Southwest Marine Park Project Summary

The Bahamas National Trust was formed in 1959 by an act of Parliament to manage The Bahamas' national park systems. The Bahamas' National Park System is at the heart of the Trust's mandate. With 25 National Parks encompassing more than 700,000 acres of land and sea areas, the National Parks have tremendous value to The Bahamas that spans economic, ecological and social realms.

The Bahamas National Trust is in the process of developing a proposal for a National Park to be developed off the Southwest coast of New Providence Island. This area is highly significant for The Bahamas because of its proximity to Nassau; and as a result, can pose both threats to the marine resources and opportunity for sustainable use of these resources. The proposed location is accessible to the majority of Bahamians and tourists to The Bahamas. Thus, creating a marine park in this area has the potential to serve multiple purposes of protecting resources, providing non-destructive economic benefits, and providing both recreational and educational opportunities for Bahamians. The accessibility of this park to the majority of the Bahamian population also has the potential to make this park a cornerstone marine park of The Bahamas National Park System.

A thorough quantitative assessment of the marine environment and resources in the area being considered for a park would greatly facilitate the park plannin Read More