The Exuma Cays Park under consideration should be regarded as only the beginning of a conservation movement that is vital to The Bahamas as a whole. It will also be a beginning of a new concept, integrated land-and-sea conservation, in which The Bahamas will take the lead and show the way to other nations throughout the world.

– Exuma Cays Park Project Report

When Ilya Tolstoy, grandson of famed Russian author Leo Tolstoy, assembled a concerned group of forward-thinking Bahamian and North American conservationists in 1958, he did not set out to create The Bahamas National Trust. He was just a dedicated naturalist who realized that the Exuma chain of islands was under threat from developers who wanted to buy it. The expedition to save the Exuma Cays, that Tolstoy led, included key Bahamian officials Oris Russell and Herbert McKinney, Robert P. Allen of the National Audubon Society, as well as environmentalists Carleton Ray, Dan Beard, John Randall and Don Squires. The report from this expedention concluded that the area had “outstanding natural values”.

The survey team called for an organisation modelled on the British National Trust to acquire lands and manage protected areas throughout the Bahamas. This organisation – which was created by the historic 1959 legislation – was to act as the government’s advisor on conservation matters and seek to educate Bahamians on the value of their natural heritage. 

Hence, on July 13, 1959 the Bahamas National Trust Act was signed creating The Bahamas National Trust. The government adopted the team’s recommendations, and the 176-square-mile Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park – the first of its kind in the world – was officially established. The Bahamas National Trust was formed as an independent statutory organization charged with conservation and preservation. The BNTs governing council included government, civil society and scientific representatives.

Today, the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park is the most visited national park in The Bahamas. It’s breathtaking beauty and safe anchorages made it a very popular boating spot in The Bahamas, welcoming thousands of boaters every year. Its healthy ecosystems and proper fisheries management made it an ideal spot for researchers and scientist to conduct various types of research. Whether you’re a boater, a scientist, a thalassophile, a filmmaker, a beach goer, or just someone on vacation, the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park is one of the most superb places on the planet and a model for national parks everywhere.