King Charles visits conservation project

King Charles visited a conservation project at Bonefish Pond National Park and met with young people in a nature programme. 

Nature has always been close to Charles’s heart, both as Prince of Wales and as King. He has never shied away from the fact that we face tremendous amounts of biodiversity loss and overall climate change. Part of his legacy, both as monarch and heir, will be his stewardship of the environment and his ability to pass on his love and wisdom to younger generations who are just discovering, or already deep into, their own role and responsibility on the planet we call Earth.

On Wednesday, King Charles visited environmental restoration and climate change resilience projects in the Bahamas. Some of these initiatives involve many young people.

As Patron of The Bahamas National Trust, King Charles visited Bonefish Pond National Park in New Providence. His Majesty saw the restoration of the Park’s unique wetland ecosystem first-hand and heard from those involved in its protection, management, conservation and educational programmes. The site has been a national park since 2002

The Bahamas National Trust is a non-profit organisation that manages the Island’s thirty-two national parks and other protected areas, including Bonefish Pond. The site protects 1,235 acres of tidal mangrove ecosystem and includes lush mangrove forest, tidal creeks, and seagrass habitat, home to numerous fish and shorebirds.

After arriving, His Majesty walked along the wooden boardwalk. He learned from the Park Warden and Manager about the role of mangroves in capturing and storing carbon, protecting against storm surges, and supporting fisheries.

From a pavilion further down the boardwalk, the King met young people in kayaks taking part in The Bahamas National Trust’s education and conservation programme. The young people and their leader spoke about the Park’s work in educating young people in environmental stewardship and the importance of protecting the Bahamas’s environment for future generations.

Asking about the young people’s schooling, the King humorously asked, “So you’re not all studying marine biology… not yet?!” The group laughed and said the programme had helped “fire their interest” in nature conservation and stewardship.

Upon returning from the pavilion, King Charles unveiled a plaque marking his visit to Bonefish Pond National Park. The King also planted a silver buttonwood, sometimes called a ‘silver mangrove’, which is indigenous to the Bahamian coastal landscapes, before departing.