CONSERVATION COVE
Conservation Cove is a 'living lab' uniting innovators and communities to build a sustainable blue economy.
ABOUT
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LOCATED IN GRAND BAHAMA
Located on the island of Grand Bahama, 'Conservation Cove' by Blue Action Lab serves as a ‘living laboratory’ that brings together local and international innovators, scientists, NGOs, students, and community members to develop a sustainable blue economy for future generations.
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CLIMATE RELATED CHALLENGES
The Bahamas has been significantly affected by rising sea levels, more frequent and intense hurricanes, coastal erosion, loss of biodiversity, and other climate-related challenges. These impacts have had severe consequences on the environment, infrastructure, economy, and the livelihoods of the people of The Bahamas.
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HUB FOR BIODIVERSITY
Conservation Cove acts as a hub for biodiversity restoration with an initial focus on fostering the local blue economy by working to safeguard and rejuvenate vital marine and coastal resources such as mangrove forests, coral reef systems, and the conch fishery.
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LOCAL & INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION
The initiative facilitates collaboration between local and international conservation efforts and a global network of entrepreneurs, innovators, scientists, and community organizations to develop solutions that benefit The Bahamas immediately and have broader global applications.
“Coral Vita is honored to be a part of Conservation Cove. This community of innovative eco-solutions, supported by the Blue Action Lab, is the perfect place for us to develop our global business, make a positive impact on The Bahamas' coral reefs, and boost the local Blue Economy by creating jobs and educational experiences for Bahamians and visitors alike”.
Gator Halpern,
Co-Founder and President of Coral Vita
PROJECTS
CORAL VITA: THE WORLD'S FIRST LAND BASED CORAL FARM FOR REEF RESTORATION
Coral Vita was the original Blue Action Lab test case, where we supported two social entrepreneurs who are working to restore the world's dying coral reefs through a novel business model to scale impact.
Blue Action Lab provided operational support, contracts, advice on regulation and permitting to facilitate commercialization of the business within 12 months of initiation. This has culminated in improved local reef health, new blue economy jobs and education opportunities for Bahamians, the winning of the internationally acclaimed Earthshot Prize, and multi million dollar contracts for reef restoration around the world. Coral Vita continues to be a cornerstone business operating at Conservation Cove, by Blue Action Lab in Freeport, Grand Bahama.
MANGROVE MANIA: MANGROVE RESTORATION WITH A COMMUNITY FOCUS
Blue Action Lab facilitated a large grant in partnership with local partners and NGOs, including Waterkeepers Bahamas, Coral Vita, Earthcare and the University of The Bahamas-North to restore the damaged mangroves in the north shore of Grand Bahama. Led by Waterkeepers Bahamas, we have developed a world-class education facility and nursery to facilitate large scale mangrove replanting and conservation. This is the precursor to the development of blue carbon credits in The Bahamas. The project has planted over 41,000 mangroves to date.
QUEEN CONCH PROJECT: THE RESTORATION OF A DECLINING CONCH FISHERY
With funding support from Builders Initiative, Blue Action Lab has partnered with Dr. Megan Davis and her world-leading queen conch aquaculture program, the Queen Conch Lab at Florida Atlantic University's Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, to establish a community-based queen conch hatchery in Grand Bahama. The hatchery will help restore the threatened conch fishery in The Bahamas and provide educational resources, including programs for primary and secondary students and internships for University of The Bahamas marine science students. Through collaboration with our local fishing communities, the mobile hatchery will serve as a steppingstone to the growth of the Bahamian sustainable aquaculture industry.​