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Last Updated: Feb 13, 2017 - 1:45:37 AM |
BNT Team Gets In-Depth Lesson on Coral Reef Protection -
The Bahamas National Trust (BNT), the GEF Full Sized Project, the Atlantis Blue Project and The Nature Conservancy all teamed up last week to train twenty-three team members in the coral reef assessment tool known as Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment (AGRRA). The week-long training session was supported by the Atlantis Blue Project which is , committed to supporting environmental organisations and promoting marine conservation.
(Photo courtesy of BNT)
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Nassau, Bahamas – The Bahamas National Trust (BNT), the GEF Full Size Project, the Atlantis Blue Project and The Nature Conservancy all teamed up last week to train twenty-three team members in the coral reef assessment tool known as Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment (AGRRA).
The week-long training session was supported by the Atlantis Blue Project which is committed to supporting environmental organisations and promoting marine conservation.
BNT Team Participates in AGRRA Training -
Participating in the training were staff from the BNT, BEST Commission, Department of Marine Resources, The Nature Conservancy, Bahamas Reef Environment Educational Foundation (BREEF), Friends of the Environment, Atlantis and the Cape Eleuthera Institute. Pictured is BNT staff from Eleuthera, Exuma, Grand Bahama, and New Providence.
(Photo courtesy of BNT)
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“Over the past five years, we have trained around 25 Bahamians in the Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment Protocol,” said Dr. Craig Dahlgren, Atlantis Blue Project instructor. “We have worked with the Bahamas National Trust and other NGO’s to use this international standard for assessing the health of coral reefs for the purpose of evaluating potential marine protected area sites, and assessing overall reef health. As a result of this training we recently released a coral reef report card for the New Providence and Rose Island areas which can be seen at http://blueprojectatlantis.org/coral-reef-report-card/.”
There were twenty-three participants in the course representing eight non-governmental organisations (NGOs), Bahamas Government staff and private corporations. BNT staff members from Eleuthera, Exuma, Grand Bahama and New Providence attended along with staff from the BEST Commission, Department of Marine Resources, The Nature Conservancy, Bahamas Reef Environment Educational Foundation (BREEF), Friends of the Environment, Atlantis and the Cape Eleuthera Institute.
Camilla Adair, BNT Deputy Preserve Manager at AGRRA Training
(Photo courtesy of BNT)
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The course was led by Dr. Dahlgren as well as Coral Reef Scientist Dr. Judy Lang, and Vonetta Burrows from Atlantis. Both classroom and field sessions were conducted, focusing on coral reef health, fish counts, and benthic (seafloor) cover.
AGRRA is used worldwide to assess the health and status of coral reefs and is a useful way to help plan marine protected areas an important component of the BNT’s work. Moreover, AGRRA is also used for monitoring existing national parks and protected areas in The Bahamas. This training is extremely useful to BNT staff members providing them with skills to assist in identifying new areas for protection and in monitoring areas that are already protected.
Looking at the Goliath Grouper at AGRRA Training
(Photo courtesy of BNT)
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“It was a privilege to join up with eight fellow BNT employees and other conservation organisations in The Bahamas,” said Camilla Adair, BNT Deputy Preserve Manager for the Levy Preserve on Eleuthera. “Those of us who completed the AGRAA training will be able to go into the newly proposed Marine Protected Areas to assess the quantity, size and species of fish, algae, corals and other important species such as queen conch; diadema and lionfish.”
“The result of these assessments will then be presented to our Government to help them asses if these areas are being overfished and to learn the health of the hard coral reefs,” added Adair. “AGRAA ratings will be valuable over time to keep the government and management entities aware of the state of designated MPAS.”
To learn about the BNT national parks and protected areas and all proposed protected areas, visit the BNT’s website at www.bnt.bs. To learn about all areas proposed for the Bahamas National Protected Area System, visit the GEF Full Size Project website www.bahamasprotected.com.
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