The Bahamas

MPAs in The Bahamas

The Commonwealth of The Bahamas is a nation consisting of 29 islands, 661 cays, and 2,387 islets (rocks). It is located in the Atlantic Ocean north of Cuba and Hispaniola (Dominican Republic and Haiti), and southeast of the United States. The Bahamas has 3,542 km of coastline and its Exclusive Economic Zone is approximately 654,715 sq km.

Marine protected areas in The Bahamas include national parks managed by the Bahamas National Trust, marine reserves managed by the Department of Marine Resources. The Bahamas National Trust and Department of Marine Resources currently lists 16 sites with marine protected area designations. The effectiveness of marine management in The Bahamas is limited due to lack of funding and resources to develop and efficiently implement management plans.

In May of 2008, The Bahamas’ government, alongside leaders from other Caribbean nations committed to protecting nearly 20 percent of their marine and coastal habitat by 2020. With support from the Nature Conservancy the Caribbean Challenge was launched, a region-wide campaign to protect the health of the Caribbean’s lands and waters.

The Caribbean Challenge