King Plants a Tree at Bahamas Mangrove Park on Caribbean Tour

King Charles III has planted a silver buttonwood tree at Bonefish Pond National Park in the Bahamas, the first stop on a nine-day tour of the Caribbean. The king arrived in the Bahamas on Tuesday 27 October. Royal Central reports that he also unveiled a plaque to mark the visit.

Bonefish Pond covers about 1,235 acres, or roughly 500 hectares, of tidal mangrove. Mangroves are salt-tolerant trees whose roots stand in seawater at high tide, and they form some of the most productive coastal habitats in the tropics. The park has been protected since 2002. The king's visit was aimed at protecting the natural environment, restoring ecosystems and building resilience to climate change, according to the royal household's account of the day.

The king is Patron of The Bahamas National Trust. A patron is a figurehead who lends their name and public support to an organisation. The trust looks after 32 national parks and other protected areas across the islands, so Bonefish Pond is one of many sites in its care.

In Nassau, the capital, the king gave a speech in which he spoke of his commitment to tackling climate change over the past 50 years. BBC News reports that he also acknowledged the "suffering of the past" during his Caribbean visit.

The tour continues in Guyana and ends in Antigua and Barbuda. It is nine days long in total, and it started in the Bahamas this week. Organisers have not released a full day-by-day programme.

For visitors and local communities, a mangrove park is a working landscape rather than a backdrop. Mangroves shelter young fish, slow coastal erosion and store carbon in their roots and mud. A tree planted in such a place is a small, visible act, and it stays in the ground long after the cameras leave.