BNT Voices Concerns Over Lease Agreement for Exuma Cays Moorings; Calls for Stronger Regulations Following Withdrawal

February 27th, 2025 – Nassau, Bahamas 

The Bahamas National Trust (BNT) is relieved following the government’s announcement that a multi-million-dollar moorings project in the Exuma Cays has been abandoned, and calls for plans to establish and enforce stronger regulations before any such deals are made in the future.

In addition to the lack of transparency and public consultation regarding the proposed deal, the BNT had voiced numerous concerns early on to government officials, which remained partially unaddressed at the time of the project’s public disclosure.

Generally, mooring programmes can be a great way to support local communities, local government, and protected areas. In 2023, the BNT and the Elizabeth Harbour Conservation Partnership (EHCP) implemented a joint mooring programme for Moriah Harbour Cay National Park (MHCNP) and Elizabeth Harbour in Great Exuma. Proper approvals and stakeholder engagement were a key part of this project in its early phases, and continue to be an important part of park management decision-making.

The mooring programmes in MHCNP and Elizabeth Harbour are sustainable models that use environmentally-friendly moorings to ensure the protection of critical habitats, such as seagrass and coral reefs. By working together and with relevant government agencies, the partnership between the BNT and the EHCP will in the long term support the operations of pump-out services to eliminate the vexing issue of waste management in these high-traffic boating areas. It is not known if a privatized mooring programme would have the capacity to do this or be compelled to support such services. It is critical that any mooring programme that may be implemented in the future gives due care and consideration to such impacts and takes extensive measures to duplicate our sustainable efforts.

Moorings require substantial routine maintenance and oversight. A privatized network could have significant liability and environmental implications in the absence of national regulations to ensure this. As it stands, The Bahamas lacks the regulatory framework to impose accountability for such an undertaking. The idea of establishing a mooring network without sufficient regulatory standards in place is unfathomable and can directly impact the safety of the very areas the moorings are meant to help sustain. The fragile nature of our marine environment demands this gap be addressed as the first step before any proposed mooring network is established.

The BNT understands the environmental benefits of strategically placed, sustainably implemented, and properly maintained moorings, and we support their installation where necessary, practical, and regulated – especially where local communities benefit. The BNT hopes that, ultimately, the questions raised by the now-abandoned moorings deal – things like the necessity of the endeavor, the design of the mooring system, and the potential negative impact on sustainable revenue streams for national park operations and on local economies – will result in the implementation of national regulations and oversight of privatized mooring programmes.