The 700 islands and 2,000-plus cays of The Bahamas boasts an impressive variety of marine habitats with its shark sanctuary, wonderful seagrass meadows, mangrove swamps, coral reefs, and an oceanic trench. Yet it has few environmental regulations and limited resources to address overfishing, irresponsible and damaging development and relentless pollution.
The Moore Bahamas Foundation, and affiliate of The Moore Charitable Foundation, is committed to advancing and securing local marine conservation efforts in The Bahamas and has partnered with Waterkeepers teams across the islands, including Waterkeepers Bahamas, Save the Bays, Clifton Waterkeeper, Bimini Waterkeeper, and Grand Bahama Waterkeeper.
This passionate, committed and knowledgeable team recognizes outspoken, citizen-led advocacy as a clear path to enforcing laws and ensuring water, livelihoods, and public health are protected. The Waterkeepers in the Bahamas extends its reach beyond public education, advocating for freedom of information to increase transparency in decision making; defending the integrity of the Planning and Subdivision Act; pushing for renewable energy options; and enforcing laws to remedy existing violations. As Mark Yaggi, Executive Director of The Waterkeeper Alliance recently wrote, “[t]hey are demanding to be heard to ensure their communities are being protected and laws are being followed. It will be their grassroots advocacy that can ensure the Bahamas will not lose their magic.”
Read Mark Maggi’s blog post about Waterkeeper’s work in The Bahamas here.