Central repository for biodiversity related research and monitoring data from the Dutch Caribbean
Report on the assessement of the population density goats on Bonaire
Knowledge on the density, distribution and occurrence of whales and dolphins in the Caribbean Netherlands is sparse. This knowledge is needed as basic input for conservation and management of cetaceans in the area. Especially in the long term, dedicated data is needed to provide a base-line for monitoring the effect of policy decisions, such as a proposed implementation of a whale sanctuary.
Until recently, knowledge was mainly based on strandings and opportunistic sightings of whales and dolphins. Dedicated data collection, such as obtained from designed aerial or shipboard surveys, will provide reliable and unbiased estimates of abundances and describe distribution patterns and habitat use. However, these types of studies are costly. To explore options on how to bridge the gap between costs (high-low) and data quality (high-low), we investigated a method that could potentially provide long term and cost effective, albeit low quality (in certain aspects), data. In this report we present the results obtained using a port sampling programme used to monitor the fisheries of Saba, St. Eustatius and Bonaire.
During port sampling fishermen were interviewed after returning to the harbour from a fishing trip. The fishermen described their fishing activities and in addition they reported any sightings of whales or dolphins. The study on Saba has included the recording of cetacean sightings since July 2012, the same method has been applied in St. Eustatius since November 2012 and on Bonaire since January 2014. In total 59 different fishing vessels participated in the study (9 Saba, 15 St. Eustatius and 35 Bonaire). The waters around each island were divided into sub-areas to provide data on where the fishing effort took place and where sightings were made. Effort was described as "fishing trips" per sub-area, per month and per island. A total of 1428 days at sea were monitored, with 1020 from Saba, 292 from St. Eustatius and 116 from Bonaire.
During the study a total of 42 whale sightings of 71 individuals was made, of these 36 (62 animals) were recorded in Saba, 2 (2 animals) in St. Eustatius and 4 (4 animals) in Bonaire. There were 93 dolphin sightings consisting of 1362 individual animals. Of these, from Saba there were 71 sightings (877 animals), from St Eustatius 3 sightings (144 animals) and from Bonaire 19 sightings (341 animals).
The relative density (sightings per "fishing trip") showed a pronounced difference in occurrence of cetaceans between islands. The highest relative density of dolphins was found in Bonaire with 0.16 dolphin sightings/fishing trip. The highest relative density of whales was found in Saba with 0.04 whales/fishing trip. Occurrence of whales and dolphins indicated seasonal patterns, in particular for Saba waters where the monitoring ran for several years and most whale and dolphin sightings were in March. The spatial distribution in the Saba study area indicated that dolphins occur regularly on the Saba Bank. In Bonaire the data indicated that an area on the west side of the island and close to shore (<1 km) with high fishing effort also had a high occurrence of cetacean sightings.
An evaluation of the method used indicated that the sampling methodology could be adapted to improve data quality. Most important hereby is a standardization of data collection and data storage between the islands. It also showed that the information provided by the fishermen is very useful in identifying areas of research needed to further investigate cetacean distributional patterns and habitat use around these three islands.
This research was performed within EZ-program Beleidsondersteunend Onderzoek (BO). BO-11-011.05- 034, BO-11-011-05-008.
The land cover map of Saba gives a coarse representation of the distribution of forest, shrub, pasture and artificial surface. Invasive species (like Corallita) are included where technically possible. See this report for more information
Abstract:
On 10 October 2010 Bonaire, Saba and St. Eustatius became ‘special municipalities’ of the Netherlands, making the Dutch government responsible for the implementation and adherence to several international conventions that apply to these islands (e.g. Convention of Biological Diversity, Ramsar convention), including the protection of nature.
Knowledge on the whereabouts of endangered and key species or habitats is essential to ensure their protection against the negative effects of activities such as uncontrolled socio-economic developments (e.g. construction works, harbour expansion, expansion of residential areas) and natural phenomena (e.g. hurricanes, Sea Level Rise). This necessitates early identification of risk locations where future expected activities may collide with species/habitat presence. To determine these whereabouts, monitoring is necessary. Monitoring in the field, however, is often costly and time-consuming. A more effective and quicker approach is desired to obtain a realistic overview of key habitat distributions and associated key species.
At the request of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs the present study examines the possibility to identify the different land cover types (natural and artificial) on Very High Resolution1 satellite images of the Caribbean islands Bonaire, Saba and St. Eustatius, using remote sensing1 analysis. In addition, the possibility to link key species with specific land cover types was assessed by identifying the species’ habitat requirements. Linking species habitat requirements with associated land cover types allows for the identification of their potential occurrence on the islands. It was expected that with niche-modelling potential distribution maps could be developed for different species and habitats. Such maps are valuable to determine risk locations where species/habitat occurrence and planned activities may conflict in the future. This would allow for the proper and early implementation of protective measures.
Worldview-2 satellite images of Saba and St. Eustatius (acquired on 3 December 2010 and 18 February 2011, respectively) were analysed. Analysis of the satellite image of Bonaire was not possible, due to time constraints. From the results of Saba and St. Eustatius it can be concluded that identification of land cover types using satellite images is possible. At present, the results are limited due to a) heterogeneous land cover types and b) the lack of ecological knowledge (e.g. baseline studies).
The identification of artificial features1 (e.g. infrastructure) is not a problem. The challenges encountered are mainly related to the largely mixed heterogeneous vegetation found on Saba and St. Eustatius. Due to the high level of mixing, spectral overlap between different vegetation types is high. Consequently, separating the different vegetation types is difficult. Corrections can be made based on visual interpretation and expertise in the field. This requires time and expert knowledge of the different vegetation types. In addition, both Saba and St. Eustatius exhibit strong differences in altitude, resulting in numerous shadowed areas that impede the identification of the land cover types underneath. Such terrain effect can be corrected using a Digital Elevation Model (DEM). Unfortunately, a sufficiently good DEM (with a high spatial accuracy of around 1 meter) was not yet available2.
Analysis of satellite images resulted in land cover maps with good fit to the distribution of the different land cover types on Saba and St. Eustatius. The produced land cover maps (Figures 4 to 7) give a coarse representation of the distribution of Forest, Shrub, Pasture and Artificial surface on the islands. In addition, it was possible to identify the extent and location of invasive vegetation (e.g. Corallita and other species), although identification to species-level was not possible. At present, these maps provide insufficient detail for biodiversity monitoring, because of the lack of connection with species. They could, however, be used to monitor different land cover development (e.g. forestation, artificial surfaces, shrub and pastures) on the long term (e.g. in years) or to gain a quick overview on the location of invasive vegetation. A distinctive land cover classification based on the available satellite images during the present study, however, was only achieved for the coarser vegetation types.
Ecoprofiles were developed for various species and habitats, describing their habitat requirements. With sufficient detail, these requirements link the species to habitats and thereby allow for the creation of species specific maps. The level of available data on habitat requirements varies per species. Overall knowledge on habitat requirements is generally not sufficient, associating species with multiple habitat types, and making it difficult to pinpoint essential habitat types. The amount of knowledge on habitat requirements has direct influence on the success of niche modelling. This illustrates the necessity of detailed knowledge on species biology, ecology and life history characteristics even when using advanced techniques such as remote sensing.
The production of maps through niche-modelling meant to show the expected geographical distribution of species was not possible due to the limited level of detail within the identified land cover types, and the restricted data on the habitat requirements of the species occurring on Saba and St. Eustatius, in combination with time constraints. Before such maps can be developed several issues need to be solved first. These include specific knowledge on species biology, ecology and life history characteristics of the target species (baseline studies); the collection of more training samples (ground truthing data) in the field; a high quality DEM of Saba and St. Eustatius (and Bonaire as well). This will lead to further adaptation of the chosen classification scheme and aid in separating spectral overlap between the different vegetation types.
This research is part of the Wageningen University BO research program (BO-11-011.05-019) and was financed by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs (EZ) under project number 4308701012.
Remote sensing is an important tool for monitoring the environment. In this report we investigate the use of satellite images from two different satellites for monitoring the extent and health of the mangrove forests in Lac Bay, Bonaire. The different satellite bands were used to produce the Normalized Differential Vegetation Index (NDVI), the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), the Atmospherically Resistant Vegetation Index (ARVI), and the Red Edge index. The above indices, the results from a Principal Components Analysis (PCA), an unsupervised, and supervised classification were used to classify extent and health of the mangroves.
The image from the RapidEye satellite with a spatial resolution of 5 meters in multispectral bands, covering the whole island produced vegetation indexes that generally were able to distinguish broader classes such as mangroves, water, and land. The high resolution image from the WorldView-2 satellite covering only Lac Bay with a spatial resolution of 2 meters in multispectral and 0,5 meters in panchromatic was able to distinguish between different species of mangrove and also appeared to be able to detect differences in health of the different species. Both satellite images can be used to estimate the extent of the mangroves, but only WorldView2 has a resolution that enables the detection of unhealthy (i.e. lower values for certain indices mostly related to chlorophyll content) areas with sufficient confidence. Apart from the technical characteristics, the RapidEye image is cheaper and covers the whole island of Bonaire, providing a full synoptic view.
We conclude that:
Abstract:
A preliminary inventory is given of key terrestrial nature values of Bonaire in order to determine their occurrence in relation to areas designated as “nature” and “open landscape”, according to the Spatial development plan of Bonaire. This was based on a literature study and supplemented by expert advice.
In 2010 a spatial development plan was written in order to determine the spatial policy and regulation for the future development of Bonaire. The island was partitioned into areas for different uses such as agriculture and recreation. Two specific designations are “nature” and “open landscape”. The occurrence of nature values within these areas remained unclear. This makes implementation of protective measures based on international treaties and island legislation problematic. An inventory of the occurrence of these values should help facilitate more effective implementation of these protective measures. In the present study key nature values are determined, both in terms of protected species and essential habitat (e.g. caves).
From the literature study it became apparent that data on the occurrence of most of the priority species of flora and fauna, is limited and scattered, especially with respect to “open landscape” and “nature” outside parks. Therefore, only a preliminary inventory is provided showing the general distribution of nature values across the entire island, as linked to various habitat types. An exact distribution of the different nature values was not possible at this time, but extrapolation from areas of known occurrence into other areas of similar habitat type was used to show the occurrence of overlapping distributions of nature values within the designated areas of “nature” and “open landscape”. The number of overlapping distributions of nature values may contribute to setting conservation priorities.
From the results it can be concluded that the areas of “open landscape” and “nature” (outside the national parks) seem to harbour unique and critical nature values. These areas are not actively managed or protected as national parks. The “open landscape” of Bolivia possibly harbours a few rare plant species (unique), an important population of critical key columnar cacti and at least two columnar cactus-pollinating bat species. The “open landscape” of Washikemba/Bakuna harbours key mangrove species that only have another main location at Lac Bay (national park). The “nature” area of Terrace Landscape Middle Bonaire seems to harbour a concentration of unique (e.g. Tillandsia balbisiana) and rare plant species (e.g. Krugiodendron ferreum etc.) and four bat species. The same is the case for Lima (e.g. Sabal palm, Maytenus versluysii and three bat species) while in Southern Bonaire key mangrove species also still occur. Table 1 shows which nature values are found or expected to occur within each “open landscape” and “nature” (outside national parks) area.
It can be concluded that outside the current parks, the main regions that harbour a concentration of key nature values are Terrace Landscape Middle Bonaire/Sta. Barbara, Bolivia, Washikemba/Bakuna and Lima. Terrace Landscape Middle Bonaire is designated as “nature” area, while Washikemba/Bakuna and Bolivia are in part designated as “open landscape”. Lima has both “nature” and “open landscape” designations. Sta. Barbara is designated for other uses, but the present review shows that the occurrence of several significant nature values is likely within this area.
Additionally, based on the preliminary inventory, the combination of apparent concentrations of rare plants, occurrence of critical bat species and the high probability of corridor values show that the areas of Terrace Landscape Middle Bonaire/Sta. Barbara and Lima are important areas concerning conservation and further research. The areas of Bolivia and Washikemba/Bakuna follow closely.
To be able to implement the necessary protective measures within these areas, it is recommended that more extensive research through fieldwork is done, in order to obtain a complete inventory of the different nature values found on Bonaire, not only in the areas of “nature” and “open landscape” but also in areas with other designations. Additionally, it is recommended to assess the list of vulnerable and endangered species (‘Informatieblad beschermde dier- en plantensoorten Bonaire’) as certain species that may be of importance to Bonaire are not included.
When executing a complete and extensive inventory of Bonaire it would be of value to also determine the ecological conditions needed for the different species to survive. Based on the ecological conditions necessary for their life functions, it may be possible to pinpoint those areas of main ecological importance per species. A complete inventory of the nature values on the island can contribute to better management of nature values (e.g. determining the distribution of caves and the distribution, health status and diversity of keystone cacti species for better management of bat populations). It is also recommended to determine areas with high potential for the occurrence of rare or relict species and which areas harbour high corridor values.
Management Recommendations:
For future research it is recommended to execute a complete and extensive inventory of Bonaire, through fieldwork, in order to implement the necessary protective measures to ensure the conservation of these nature values. The present study shows that the areas of WNSP/Brasil, Terrace Landscape Middle Bonaire, Lima and Bolivia may be of priority as these areas seem to harbour a concentration of unique and critical plants.
Present studies shows that key nature values may occur in areas with a different designation than “nature” or “open landscape”. For future research it is recommended not to limit inventory research to the areas of “nature” and “open landscape”, but to include other areas with different designations.
In the present study the nature values chosen were based on the list of vulnerable and endangered species (Informatieblad beschermde dier- en plantensoorten Bonaire). During the study several species were added based on expert knowledge. The list used therefore seems to be limited. For future research it is recommended to assess if there are other nature values that are important to Bonaire that should be included on the list (e.g. Clusia sp, Ammodramus savannarum).
A complete inventory of the nature values on the island can contribute to the better management of nature values. A good example is the management of Bonaire’s bat population. In order to define the priority areas to maintain for the management of the different bats on Bonaire it is essential to obtain a detailed inventory of the different caves that these species use as habitat.
Additionally for the nectar-feeding bats it is crucial to map the occurrence of the different candle cacti on which they feed. The nectar-feeding bats are the critical pollinators of the three candle cacti (Petit, 2001). As already mentioned these cacti are key species on the island as they provide food for several species of animals during the dry season, when many other plant species are non-productive (Petit, 2001). Research on the distribution, health status and diversity of candle cacti on Bonaire is recommended in order to pinpoint priority areas for nectar- feeding bats. The cactus populations are threatened severely by feral livestock (goats, donkeys) which remove the bark of the mature trees, thereby threatening the food supply for frugivores and nectarivores. From our analysis open land areas of Bolivia would seem to possess large cactus populations of vital interest to conservation of endangered bird species on an island-wide scale.
When executing a complete and extensive inventory of Bonaire it would be of value to determine the ecological conditions and various habitats needed for the different species to survive. Based on the ecological conditions necessary for their life functions it may be possible to pinpoint those areas of principal ecological importance per species.
It is necessary to identify those areas with a high potential for the concentration of nature values rare species or relict vegetation species in order to secure the survival of these species and to be able to implement the necessary protective measurements. Such areas for instance are the open land and nature sections of Lima, Terrace Landscape Middle Bonaire (nature) and Bolivia (open). For future research it is recommended to determine those areas with high corridor values for the implementation of ecological corridors and buffer zones on Bonaire.
At St. Eustatius a project has started for the improvement and expansion of the Seaport St. Eustatius. The planned activities related to the project need to be evaluated in order to comply with the legal requirements for a licence from the competent authority Rijkswaterstaat Noordzee in the Netherlands.
A quick scan of the potential environmental impact for the planned activities regarding the St. Eustatius harbour extension was commissioned by Rijkswaterstaat Noordzee. This quick scan was performed within limited time and based upon limited background information. No additional research on site was performed. Consequently, this report provides an environmental impact assessment based only on a review of literature and expert judgement.
Within the project it is foreseen that an estimated 10.000 m3 of sediment will be dredged from the turning basin and dock in the new harbour and from the old harbour. The dredged material will be disposed of in the sheltered inner harbour and south of the breakwater. This deepening of the St. Eustatius harbour and associated activities can potentially negatively impact the environment (directly) through:
The resulting deepened harbour, the disposal sites and changes in future use may cause long term (indirect) negative impact on the environment due to:
These potential impacts have been investigated in this report and have resulted in the following findings:
The tidal and residual currents around St. Eustatius are weak and estimated to be up to 20 cm/s. Near the harbour area, the residual flow is probably dominantly north. The wave height is low throughout the larger part of the year, except during hurricanes and tropical storms. From December to April cold fronts in Florida regularly generate swells from the north to northeast (“brown seas”). These events occur once or twice a month, last for a day to a week, and may generate swell waves 3 to 5 m high.
The marine substrate in the harbour area consists of a hard substratum overlying a more loosely packed conglomerate including sand and pebbles. This hard substratum consists of large rock fragments and cemented conglomerates. Removing this hard layer makes the underlying softer material available for erosion, especially since the deepened area will be exposed to the winter swells and has a water depth where the swells may break (and hence lead to high near-bed shear stresses). The risk for increased levels of suspended sediment due to erosion is probably small, but depends on the fine silt content of the sediment to be exposed. The available information does not indicate the presence of such fine material in the sediment.
During the dredging works, the sediment spill is expected to be limited. It is assumed dredging will be done during calm conditions. Some sediment will enter the water column during dredging, but due to the low ambient currents most will immediately settle from suspension. If present, silt and flocculated mud will be transported 1-2 km northward. Unflocculated mud can be expected to mix with ambient currents within days, leading to only limited increase in turbidity.
Storage of dredged material occurs in the sheltered inner harbour and south of the breakwater. Little dispersion of this sediment is expected during the dredging and storage activities partly due to the planned placement of bubble screens.
Over longer timescales, the removal of the hard layer will probably lead to higher turbidity in the harbour during storms. The winter storms are associated with southward currents, and therefore some of this sediment may be transported south of the wind breaker.
It is expected that deepening of the harbour will lead to a minor change in alongshore transport in the inner harbour, but will not affect alongshore transport north of the old harbour or south of the breakwater. The wave height near the ruins just south of the old harbour will probably increase due to deepening which may have a small effect on the coast.
Based on the above findings and expert judgement regarding sediment transport and turbidity changes the following conclusions are drawn on the potential impact on the environment:
The sediment that enters the water during dredging works is expected to settle relatively quickly, leading to limited sediment-plumes and turbidity. Therefore, no mayor or irreversible impact from dredging works is to be expected on the surrounding habitats. This is based on the assumption that fine silt is not present at the site. However, if these sediments are present, habitats up to 1-2 km north of the harbour can be affected. The impact is estimated, however, to be limited due to the low expected volumes.
Dredging works will impact living organisms at the dredged site and deposit- sites, covering a total area of approximately 1-2 ha (dredged and dredge-deposit site). Recovery is likely to occur over time if environmental conditions permit. This may take up to several years in case of removal of climax stage ecosystems such as coral reefs and seagrass habitats.
Direct impact on marine mammals due to pile driving and placement of moorings are considered to be negligible as the migrating season has already passed and noise levels are considered to be relatively low.
During the deposition of the dredged sediment at the two locations, no impact on surrounding habitats is expected due to the minor dispersion and mitigation measures taken (bubble sheets).
Unless added measures are taken it is expected that the dredge deposit on the south side of the breakwater and south of the old harbour will erode and will be dispersed during storm conditions. The rate at which this deposit will erode, and how much that contributes to overall turbidity during the storm-event, cannot be predicted based on available information.
An adverse impact of the deposited sediment over longer timescales on surrounding habitats cannot be excluded. Erosion of the southern deposit during storm events or hurricanes is likely to occur. This means that it cannot be ruled out that an extra total volume of 7000m3 sediment can be transported towards the southern reserve during a single hurricane event, potentially smothering coral and seagrass habitats. This might lead to severe impact on some species of corals and sea grasses. A significant part of the southern reserve is covered with these species. Current species coverage and abundance is not known, and therefore impact cannot be quantified.
Besides the intrinsic ecological value of the habitats of the southern reserve, the southern reserve holds many important dive sites. The environmental quality of the southern reserve habitats is therefore of high importance to the sustainable economic development and prospects of St. Eustatius. Any risk of deterioration of the southern reserve through resuspension of the dredged material and deposition within the southern reserve should be considered with caution and necessary preventive actions should be taken.
Potential indirect impacts on historical monuments could occur as a result of slightly increased wave heights in the harbour but are expected to be minor.
Indirect impact due to more extensive use of the harbour is expected to be a risk, but hard to quantify. Maintenance dredging is not expected, and if needed, the impact due to sediment suspension will no doubt be less than that of the dredging related to this extension, thus limited (assuming calm conditions and no silt content). Risk of bio-pollution is likely. In order to assess actual impact and proper measures, monitoring should be considered.
Preventive actions should focus on the deposited sediment in the southern corner of the breakwater and lack of information on silt and mud content. Suggestions are to:
