Bahamas National Trust Strategic Plan 2018 – 2022.

The Government will work with the Bahamas National Trust (BNT) in the creation of policies necessary to enhance biodiversity conservation in alignment with international best practices and complying with national sustainable development goals. Environmental education, especially of young people, has always been at the core of the work of the Trust. The national parks serve as living classrooms for thousands of young people (pag. 1). Over the next five years, the Government of the Bahamas will collaborate with the BNT to implement the 2018-2022 Strategic Plan. This will include ongoing efforts to address climate change, combating the effects of plastics on our environment, and other measures to conserve the natural environment and to educate Bahamians about our shared environmental trust (pag. 2). Its Vision aims at a comprehensive network of effectively managed Bahamian national parks and protected areas that is recognized as a powerful force for global biodiversity conservation which is supported and enjoyed by the public. The Mission establishes that Bahamas National Trust is a science-based organization dedicated to effectively managing national parks to conserve and protect Bahamian natural resources (pag. 9).
This work has five interconnected pillars, as follows: biodiversity conservation; environmental stewardship by offering engaging education; encouraging philanthropists and the business community to become involved by investing in nature; then sharing the impact created together by telling our park stories. The Plan will continue to enhance the national parks by providing the necessary infrastructure to make them more accessible to people and encouraging community enjoyment of these special spaces. Best practices will be employed in park management planning, increasing capacity for enforcement, and continue to create the framework needed for regular maintenance of these places (pag. 12).
This Plan will continue to conserve the unique biodiversity found within, and beyond, the boundaries of our national parks by regularly monitoring and restoring these critical habitats. It will conduct the necessary scientific research to influence the creation of the policies needed to protect these habitats and the vulnerable species that call them home. To ensure that researches can benefit all, it will remain committed to the dissemination of scientific information to resource managers, policy makers and the public. It will align all of the activities with national development plans and international agreements (pag. 12). National park management needs and the threat of climate change will be addressed by: Collaborating with the government and conservation organizations to identify and protect appropriate areas to safeguard Bahamian biodiversity and support communities; Constantly monitoring national parks and their ecosystems to evaluate the current situation, detect changes and advise on adaptive management strategies; Implementing invasive species removal and pollution control in national parks, preventing compromising development, regulating park activities, and restoring critical ecosystems; Working with the Reverse the Decline of Coral Reefs; Protecting endangered wildlife, etc. (pags. 31 and 32).