BNT Staff Selected as Future Conservation Leaders

Wed, May 27th 2015, 05:02 PM

The Bahamas National Trust (BNT) is committed to the conservation of our natural resources. The Trust needs passionate and well trained staff to help execute its mandate of managing national parks and promoting enrironmental stewardship amongst Bahamians.

The BNT is excited that Science Officer Agnessa Lundy and Education Officer Scott Johnson were selected as participants in the 2015 Conservation Leadership in the Caribbean (CLiC) fellows programme.

Funded in part by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and supported by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW; www.ifaw.org), CLiC is a prestigious opportunity for up-and-coming conservation professionals in the wider Caribbean to gain invaluable skills and experience working with proven conservation leaders.

Lundy and Johnson will participate in three training sessions over a two-year period, and will work in teams to design, implement and evaluate selected projects in biodiversity conservation for sustainable development in the Caribbean. During their training, they will have access to qualified training experts who will help guide them on this journey and will provide one-on-one mentoring, networking opportunities and career development.

“This program directly addresses the critical need for a new generation of wildlife and conservation leaders throughout the Caribbean and Latin America, as today’s young leaders often do not have adequate access to opportunities to experience and practice conservation in areas such as development, communications or grassroots activities,” said Kelvin Alie, CLiC Director and Wildlife Trade Manager at IFAW.

The program begins at the St. George’s University in Grenada on June 4th, with a three-day training workshop, followed by a ten-day short course on the Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation.

“I am delighted to meet and collaborate with professionals who share my passion for the preservation of the environment,” said Lundy. “The opportunity to learn from experienced scientists and educators while designing and implementing a project is exciting.”

Scott Johnson added, “I look forward to working with other Caribbean professionals and strengthening the conservation and social bonds between The Bahamas and other Caribbean nations all while working to meet a common goal which is to better protect vital habitats and wildlife.”


The duo will also use the knowledge gained during this two year training session to work with local stakeholders to buy into the concept of conservation and preservation of important ecosystems and wildlife in The Bahamas. “The goal is for our staff to graduate from this programme to become future conservation leaders of the Caribbean,” said Eric Carey, BNT’s Executive Director.

“We are expecting Agnessa and Scott to come home with enhanced skills to help prepare them for transition to leading young environmental leaders in their chosen field, environmental conservation.”

The Bahamas National Trust was created by an Act of Parliament in 1959 to build and manage the national park system of the Bahamas. Possibly the only non-governmental organization in the world charged with such a responsibility the TRUST, as it is commonly known works daily to conserve and protect the natural resources of The Bahamas, through stewardship and education for present and future generations. There are currently 27 National Parks managed by the TRUST with more than 2 million acres of marine and terrestrial areas protected. Website: http://www.bnt.bs/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bahamas-National-Trust/25034035861?ref=hl

About the Conservation Leadership in the Caribbean (CLiC) Fellows Program


The goal of the Conservation Leadership in the Caribbean (CLiC) fellows program is to have an established, sustainable Caribbean leadership-training program enabling effective regional networking and action to achieve sustainable conservation.

For more information, please visit (http://conservationcaribbean.weebly.com/).

 Sponsored Ads