- Minister Dorsett announces over 3 million hectares of protected land, near shore and marine environment

NASSAU, Bahamas -- In a remarkable demonstration of the Christie Administration's commitment to the nation's environment, Minister of the Environment and Housing, the Hon. Kenred Dorsett, has announced over 7 million acres of new protected marine areas.

"Today, we have set the foundation for the protection of approximately of 7.5 million acres (3 million hectares) of land, near shore and marine environment," announced Dorsett on Monday, August 30th. "This includes the new San Salvador National Parks announced in April of this year."

The government of The Bahamas, through the Ministry of the Environment and Housing, the Bahamas Environment Science & Technology Commission, the Bahamas Department of Marine Resources, and a dedicated team of conservation professionals from the Bahamas National Trust and The Nature Conservancy have been working to declare an expansion of marine protected areas of 2.5 million hectares. Thanks to support funding from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) the newly-protected areas announced last night have undergone scientific assessment as well as extensive community outreach to protect these areas.

In 2008, The Bahamas announced its acceptance of the Caribbean Challenge Initiative (CCI) and reaffirmed the country's commitment to protecting at least twenty percent of their marine environments by the year 2020. "Today, as the current co-chair of the CCI Council and Minister responsible for the Environment," said Minister Dorsett, "I am here to announce with great pride and a sense of accomplishment that we are progressing steadily towards this 2020 target."

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