Mangroves are one of the most important coastal habitats in The Bahamas, supporting marine and terrestrial biodiversity, and providing ecosystem services valued at up to $1.25 million/km2 annually in terms of coastal protection, nursery habitat for fishery species, and carbon sequestration. Some of the largest mangrove systems in The Bahamas, however, were devastated by Hurricane Dorian as it made landfall, causing unprecedented loss of mangroves in Abaco and Grand Bahama. While there has been some natural recovery after the storm, recovery has been minimal in many locations covering thousands of acres of both islands after three years. In this proposal, the three organizations most active in restoring mangroves affected by hurricane Dorian, the Bahamas Undersea Research Foundation (dba Perry Institute for Marine Science or PIMS), Bonefish and Tarpon Trust, and Waterkeepers, Bahamas will collaborate to (1) build capacity for mangrove restoration, training at least 50 individuals from

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Grand Bahama (primarily East Grand Bahama) and Abaco (primarily Central Abaco) in mangrove restoration; (2) replant over 100,000 mangroves in high priority areas of east Grand Bahama, the Northshore of grand Bahama and Central Abaco (The Marls and small offshore islands) to ?jump start? the recovery process; (3) monitor and evaluate both natural recovery and restoration success to ensure that we are achieving targets and enhancing recovery of mangroves on both islands; and (4) work with government to develop accepted national standards for mangrove restoration and monitoring in The Bahamas.

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