a celebration with people toasting their glasses. — Cheers to 20 Years Celebrating TNC's presence in the Bahamas with a reception © Azaleta & Co

TNC in The Bahamas 20 Year Anniversary

Our staff has worked for over 20 years in The Bahamas to improve sustainable livelihoods and nature conservation.

March 13, 2024

The Nature Conservancy commemorated 20 years of work in The Bahamas with a celebration on March 15 at the Balmoral Club, with the theme “Celebrating 20 Years of Conservation, Collaboration and Community.

Minister of the Environment and Natural Resources, the Hon. Vaughn Miller, congratulated TNC on its presence in The Bahamas and remarked about TNC’s impact:

“TNC has been a driving force in our country, and has been integral in expanding and effectively managing the Bahamas National Protected Areas System, advancing sustainable fisheries management policy and practice, restoring and conserving coral reef ecosystems, and most recently promoting nature-based solutions for climate change adaptation and mitigation.”

Dr. Rob Brumbaugh, executive director of TNC’s Caribbean Division, said,

“TNC is proud to have been a part of advancing conservation for the past twenty years in The Bahamas, one of the truly unique and marvelous places on earth. Led by three amazing Bahamian women leaders, The Bahamas program has taken conservation to new scales and shown that collaboration across the spectrum from individual fishers to the nation’s leaders is what makes conservation successful.”

Throughout its history, TNC has empowered local community groups and helped to advance national priorities in marine management, sustainable fisheries, coral and mangrove ecosystem restoration, and pine forest management by providing resources, technical support in science and policy, and capacity-building. In the Conservancy’s years of work in The Bahamas, the organization has provided scholarships to students, shared millions of dollars in grant funding towards conservation projects, facilitated local and international training for hundreds of national and community-based stakeholders, and aided in the establishment of new local NGOs on several family islands.

Speaking at the momentous event, Marcia Musgrove, director for the Northern Caribbean Program in The Bahamas stated, “I am very grateful for the strong work ethic of our staff and the spirit of collaboration among our partners and local communities here that has yielded transformative and positive outcomes over the years."

“TNC has been a driving force in our country”

The Honorable Vaughn Miller

Bahamas Minister of the Environment and Natural Resources

Celebrating Nature in The Bahamas

**TNC Bahamas Staff** TNC in The Bahamas staff posing for a picture © Azaleta & Co

**TNC Caribbean Leadership** Marcia Musgrove, Shenique Albury Smith, and Rob Brumbaugh © VC PHOTOGRAPHY

**The Bahamas Supports Nature** Marcia Musgrove, Director of TNC in The Bahamas; Eleanor Garraway-Phillips, Former Director of TNC in The Bahamas, Hon. Vaughn Miller, Minister for The Environment and Nature © Azaleta & Co

**Directors Panel** Jonisha Cartwright mediating a panel of current and former Bahamas Directors © Azaleta & Co

**Anniversary Attendants** Various guests at The Bahamas Anniversary Celebration © Azaleta & Co

**Celebrate Bahamas** Part of the TNC in the Bahamas team at their 20th Anniversary Celebration. © VC PHOTOGRAPHY

TNC, in collaboration with local partners, has accomplished significant conservation milestones over the past twenty years. Those highlighted at the event included:

Serving as coordinator for the Bahamas Spiny Lobster Fishery Improvement Project, which led to the first international sustainable seafood certification in the Caribbean region and helped the country to maintain its seafood export market share.
Collaborating with regional governments and partners to launch the Caribbean Challenge Initiative, which supported the expansion of the Bahamas Protected Areas Network to help The Bahamas meet its 20% nearshore marine area protection goal.
Helping to establish the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund and a regional network of national conservation trust funds, including the Bahamas Protected Areas Fund in 2014, which provides sustainable financing for protected areas management, climate change adaptation and biodiversity conservation in perpetuity.

The Bahamas 20th Anniversary event was attended by key stakeholders, government agencies and other local partners which are critical for the nature conservation successes we have seen in the region over the years.