BNT & Our News Sign MOU to Promote Bahamian National Parks and Conservation

July 3rd, 2023 – Nassau, Bahamas

The Bahamas National Trust (BNT) and Cable Bahamas Ltd. operating as Our News signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU), signifying both entities’ commitment to collaborating to promote environmental conservation and national parks throughout The Bahamas.

Objectives of this MOU include increasing public awareness of The Bahamas’ unique natural resources, including its diverse national park system, wildlife, and the people who work to protect them; utilizing media platforms to inspire people to protect the environment, visit and support their national parks; and producing original content on national parks and the environment to share with various audiences.

BNT Executive Director Lakeshia Anderson-Rolle said, “Through this MOU with Cable Bahamas and Our News, we hope to harness the power of media to inspire people to take action to conserve the environment, by sharing stories of successful conservation efforts, the impact everyone’s actions can have on the environment, and ways that individuals and communities can make a difference.

“Media plays a vital role in bridging the gap between knowledge and action. Our News has always been committed to reporting on environmental issues and highlighting positive conservation efforts. Their platform will enable us to reach a wider audience, thereby amplifying our conservation message.”

For decades the BNT has been at the forefront of environmental protection in The Bahamas – from establishing and maintaining national parks, to conducting research on endangered species and running award-winning educational and outreach programs. Our News is a leading news and broadcasting station in The Bahamas (owned and operated by Cable Bahamas Ltd.), with a strong commitment to reporting on environmental issues. Anderson-Rolle previously shared with Our News the BNT’s renewed focus on effectively managing national parks, and the vital role of awareness and outreach in inspiring people to join the nonprofit’s mission. The purpose of this MOU is to establish a framework between the two organizations for cooperation and collaboration to fulfill their shared commitment towards promoting awareness of environmental matters and resources that affect Bahamians.

Jerome Sawyer, Executive Producer of Our TV, said, “The story of the environment is the story of The Bahamas, and so as Bahamians it’s incumbent upon us to do everything within our power to protect the things that make The Bahamas beautiful and unique. We see this partnership as the first step on our part as an organization in helping to preserve The Bahamas; in helping to grow our tourism; but more importantly, to teach our people. Because if Bahamians don’t know how to take care of The Bahamas, who will?”

Explaining what the people can expect to see from the partnership, BNT Senior Communications Officer Elijah Sands said, “What people can expect from this partnership is a lot of unique stories, and to see a lot of incredible things they didn’t know existed in The Bahamas. National parks – these spaces that we manage on behalf of all Bahamians – are amazing spaces that protect remarkable biodiversity. So you can expect a lot of content that showcases the beauty of these spaces, their importance, experiences you can enjoy in them, as well as environmental educational content for different audiences.”

Anderson-Rolle expressed, “The BNT is excited about the possibilities of this partnership. We thank Our News and look forward to a powerful collaboration for years to come. I hope this MOU and what we achieve under it inspires other people and organizations with media influence to want to support conservation and spread the message of why and how we can protect our beautiful environment.”

To see OurNews video broadcast on this signing ceremony, click here.

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.