#Nassau, July 16, 2019 – Bahamas – Thanking the Bahamas National Trust for preserving the natural environs of the country over the past 60 years, Prime Minister the Most Hon. Dr. Hubert Minnis revealed further plans towards the protection of natural resources.
He was addressing the 60th Anniversary celebration of The Bahamas National Trust at its Retreat Gardens on Village Road, July 12, 2019. He also thanked the staff, donors, benefactors and volunteers for its towering achievements over the past six decades.
“I thank
the BNT also for the essential role it plays in safeguarding the sacred and
natural trust that is the commonwealth of beauty that is The Bahamas,” the
Prime Minister said.
Founded
in 1969, The Bahamas National Trust manages the Bahamas National Park System of
32 National Parks, which protect over two million acres of Bahamian
biodiversity.
“Indeed,
a part of the genesis of the Bahamas National Trust was the fierce
determination and desire of an intrepid group of individuals to preserve and to
conserve the biodiversity and beauty of The Bahamas,” the Prime Minister said.
“Their
inspiration and dedication led to the establishment of the Exuma Cays Land and
Sea Park, the world’s first land and sea park.”
The
Prime Minister observed that the natural treasury being celebrated is under
threat from pollution and from a global climate crisis and warming planet.
“Just as previous generations summoned the
fierce determination and will to conserve and to preserve our natural heritage,
we must likewise summon the fierce urgency of the moment to address a complex
of crisis which threatens our very existence as a country.”
Over the
decades, the Prime Minister said that the country’s extensive land and park
system, which stretches the length of the archipelago, has become known as a
wellspring of biodiversity for the region.
He then
revealed that the Government would collaborate with the BNT as it implements
its 2018-2022 Strategic Plan.
“This
includes ongoing efforts to address the current climate emergency, combating
the effects of plastics on our environment, and other measures to conserve our
natural environment and to educate Bahamians about our shared environmental
trust,” he said.
The
government will also work with the BNT in the creation of policies necessary to
enhance biodiversity conservation in alignment with international best
practices and in accord with national sustainable development
goals.
And, the
Government and the Trust have collaborated in identifying approximately 40 new
marine areas for protection, which cover over 8.1 million acres. This will
ensure that The Bahamas fulfills its goal of protecting 20 percent of our
marine environment by 2020.
“Further,
I am pleased that the Government of The Bahamas has signed an agreement with
the Inter-American Development Bank to advance conch conservation efforts in
The Bahamas,” the Prime Minister said.
“We have
also launched The Bahamas Coral Innovation Hub with the Cape Eleuthera
Institute and Perry Institute for Marine Science,” he disclosed.
The
purpose of this coral innovation hub is to advance and to deploy coral
conservation science, and to scale up coral restoration using groundbreaking
techniques.
Approximately
1.3 million coral embryos have been created by collecting spawn from
reef-building and endangered coral species in The Bahamas using cutting-edge
coral reproduction techniques.
“We have
also created a management plan for the Spiny Lobster fishery and we will
continue to advance other measures to conserve our fish populations,” the Prime
Minister said.
Having
been granted the stewardship of the natural wonders of The Bahamas by the
Creator and by history, “we have the awesome responsibility of ensuring the
preservation and conservation of these wonders for ourselves and for
generations many centuries hence,” the Prime Minister said.
He
assured the BNT of the continued support of the government in the conservation
and celebration the country’s majestic national park system.
By Lindsay Thompson
Release: BIS
Photo Captions:
BIS Photos/Raymond A. Bethel, Sr.
Header: Prime Minister the Most Hon. Dr. Hubert Minnis addresses the 60th Anniversary celebration of The Bahamas National Trust at its Retreat Gardens on Village Road, July 12, 2019.
First Insert: BNT Celebrates 60 years – at cake cutting are, from left: Eric Carey, Executive Director, BNT; Stephanie Bowers, Charge d’Affaires, United States Embassy; the Hon. Romauld Ferreira, Minister of the Environment and Housing; Prime Minister Minnis; and Geoffrey Andrews, President, BNT.
Second Insert: Touring Exhibition at the Bahamas National Trust, which celebrated 60 years of existence at its Retreat on Village on Friday, July 12, 2019. Pictured looking on are Prime Minister Minnis (right); Lynn Gape, Deputy Executive Director, BNT; Geoffrey Andrews (left), President, BNT; and the Hon. Romauld Ferreira, Minister of the Environment and Housing.