WKB Recognized for its Dedication to Mangrove Harvesting and Community Replanting
Freeport, Grand Bahama – The Bahamas Protected Areas Fund (BPAF) presented Waterkeepers Bahamas (WKB) with the Grantee Excellence Award, recognizing the non-profit’s outstanding mangrove restoration efforts on Grand Bahama.
Rupert Hayward, Vice Chair (BPAF), presenting the Grantee Excellence Award to the Waterkeepers Team L-R Karen Panton (BPAF); Joseph Darville; Andurah Daxon; Rashema Ingraham; Javan Hunt; Liyah Forbes
Since the passage of Hurricane Dorian, WKB, its partners, Blue Action Lab, Coral Vita and EARTHCARE, and dozens of volunteers, have harvested and replanted more than 30,000 mangroves at Dover’s Sound.
The outplanting exercises are part of ongoing efforts to replenish Grand Bahama mangrove forests devastated during the 2019 storm. There have been five successful outplanting exercises, with more planned.
BPAF’s Executive Director Karen Panton said, “Immediately after the passage of Hurricane Dorian, BPAF summoned all resources to determine how to secure funds for hurricane assistance and recovery. We secured one million euros from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.”
She explained that grants had been extended for various assessments, including mangrove ecosystems on Little Bahama Bank and around Dover Sound, Grand Bahama. “Waterkeepers extended itself and did an excellent job realizing the project goals and engaging and motivating communities.”
The award is the first-ever to be presented by BPAF.
WKB Executive Director Rashema Ingraham said, “Waterkeepers Bahamas, along with its partners, is delighted to have been recognized by BPAF and proudly receive this grantee excellence award from the Fund. It shows that our willingness to involve the community in all aspects of this project did not go unrecognized and that we were right in thinking that a project of this magnitude needs the community’s full support.”
The Grantee Excellence Award presented by Bahamas Protected Areas Fund to Waterkeepers Bahamas
The Bahamas Protected Areas Fund (BPAF) is a National Conservation Trust Fund whose purpose is to ensure “a sustainable financial base for the effective management of the Bahamas National Protected Areas System and for conservation activities that protect the future and productivity of our national resources”. The Fund also supports climate resilience and acts to fund conservation, science and research, public awareness and education, as well as policy improvements meant to protect the natural environment and resources of The Bahamas. Its key priorities are supporting protected areas, addressing threats to ecosystem health, improving management effectiveness and building effective partnerships for the management of protected areas.
Waterkeepers Bahamas is a Bahamas-registered Non-Profit Organization focused on community-based initiatives to ensure the waters of the Bahamas are safe for swimming, fishing and drinking for future generations. It is an accredited member of the Waterkeeper® Alliance, the largest and fastest-growing global nonprofit focused on clean water. Its network of more than 300 organizations and affiliates in over 45 countries is on the frontlines of the global water crisis, patrolling and protecting more than 2.6 million square miles of rivers, lakes and coastal waterways on six continents.