Pictured (standing from left) are Dianne Clarke, Valencia Lockhart and Lydia Adderley of Ministry of Tourism; Linzi Knowles-Belton of Dolphin Encounters; Marcia Musgrove, of BREEF and Kendea Smith of Ministry of Tourism. Seated from left are Janel Campbell and Earlston McPhee of Ministry of Tourism and Janeen Bullard of Design Elements. (Photo: Derek Smith/BIS) 

NASSAU, Bahamas – Private and public sector stakeholders will promote the sustainability of the coastlines through National Coastal Awareness Month in April, protecting The Bahamas’ coastlines from the effects of climate change. 

The Coastal Awareness Committee, which includes the Ministry of Tourism, has emphasised this effort annually through Coastal Awareness Month for over 12 years. This year’s theme is “Climate Change: an Ever-changing Reality.” 

Through the theme, the committee will call attention to climate change’s dramatic effects on hurricanes, floods and coastal erosion.  Chairman of the Coastal Awareness Committee and Director of Sustainable Tourism Development for the Ministry of Tourism Earlston McPhee says he doesn’t believe Bahamians pay enough attention to the coastlines. 

“National Coastal Awareness Month is important not only for The Bahamas but for the region because we rely heavily on tourism and have been doing so for the last 70 years. If we are going to continue to evolve that industry, we have to ensure that the resources that support that industry are protected,” he said. 

“It’s a work in progress. We have to continue to educate and create a number of initiatives to educate our young people. ‘If not us, then who? And if not now, then when?’ is the motto that has driven us.  We can be the envy of the world if we invest in our environment. We must not only think of ourselves but the future generations. We as a region represent less than half a percent of the emissions of greenhouse gases, but yet we are disproportionally impacted by global warmth and climate change. There’s not much that we can do to stop it but what we should do is adapt to climate change and educate ourselves about it.”         

Throughout the month of April, the Coastal Awareness Committee will host a number of events. The activities begin with a church service at Zion Baptist Church on East and Shirley Streets on Sunday, March 30. The committee will also host nationwide beach clean-ups, field trips for students, competitions and a national coastal awareness day on April 25. All activities are open to public participation. 

The committee also plans to engage the public in discussions through appearances on local radio and television talk shows.  The 2014 Coastal Awareness Committee includes members from:  Ministry of Tourism, Bahamas Environment Science and Technology Commission (BEST), Bahamas Hotel Association, Bahamas National Trust, Bahamas Reef Environment Educational Foundation (BREEF), Broadcasting Corporation of The Bahamas, College of The Bahamas, Department of Environmental Health Services, Department of Marine Resources, Stuart Cove Dive Bahamas, Dolphin Encounters Ltd., The Nature Conservancy, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology,  Port Department,  The College of The Bahamas, The University of The West Indies, Design Elements, Atlantis Water Features Department, Royal Bank of Canada, Organisation of American States.