The U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity

The CBD Clearing-House Mechanism

The Bahamas CBD Country Reports

National Biodiversity Policies & Legislation

Bahamas Species

National Parks and Protected Areas

Biodiversity Data Management Partners

Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network

The Bahamas Environment, Science & Technology Commission

Bahamas Ecosystems

Mangrove Forest and Wetland Ecosystems

These are dominated by one or more species of mangrove (Avicennia, Laguncularia and Rhizophora,) with other plant species in drier areas. They encourage sedimentation, hold the sediments in place, and help build land. They also provide nursery habitats for many marine animals, including commercial fishery species, and habitat for water fowl and other fauna. Mangrove forests minimise flooding and erosion. These occur mainly in protected locations on leeward coasts of the islands.

Much of Bahamian biodiversity is wetland biodiversity and wetlands are of considerable economic importance providing nursery areas for commercial species of fish and wild bird habitat.

In the report "Wetlands of National Significance, prepared by The Bahamas National Trust for the publication, "A Directory Of Neotropical Wetlands" (IUCN-CMC, 1986) a combined area of 1,059,071 acres (428,606 ha.) of wetlands of national significance were identified within the Commonwealth of the Bahamas.

For more information on wetland ecosystems within The Bahamas visit http://www.best.bs/wetlands and the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands at http://www.ramsar.org