Slowly but surely, Bermuda's precious open space has been eroded by man's encroachment upon it, so instead of the former wilderness that once was the whole Island, we have now come down to a series of protected areas such as woodland reserves and parks.

Of course, progress has dictated the need for homes to live in, schools to study in, buildings to conduct business in, hospitals to heal the sick, as well as structures linked to sports, recreation, transportation and more. In addition, there are the forces of nature to contend with: storms, gales and hurricanes, which have also taken their toll on the environment. So Earth Day is a reminder that it is every citizen's responsibility to protect, preserve and restore what is left - including planting trees, recycling bottles and cans, and erecting artificial bird nests for bluebirds and longtails.

Trees: “Planting a tree is one of the easiest ways and most valuable things a person can do for the environment,” Mr. Madeiros says. “Trees live for hundreds of years, so provided you are careful in your selection, once you plant a tree, it is there for generations to come - for your grandchildren and their grandchildren to enjoy and relax under.”

He recommends as a first choice natives and endemics, such as the Bermuda cedar, palmetto and olive wood, because of their suitability for our climate, including hurricane resistance, but there is also pittisporum and many other hardy and attractive trees.

“The cedar, for example, has deep roots which grow straight down into the rock and not towards your water tank, which gives them a very firm anchor,” Mr. Madeiros says. “That is why they are so good around a house, and they are also rigid and don't bend and sway in high winds.”

Cedar saplings, however, are unfortunately scarce at the moment because nursery stocks were destroyed by Fabian. Similarly, cedar berries were destroyed last autumn by Fabian, but barring unforeseen circumstances, this year's crop of berries from which to grow cedars yourself should be harvestable around August, and cedars can also be rooted from branch cuttings of living trees.

In addition, Mr. Madeiros advocates planting fruit-bearing trees, such as citrus and avocado, which will provide a food source for humans and wildlife, and also give the latter a source of shelter.

In a broad sense, trees also provide humans with a form of shelter because, when they are planted close to a home they keep it warmer in winter and cooler in summer.

“Trees create a climate around a house,” Mr. Madeiros says. “In winter, they protect the home from harsh, cold winds, thus reducing heating costs, and in summer they provide shade. In fact, a neighbourhood with a lot of vegetation can be up to 17 degrees cooler in summer.”

More importantly, perhaps, trees are also absolutely vital to the atmosphere. They absorb the copious amounts of carbon dioxide which humans and animal life exhale every day, and give off life-sustaining oxygen. Thus they are an important element in the battle against global warming. Trees also reduce airborne pollutants and dust in the air, so it is obvious that the more there are, the better the atmosphere we breathe.

“It has been estimated that the service a medium size tree renders over a 50 to 60 year life span is worth almost $1 million, including oxygen production, carbon dioxide absorption, and wind protection,” Mr. Madeiros says.

Also, there is also something else about trees that the conservation officer likes to point out. Apart from their invaluable contributions to the atmosphere, shelter and temperature control in homes, they also provide privacy and hide what he terms “the unacceptable amount of development on the Island”.

“Without thick vegetation you would have no privacy or security, which would devalue life,” he says.

“Every time you lose a piece of land to mindless development you are decreasing the quality of life for a whole region of Bermuda. In fact, in the past if there were trees, and particularly cedar trees, on a piece of land they were going to build on, the house would be positioned to preserve the trees.”

So passionate is Government's conservation officer about the importance of preserving trees, in fact, that he is urging every citizen to “think long and hard before ever cutting down a tree”.

“Every tree has some benefit, and any tree is better than no tree at all,” he says.

And, yes, that includes the much-maligned ‘Mexican pepper', which is widely regarded as an arch-enemy to be destroyed wholesale. While Mr. Madeiros is not advocating wholesale planting of these trees, he points out that “they are not only a good habitat for birds, but produce most of the honey in Bermuda”.

Indeed, one expert beekeeper rates this tree as “the best” for bees and honey production. Trees are also invaluable to agriculture, protecting crops from the ravages of wind and salt.

“The fresh fruit and vegetable agricultural industry in Bermuda would be totally lost without fields being surrounded by forests and vegetation providing wind breaks. In fact, for long periods agriculture collapsed when the cedars died and were cut down,” Mr. Madeiros says.

For information on where to obtain free leaflets on successfully growing cedar trees oneself contact the Environmental Protection department at 236-4201. Also keep in touch with commercial nurseries about future stock.

Meanwhile, the conservationist suggests consulting commercial nurseries, the Department of Conservation Services or Government's Tulo Valley nursery for further advice on appropriate trees and greenery for individual properties.

He also recommends the Bermuda Garden Club book, ‘Bermuda, A Gardener's Guide' as another excellent reference source. It is available in local bookstores.

Recycling: Bermuda residents can also improve their environment significantly by recycling. Surveys indicate that only a small portion of the population recycles - something of which all Bermuda residents should be ashamed, particularly those who throw bottles and cans out of vehicle windows, and otherwise litter the countryside, Mr. Madeiros says.

“If people really want to do something they should recycle. Recycling is a very small thing that doesn't take time. Putting used bottles and cans in blue bags and setting them out for free collection twice a week makes an absolute difference. People think it doesn't make a difference, but I can assure you it does. The more people recycle the more facilities can be improved. In fact, I salute the workers in the recycling field because they are under-appreciated, yet they are the unsung heroes in Bermuda. I hope they receive the support they deserve, and Bermuda deserves.”

Stressing that people cannot expect Government to do it all, Mr. Madeiros emphasises that the responsibility for keeping Bermuda beautiful “begins in the community”.

“They simply expect Government to do everything, but people need to get off their behinds and take responsibility for doing things themselves,” he says.

“If you see a bottle or can pick it up. If everyone picked up just one piece of trash per day Bermuda would be spotless in no time. It is a very simple goal to set, but it shows that as a human being you are taking responsibility, and actually care about your environment.

“Every individual is only on Earth for a very short time, and the reason I got into working in the environment was because I saw how quickly it was being destroyed. I want my children and grandchildren to enjoy some of the quality of life I had growing up. Bermuda has its ups and downs, but it is also one of the nicest places to live, and we all have a responsibility to not act like we are the last people on the planet to enjoy things. To do otherwise is both greedy and irresponsible.”

Birds: Providing man-made habitats for bluebirds and longtails to live in are other important environmental issues. In terms of assisting the longtails, Mr. Madeiros says that, like humans who are struggling to find homes, so too are these birds experiencing a housing crisis due to the destruction of huge numbers of nests along the shorelines in the wake of Hurricane Fabian.

“Along the South Shore alone we have lost fully half of the nesting sites, so it is akin to half the population of Bermuda being without a roof over their heads. It is a pretty serious situation, to the point where longtails are fighting over nests,” he says.

In fact, Mr. Madeiros has been picking up the bodies of longtails killed by other longtails in whose nests they have attempted to land.

To help solve this problem, the Bermuda Audubon Society supplies artificial longtail nests which owners of cliff top, shoreline and inland bay properties with cliff terraces or embankments can install.

“We have literally had birds occupy such nests within 20 minutes of installation,” the conservation officer says. “Normally, it can take a couple of years for them to occupy a nest, but they so desperate at the moment.”

Similarly, property owners can install bluebird boxes to help increase their population which, over the last 50 years, has been in severe decline due to a number of factors, including the loss of cedar trees as nesting sites; the invasive sparrow and starling taking their nest sites and killing the baby chicks; development by humans decreasing the amount of open space available; food competition from the kiskadee and starling; bluebirds eating insects which have ingested insecticides; and roaming cats catching fledgelings.

In areas where bluebird boxes have been erected, or where a trail of them has been established, the bluebird populations are increasing.

“With the continual loss of critical habitat, the bluebird's survival in Bermuda is now totally dependent on man,” the Society says.

To contact the Audubon Society ( 235-5513 (cellular), or 292-1920 after 6 p.m. The bluebird hot line is 238-0168 or 734-9856. Bluebird nest boxes can be purchased from the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo gift shop and the Audubon Society, and leaflets are available with instructions on how to make your own.