BNT Hosts “Facilitation & Strategic Communications” Workshop For Local Conservation Partners
May 26th, 2023 – Nassau, Bahamas
The Bahamas National Trust (BNT) recently hosted a “Facilitation & Strategic Communications” workshop, funded by The Builder’s Initiative (TBI).
Under the TBI project, the BNT organized the workshop as part of their strategy for improving management effectiveness of Bahamian marine protected areas (MPAs) through science, technology, and stakeholder engagement.
The two-day, interactive course taught participants how to best facilitate meetings, communicate, and engage with stakeholders with essential roles to play in MPA management.
Facilitated and led by The Nature Conservancy’s Ann Weaver, Petra MacGowan, and Michelle Graulty, the workshop included attendees from The Bahamas National Trust, The Nature Conservancy, The Bahamas Wildlife Enforcement Network (BahWEN), and the Department of Forestry. They were helped to develop facilitation and strategic communication skills as well as a collaborative approach to decision-making.
Workshop organizer and BNT New Providence Parks Manager & Planner, Chantal Curtis, said, “We realize the importance of strengthening public support and trust and working together to increase effective MPA management. It’s not something the BNT or any of these agencies can do on our own. Effective MPA management begins with buy-in from the people who use these areas – for recreation and for their livelihoods – and engaging them in the decision-making process. This workshop allowed us to equip our staff and other agencies with the skills to do just that, so it was a key stepping stone in achieving our goal.”
The TBI project seeks to utilize strategic engagement of fishers and other stakeholder groups, community-based monitoring programs, and the implementation of surveillance tools for enforcement and compliance to increase the effectiveness of The Bahamas National Protected Area System (BNPAS). The “Facilitation & Strategic Communications” workshop was the first of several activities and initiatives set to take place underneath this project.
To learn more about the role the BNT plays to manage terrestrial and marine national parks, protect species that inhabit them, and inform environmental policy, please visit its website: www.bnt.bs and follow/subscribe to various social media channels: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
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Media Contact: Leah Carr | lcarr@bnt.bs | (242) 429-7902
About the BNT:
The Bahamas National Trust (BNT) 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 BNT works daily to conserve and protect the natural resources of The Bahamas through stewardship and education for present and future generations. There are currently 32 National Parks managed by the BNT with more than 2 million acres of marine and terrestrial areas protected.