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Last Updated: Feb 13, 2017 - 1:45:37 AM |
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Nassau, Bahamas - During Seventh Conference of the Parties (COP-7) of the Convention for Biological Diversity (CBD), held in Malaysia in February 2004, the signatories reached a historical agreement to promote the establishment and effective management of a national protected area system. The agreement is articulated within a Programme of Work on Protected Areas (PoWPA) that includes a series of specific activities that the signatories, including the Government of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, are committed to implement within clearly defined time frames.
Under this agreement a Global Environment Facility (GEF) Full Size Project “Building a Sustainable Marine Protected Area System” is presently being implemented by the Government of The Bahamas. One of the requirements under this project is the need to provide “Enforcement Training” to individuals involved in protected area management. To this end a workshop was held March 24-28, 2014 at the Superclubs Cable Beach.
The workshop was well attended with more than 57 active participants and representatives from 11 Family islands. Agencies which participated in the five-day event were the Royal Bahamas Police and Defence Forces, Customs Department, Department of Marine Resources, Bahamas National Trust, The Clifton Heritage National Park, Magistrate Forbes from the Judicial Department, Forestry Unit, Bahamas Maritime Association, Ministry of Agriculture, BEST commission, Port Department, BREEF, Friends of the Environment, San Salvador Living Jewels and the Marine Protected Areas Enforcement International of Florida.
The objectives of the workshop were to provide information to all regarding the present national and international regulations which effect wildlife enforcement and marine resource management in The Bahamas. Presentation on the US Lacey Act, Powers of the Wardens, Smart Technology in the use of enforcement, Fisheries regulations, Ship grounding protocols, collections and handling of evidence in illegal activities and standard operating procedures for wardens were all well received by the participants. The workshop was put on by the BEST Commission in the Ministry of the Environment and Housing as part of the GEF project. The project “Building a Sustainable Marine Protected Area System” is partnership between the BEST Commission, The Nature Conservancy, Dept. of Marine Resources and The Bahamas National Trust. The project is expected to end by June 2014 and some of the major outputs are the creation of a Bahamas Protected Areas Trust Fund which would provide sustainable financing for the 20 percent of the protected areas to be identify by the Government of The Bahamas.
© Copyright 2014 by thebahamasweekly.com
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