Great Pond

According to Vago, MSC's investment in Ocean Key Sandy Key, Freeport, and Grand Bahama are approaching 1.5 billion and expected to produce over 1,500 direct and indirect jobs in the Bahamas.

In other news from the U.S. Virgin Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources has bought 293 acres adjacent to Great Pond on St. Croix South Shore, protecting one of the island's most important coastal wetlands.

United States federal climate resilient and conservation investments supported the Great Pond purchase.

The United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, known as NOAA, awarded the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources $69 million in 2024 through its Climate Resilience Regional Challenge for a territory-wide initiative to protect natural and cultural areas, expand public access, and reduce flood, drought, and other climate risks.

According to NOAA, the program includes acquiring development threatened lands, adopting nature-based solutions, and training local restoration workers.

Officials say Great Pond Lagoon, one of the few coastal lagoons on St. Croix, provides habitat for significant marine species, food security, and protection from natural hazards.

And finally, Guyana's initiative to permanently conserve 3.7 million acres of natural forests in the Akara-Rupanuni corridor of Guyana are projected to boost sustainable tourism and birding.

Guyana's Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Suzanne Rodriguez, said at a bird accreditation ceremony that the proposed conservation area could double the country's land under permanent conservation and help the country meet its 2030 goal of protecting 30% of its land and waters.