Southern Shores Celebrates World Wetlands Day

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Southern Shores Member of Parliament Leroy Major and Executive Director of the Bahamas National Trust Lakeisha Anderson-Rolle planting a mangrove at Bonefish Pond National Park. 

A special ceremony was held at Bonefish Pond to commemorate World Wetlands Day and bring awareness to the need to preserve the wetlands of The Bahamas. Bonefish Pond National Park, which stretches from Marshall Road to Adelaide, is an important nursery for a variety of marine species and habitat to a wide diversity of birds. Member of Parliament for Southern Shores Leroy Major participated in the ceremony and a mangrove replanting exercise, noting that they are vital to the protection of Southern Shores residents’ homes against flooding, and the preservation of the wildlife in the area. Minister of the Environment and Natural Resources Vaughn Miller also participated in mangrove planting, along with Lakeisha Anderson-Rolle, Executive Director of the Bahamas National Trust. Bonefish Pond is one of five of the national parks chartered under the Global Environment Facility 2020 project. This five-year project, in conjunction with the United Nations Environment Programme, was launched in The Bahamas under the Department of Planning and Protection. World Wetlands Day was celebrated on February 2, 2023 under the theme: “It’s time for wetland restoration”.