and Heather, who has degrees in geography and education, was looking for a life change after working for Planning for 12 years. She's done a lot of work, as well, with David Wingate -- and she also has a bias toward teaching!'' After just a few months, they already have some clear indications on the locations of endemic forests, and accompanying endangered species. "We are hoping to design certain restoration programmes based on the information we have found. For example, Bermuda sedge grows alongside palmettos.'' Ms DeSilva points out that when controversial development plans, such as Ship's Hill or the Equestrian Centre, arise, there is currently no base-line information on the effects that such changes would make. "We hope this project will be ongoing. We have made a commitment that this becomes an umbrella project for all other related projects and we hope that the mapping part of the programme will be completed by the end of 1999. We have already had Saltus and Mount St.

Agnes schools helping with the fieldwork and now Clearwater and the Bermuda Institute are coming on board. We feel this is a wonderful way of getting young people interested in learning about Bermuda's natural habitat and its importance in the world's ecological system.'' According to his colleagues, Mr. Furbert has already demonstrated an aptitude for learning the names of Bermuda's flora, and assuming the role of plant identification expert. Originally sponsored by Parks, then the Works and Engineering Departments before being taken on as a research assistant by the Zoological Society, he says, "I am anxious to work with youth groups and get them involved in nature projects.'' As Dr. Glasspool observes, "The conservation of Bermuda's marine environment is the envy of the world. However, we are far behind in land conservation (apart from our water conservation which is, in fact, very forward-looking).

We have a wonderful Planning Department and I hope this project will draw attention to the fact that the resources of our natural environment need to become central to our value system. We have both the densest island population in the world -- and, economically, the most successful. It is essential that we safeguard Bermuda's natural environment as best we can and the Bermuda Biodiversity Project is, I think, a big step in the right direction.''