TNC Joins the Bahamas Mangrove Alliance
TNC’s Northern Caribbean Program joins the Bahamas Mangrove Alliance, strengthening national and regional collaboration for mangrove conservation.
The Nature Conservancy’s Northern Caribbean Program (TNC NCP) in The Bahamas has officially joined the Bahamas Mangrove Alliance (BMA), reinforcing a shared commitment to protecting, restoring and sustainably managing one of The Bahamas’ most valuable natural assets, its mangrove ecosystems.
“Healthy mangroves are essential to the future of The Bahamas,” said Marcia Musgrove, director of TNC’s Northern Caribbean Program. “By joining the Bahamas Mangrove Alliance, we are deepening our commitment to collective action and strengthening our partnerships with organizations that share our vision for thriving coastal communities and ecosystems. Together, we can achieve greater impact than any one organization working alone.”
The BMA is a multi-sector coalition dedicated to advancing mangrove conservation, restoration, science, education and public engagement throughout The Bahamas. Established in 2023, the Alliance brings together organizations working toward a common vision: healthy mangrove ecosystems that support biodiversity, strengthen coastal resilience, sustain livelihoods and contribute to a thriving blue economy. Through collaborative restoration efforts following Hurricane Dorian, BMA partners have helped advance the “One Million Mangrove Initiative,” an ambitious effort to restore mangrove ecosystems that protect coastlines, support fisheries, store carbon and strengthen communities in Abaco and Grand Bahama.
TNC has been actively supporting mangrove restoration efforts in The Bahamas, providing funding and technical support through its Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Northern Bahamas Mangrove Restoration Project (NBMRP) partners, including Waterkeepers Bahamas, Perry Institute for Marine Science, Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, FRIENDS of the Environment, Bahamas National Trust, Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute, Blue Action Lab and the Forestry Unit of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources. Together, these partners are working to restore ecosystem function in mangrove habitats impacted by Hurricane Dorian and beyond.
TNC is also providing technical assistance to the Forestry Unit within the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources to advance development of the country’s first National Mangrove Management Plan, a key milestone under the Bahamas Debt Conversion Project for Marine Conservation. The plan will serve as a comprehensive and evidence-based framework for the protection, restoration, sustainable use and monitoring of mangrove ecosystems throughout the country.
As a member of the Global Mangrove Alliance (GMA), The Nature Conservancy has championed efforts to conserve and restore mangrove ecosystems and support sustainable livelihoods around the world. In 2024, the BMA joined this global learning network and now serves as the national chapter for The Bahamas. One key initiative of the GMA is the Mangrove Breakthrough, a global effort to secure the future of 15 million hectares of mangroves by 2030 through increased protection, restoration and sustainable financing led by governments and communities.
“Strong partnerships are essential to achieving lasting impacts for mangrove conservation. We are delighted to see TNC’s Northern Caribbean Program join the Bahamas Mangrove Alliance as we work together to advance protection, restoration and sustainable management of these vital ecosystems,” said Emily Landis, global climate adaptation and resilience director at TNC.
Through its membership with the Bahamas Mangrove Alliance, TNC looks forward to helping scale restoration efforts, strengthen scientific research and monitoring, support policy development and identify sustainable financing opportunities that ensure mangrove ecosystems and the communities that depend on them continue to glean benefits for generations to come.
The Nature Conservancy is a global conservation organization dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. Guided by science, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together. We are tackling climate change, conserving lands, waters and oceans at an unprecedented scale, providing food and water sustainably and helping make cities more resilient. The Nature Conservancy is working to make a lasting difference around the world in 83 countries and territories (39 by direct conservation impact and 44 through partners) through a collaborative approach that engages local communities, governments, the private sector, and other partners. For more news, visit our newsroom or follow The Nature Conservancy on LinkedIn.