Representatives from the BNT and the Abaco Fly Fishing Guide Association took part in meetings in Hawaii designed to share Hawaii’s experiences in working with communities, conservation groups and law enforcement opportunities to enhance the effectiveness of marine law enforcement.
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Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii –Two Bahamas National Trust (BNT) staff members
and Abaco Community Members , recently traveled to Lahaina, Maui,
Hawaii to learn from the Hawaiian experience with local partnerships,
government agencies, conservation groups and law enforcement agencies
that are serving to support marine law enforcement .
David
Knowles, BNT Director of parks, Elsworth Weir , BNT Grand Bahama warden ,
Paul Pinder, President of the Abaco Fly Fishing Guide Association
(AFFGA) and Cindy Pinder , Secretary AFFGA took part in the meetings,
which were coordinated by a number of community based enforcement groups
and the Hawaiian Department of Conservation and Resources enforcement
unit. Hawaii is home to a number of innovative programmes which provide
community members with opportunities for the direct involvement in the
management of near shore marine resources.
“Coastal and
protected area managers around the world face common challenges from
scarce financial and human resources for effective enforcement of
regulations,” said David Knowles, BNT Director of Parks. “On this visit
we’re seeing first-hand how other conservation managers address similar
issues, He explained. “Sharing in the lessons learned by the Hawaiian
resource enforcement agencies is invaluable as we step up to
the challenges of protected area management in The Bahamas.”
The
visit was hosted by the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute with
support from NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program and The Nature
Conservancy’s Reef Resilience Program in conjunction with the Pacific
Islands Marine Protected Areas Community (PIMPAC)
The BNT
recently received official national park designation for five new
national parks in San Salvador and have submitted proposals to expand
the national park systems in Grand Bahama and Abaco. All of these parks
have a marine component so these meetings came at an extremely
beneficial time for the BNT.
“Providing opportunities for local
communities to become involved in the management of their marine
resources is a priority for the BNT.” said Eric Carey, BNT Executive
Director. “Initiatives such as these build voluntary compliance for
fisheries
regulation and assist enforcement authorities in reducing adversarial relationships with resource users. “
Important lessons regarding partnering with local NGO’s and community based enforcement groups were shared during the week long meetings. From Left to right : Ellsworth Weir, BNT Warden, Emma Dole, GCFI, Paul Pinder, President AFFGA, Kristen Maize, TNC, Luna Kekoa, State Makai Watch Coordinator, David Knowles, BNT Director of Parks and Cindy Pinder , Secretary of AFFGA.
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(BNT Photo)
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(BNT Photo)
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