The Bahamas

The Bahamas is part of the Caribbean Biodiversity Hotspot, home to the world's third-largest barrier reef, more than 300 bird species, and seagrass beds and mangrove forests that lock away carbon more effectively than tropical forests. These ecosystems are not just ecologically irreplaceable. They are the foundation of a tourism economy that provides 45% of the country's GDP and half its jobs.

They are also under serious pressure. Introduced predators, coastal development, unsustainable fishing, and hurricanes intensifying with climate change are all compressing what remains. Hurricane Dorian in 2019 devastated Abaco and Grand Bahama, badly damaging coral reefs, coastal mangroves, and the native pine forests that two Critically Endangered bird species depend on.

SMART is a conservation management tool that helps rangers collect data, spot patterns, and respond to threats before they become irreversible losses. Re:wild is implementing it across the entire Bahamian protected area network to help rangers prevent illegal reptile hunting, intercept shark fin fishers, and combat illegal conch fishing.

The Bahamas has some of the most valuable marine protected areas in the Atlantic. SMART gives the people protecting them the tools to do it well.