The Bahamas led the way in efforts to conserve marine resources in the Caribbean when it established the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park in 1959. This park protects 112,640 acres and has been a resounding success.
Since then, the Bahamas has established a number of other parks such as:
- Peterson Cay National Park
- Conception Island National Park
- Pelican Cays Land and Sea Park
- Walker’s Cay National Park
- Black Sound Cay National Reserve
- Tilloo Cay Reserve
- Abaco National Park
- Lucayan National Park
- Rand Nature Center
- The Retreat
- Central Andros National Park Areas
- Bonefish Pond National Park
- Harrold and Wilson Ponds
- Primeval Forest
- Moriah Harbour Cay National Park
- Marine Farm
- Hope House
- Inagua National Park
- Union Creek
- Little Inagua National Park
Caribbean Challenge
In 2008, the Caribbean Challenge was launched by the governments of The Bahamas, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The following additional countries are now also participating in the challenge:
- Grenada
- St. Lucia
- Antigua & Barbuda
- St. Kitts & Nevis
These countries have agreed to preserve nearly 20% of their marine and coastal habitats by the year 2020.
The difficulty faced by The Bahamas and all Caribbean countries is obtaining funding to manage their park systems once they have been created to ensure that they are more than just “paper” parks. For more details on the Caribbean Challenge click here.
The Nature Conservancy has pledged to support the Caribbean Challenge by donating up to 20 million dollars in cash and support.
Please help the Nature Conservancy to fulfill its pledge and assist in preserving the marine and coastal resources of the Caribbean by making a donation.
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