Bahamas IBA Demonstration Site Information
Bahamas Watchable Wildlife Pond: Harrold And Wilson Pond National Park
IBA Project goals
- To protect the critical avian habitat located at Harrold and Wilson Ponds
- To position the park as the country's first watchable wildlife site
- To promote Harrold and Wilson Ponds’ value for teaching, learning, and enjoying birds and their habitats
Harrold and Wilson Ponds National Park is a first for the nation’s capital. While National Parks have long been a component of the Bahamian conservation landscape they have until this year been located on islands other than New Providence, away from the highest concentration of citizens and the epicenters of the tourism industry.
Establishing the Bahamas’ first Watchable Wildlife Pond at Harrold and Wilson Ponds National Park will bring in situ conservation to the greatest number of Bahamians. Through wide stakeholder involvement in the creation of the watchable wildlife site tangible benefits - ranging from biodiversity conservation, to entrepreneurial opportunities, to aesthetics, to education and enjoyment - will be realized.
Harrold and Wilson Pond National Park Site Support Group
The Trust has established a Site Support Group for Harrold and Wilson Pond National Park. The Group will assist with a wide array of activities and programs and position the park as a showcase Watchable Wildlife Site.
For more information please contact Carolyn Wardle, Group Coordinator.
Inagua National Park
The Inagua National Parl IBA project has three broad stroke purposes. They are to:
- Provide for the necessary equipment to support resource protection goals in Inagua National Park
- Initiate activities that support both long term conservation and community involvement in the Park’s protection
- Expand bird guide training opportunities for local citizens and promote entrepreneurial opportunities in ecotourism
IBA Project goals
- Ensure the long term conservation of Inagua’s unique biodiversity
- Enhance opportunities for ecotourism/nature tourism for the local community
Top Ten IBA Sites in The Bahamas (from North to South)
- East of Grand Lucayan Waterway to Lucayan National Park to Gold Rock Creek,
- Grand Bahama (A1, A2, A3)
- Little Abaco (A2, A3)
- Abaco National Park/Hole in the Wall (A1, A2, A4)
- Harrold and Wilson Ponds, New Providence (A1, A2, A3)
- South Tarpum Bay, Eleuthera (A1)
- Governor's Harbour, Eleuthera (A1)
- Grog Pond, Great Exuma (A1)
- Northern 20km of Long Island, Hog Cay, Galliott Cay (A1)
- Graham's Harbour, San Salvador (A4)
- Great Inagua (A1, A3, A4)
For All Bahamas IBA Site Evaluation please click here
IBA Site Selection Criteria
- A-1 Species of Global Conservation Concern
- The site regularly holds significant numbers of a globally threatened species, or other species of global conservation concern.
- A-2 Assemblage of Restricted Range Species
- The site is known or thought to hold a significant component of the restricted range species whose breeding distribution define and Endemic Bird Area (EBA) or Secondary Area (SA).
- In the Bahamas Endemics are: Bahama Woodstar, Bahama Swallow and Bahama Yellowthroat
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Other species of concern:
- Bahama Mockingbird,
- West Indian Whistling Duck,
- Bahamas Parrot,
- Olive-capped Warbler,
- West Indian Woodpecker,
- Kirtland's Warbler,
- Brown-headed Nuthatch
- Piping Plover.
- A-3 Assemblage of biome restricted species
- This site is known or thought to hold a significant component of the group of species whose distributions are largely or wholly confined to a biome.
- A-4 Congregations
- The site is known or thought to hold on a regular basis > 1 % of a biogeographic population of a congregatory water bird, seabird or terrestrial species or The site is known or thought to hold, on a regular basis, > 20,000 water birds or > pairs of seabirds of one or more species. This site is known or thought to exceed thresholds set for migratory species at bottleneck sites.