Bahamas: New Forestry Legislation in Progress

Last week the House of Assembly approved the new forestry legislation that was brought forth by The Ministry of the Environment. The bill was drafted in order to provide the legal framework needed to properly manage the natural resources in The Bahamas as the country continues to grow. On May 25th a public meeting was held in Abaco to review the act and present the preliminary maps that show the forest reservation proposals for each island in The Bahamas. The bill includes three classifications of forests: Forest Reserves, which will designate areas with the highest commercial value, Protected Forests which will be managed in the same manner as a forest reserve until the land is needed for agriculture, housing, etc., and Conservation Forests, which are areas that are declared ecologically significant for reasons of biodiversity or scientific interest. The act considers a "forest" to be "any area consisting mainly of trees including forest cover, all other vegetation, wetlands, soil and ground beneath it." The act is available for review on the Bahamas Government website: http://www.bahamas.gov.bs/bahamasweb2/home.nsf/vContentW/540B79740FB29DF2852576000062C233 . The act must still be approved by the senate and will then go to the Governor General's office for approval.