Acting Minister of the Environment and Minister of State for Investments in the Office of the Prime Minister the Hon. Khaalis Rolle. (BIS Photo/Patrick Hanna)

NASSAU, The Bahamas -- The Ministry of the Environment and Housing launched the feasibility studies for a climate risk-resilient coastal zone management project for The Bahamas that is being funded by the Inter-American Bank (IDB), Thursday, January 15, 2015 at the Ministry of Finance.

Acting Minister of the Environment and Minister of State for Investments in the Office of the Prime Minister the Hon. Khaalis Rolle brought remarks at a workshop launching the project.

Mr. Rolle explained that in 2013, the Minister of the Environment the Hon. Kenred Dorsett spoke to the IDB representative to The Bahamas and made a request for technical assistance for a project aimed at coastal zone management and studies that would assist the country in mitigating the impact of climate change.

Mr. Rolle said the IDB responded favourably, and as a result the launch and workshop are an essential part of the country’s progress towards increased integrated coastal zone management.

“The technical cooperation between the Government of The Bahamas and the IDB will help us to fill the gaps in scientific baseline data, provide analysis and consensus in support of integrated coastal zone management, and build capacity among the network of institutions, many of which are represented here today, that will be responsible for the implementation of the integrated coastal zone management policy and investment program.”

Mr. Rolle explained that the archipelago of The Bahamas spans some 100,000 square miles of sea with slightly less than half lying in the tropics.

Acting Minister of the Environment and Minister of State for Investments in the Office of the Prime Minister the Hon. Khaalis Rolle, left, brings remarks at the launch of feasibility studies for a climate risk-resilient coastal zone management project that is being funded by the Inter-American Development Bank. (BIS photo/Patrick Hanna)

The country consists of varied coastal habitats and marine ecosystems, including coral reefs, mangroves and wetlands, sand flats, sandy beaches and rocky shoreline.

“The natural resources and environs of our country make up the very foundation of our natural economy,” the Acting Environment Minister said. “A major attraction of our tourism economy is our marine environs which is also the basis for our fisheries sector.”

He added, “Our coastal ecology also supports our national economy through the protection of coastal infrastructure and populations by ecosystems such as coral reefs, mangroves and wetlands which provide the nursery habitats for important marine species.”

Mr. Rolle said as a coastal nation, The Bahamas is vulnerable to natural disasters such as hurricanes, for when they threaten the health of the nation’s coastal and marine ecosystems, they are a threat to the country’s economy.

“As an island nation, we are susceptible to the increased frequency and intensity of storms associated with climate and sea level rise, as these put our freshwater resources, coastal infrastructure and coastal biodiversity at risk.”

The Acting Environment Minister said the Government has recognized the value of The Bahamas’ coastal environment to the national economy and has made several advances toward climate change risk-resilient integrated coastal zone management, including the establishment of the Planning and Subdivisions Act of 2010, and The Bahamas National Geographic Information Systems Centre, a clearinghouse for geo-spatial data.

He noted that the Bahamas Environment Science and Technology Commission (BEST) has led the National Climate Change Committee, which is a multi-sectorial subcommittee responsible for coordinating the national response to climate change.

“We have also made progress with regard to protected area expansion and management efforts and passed in 2014 the Bahamas Protected Areas Fund Act under which is to be established an authority to manage all protected areas.”

Astrid Wynter, IDB Representative to The Bahamas said the IDB approved a technical cooperation grant in the amount of $650,000, jointly financed by its Disaster Prevention Fund in its Special Program for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.

“The objective of the technical cooperation is to contribute the basic elements that are required for the phased establishment of a permanent program in integrated coastal zone management in The Bahamas.”

Also attending the workshop were Camille Johnson, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Housing; Colin Higgs, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Works and Urban Development; and David Cates, Undersecretary, Ministry of Environment and Housing.