Dr. Ethan Freid attended a meeting of regional garden and conservation leaders from the Caribbean and Central America Garden Network held at Naples Botanical Garden (NBG). The focus of the sessions was to work to further develop the regional strategy for plant conservation, identify regional needs, and prioritize future plant conservation initiatives.
NBG also pledged its support towards recovery efforts at Bahamas National Trust parks on Grand Bahama and Abaco. Of particular concern are the islands' mangrove systems and tidal ecosystems, critical marine nursery systems which were decimated. Chad Husby, Naples Botanical Garden’s vice president of conservation facilitated the sessions. Dr. Peter Wyse Jackson, president of the Missouri Botanical Garden and chair of the Global Partnership for Plant Conservation commended the Caribbean delegation on its contributions to plant conservation.