DCNA board meeting

Exciting New Nature Conservation Projects for STENAPA in 2022

From cutting edge 3D models to innovative management techniques, 2022 poses to be an exciting year for St. Eustatius National Parks Foundation (STENAPA). STENAPA recently highlighted the successes and struggles of 2021 and gave a first look at the exciting new projects for the upcoming year in their presentation at the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA) board meeting held on St. Maarten. 

Successes

Director Erik Boman presenting an update on STENAPA’s successes and challenges at the DCNA Board meeting.

STENAPA has had a number of exciting success stories throughout last year. An updated nature ordinance is under review which will if passed enhance protection of trees, habitats and species as well as ensure a better protection of local fishing grounds. In addition, improvements in water catchment area management sets an important foundation for a reduction of sedimentation into the marine environment. 

Challenges

2021 has also had its fair share of challenges. The continued influx of the invasive species green iguanas and the occurrence of Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) both raised environmental concerns for the island. Coupled with loss of vegetation from unsustainable and unregulated development and overgrazing by free roaming animals could threaten the overall biodiversity both above and below the waterline. An important step in properly managing these issues is to increase awareness as well as create a legal framework and insure effective enforcement of the island’s rules. However, simultaneously a development of areas such as the agriculture sector is also vital and necessary in tackling the issue with vegetation loss. 

Focus for 2022

DCNA Board meeting: from left to right: Nature Foundation St Maarten Board member Rikke Bachmann-Speetjens, Nature Foundation St Maarten Manager Melanie Meijer zu Schlochtern, His Excellency Governor Holiday of Sint Maarten, DCNA Chair Hellen van der Wal, DCNA Director Tadzio Bervoets, St. Eustatius Island Commissioner Lady Francis, STENAPA Director Erik Boman, DCNA Patron Jaime Saleh.

Looking forward to the new year, there are lots of exciting milestones on the horizon. STENAPA is looking to contribute to the  passing of updated nature legislation for both the marine and terrestrial parks. In addition, implementation of the Nature and Environmental Policy Plan for the BES islands aims to improve overall monitoring, conservation, and restoration efforts for both species and habitats across the island.

Effective management will require improved survey techniques, data collection and overall enforcement.  STENAPA now has the capacity to generate high resolution imagery. This capability will allow them to inspect, survey and analyze large areas of the island to a high degree of detail than was previously possible using satellite imagery.

Using 3D models and maps will then allow management authorities the ability to conduct surveys and perform analytics within the model itself. This is not only far more accurate than traditional methods, but also saves a lot of time and money in the long run. Some interesting implications could allow for more accurate road surveys, detection of changes in landscaping and vegetation biomass or improving overall understanding of waterflow over the island.

Working Together

The DCNA board meeting is an important opportunity for each of the Protected Area Management Organizations in the Dutch Caribbean- – the Aruba National Parks Foundation (FPNA)STINAPA BonaireCarmabi Curaçao Saba Conservation Foundation (SCF)Nature Foundation St. Maarten (NFSXM), St. Eustatius National Parks (STENAPA) – to collaborate, share resources and exchange information and ideas. Working together, each island can learn from the others, maximizing their successes and learning from the more challenging experiences. Also attending the DCNA Board Meeting was St. Eustatius Island Commissioner Lady Francis who applauded STENAPA and the wider DCNA Network for their efforts in Nature Conservation.

DCNA Board meeting including representatives of the DCNA Board, Protected Area Management Organizations in the Dutch Caribbean (including STENAPA St Eustatius), Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV), World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-NL), Caribbean Cetacean Society, St. Eustatius Island Commissioner Lady Francis and His Excellency Governor Holiday of Sint Maarten.

 

Article published in Special Edition BioNews: 2022 Park Updates

Date
2022
Data type
Other resources
Theme
Education and outreach
Research and monitoring
Geographic location
St. Eustatius
Author

Exciting Changes for Nature Conservation in 2022 on Saba

From big litigation to renovations for their new sea lab, 2022 promises to be a banner year for the Saba Conservation Foundation (SCF).  SCF recently presented at the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA)  Board Meeting, highlighting exciting new projects on the horizon.

Just over five years ago, a 48 meter super yacht, Elsa, broke loose of her mooring and ran ashore, leading to several thousand liters diesel fuel spilling into the sea.  SCF with assistance from DCNA completed an environmental impact assessment (EIA), showing minor damage to the marine habitat.  A second EIA was commissioned by the insurance company, where they also found no notable evidence to claim compensation for marine damage. Nonetheless, after a lengthy legal battle by the vessel’s owner, John Deuss of Elsa Shipping, against the State, Island Government and SCF , the court eventually decided in favor of the island and refuted all claims by the opponent.  However, Elsa Shipping appealed the ruling and the court case went into second instance and proceedings are still ongoing. Important lessons have been learned from the unfortunate incident and the SCF is now much better prepared to respond to such situations in the future, with the ultimate goal to protect the coastal resources of Saba.

Key Projects

Successes go beyond the courtroom, however, with a number of other key projects meeting important milestones.  SCF executed an important bird monitoring program to track the local populations of tropicbirds.  SCF also attended the Land Bird Monitoring Workshop in the Dominica Republic to help shape future bird projects for the island. In addition, coral mapping at the proposed harbor construction site was completed with a follow-on coral relocation trial.

Much progress has been made with the establishment of an ethno botanical garden at the SCF Trail Shop property in Windwardside. The garden will not only act as an educational center for the foundation’s after school programs and become a new tourist attraction, displaying indigenous local flora, but also serve as the focal point for the upcoming reforestation project, that will be initiated in mid 2022.

In an effort to further increase local coral reefs, important coral nurseries were established, which included the deployment of 95 artificial reef “Moreef” balls that boost a 95% coral survival rate.  Paired with a successful phase 1 of the Diadema project, which spawned nearly 400 long-spined black urchins in their nursery, the future for coral reef restoration is off to a promising start.  Renovations to build the new Saba Sea Lab at the old power plant have also started, which will help elevate these projects and build capacity on island for future endeavors.

Financial Gaps

Growth is not without limitations, however, as SCF stressed the potential financial shortfalls in the upcoming years.  Although the Nature and Environmental Policy Plan (NEPP) for the BES islands slated exciting new projects to dramatically improve the state of nature, this plan requires proper funding and an increase in capacity to manage and execute these projects.  Assuming a baseline revenue of 2018, SCF estimates a financial gap of nearly US$880,000 per year, thus creative and sustainable solutions are needed immediately.

There is also a need for additional external staff to complete reforestation projects, invasive species monitoring, removal of free roaming grazers, management of beach enhancements, monitoring sea water quality, keystone and flagship species enforcement not to mention capital investments for facilities for waste vessel discharge. Although Saba’s future looks auspicious, without serious and sustainable investments the island will fall short of the visions laid out in the NEPP.

Working Together

The DCNA board meeting is an important opportunity for each of the Protected Area Management Organizations in the Dutch Caribbean- – the Aruba National Parks Foundation (FPNA)STINAPA BonaireCARMABI Curaçao Saba Conservation Foundation (SCF)Nature Foundation St. Maarten (NFSXM), St. Eustatius National Parks (STENAPA) – to collaborate, share resources and exchange information and ideas. Working together, each island can learn from the others, maximizing their successes and learning from the more challenging experiences.

 

Article published in Special Edition BioNews: 2022 Park Updates

Date
2022
Data type
Media
Theme
Education and outreach
Research and monitoring
Geographic location
Saba
Saba bank
Author

FPNA: Transitioning to a Conservation Management Organization

Fundacion Parke Nacional Aruba (FPNA) recently highlighted their successes and struggles of 2021 and gave a brief preview of their Multi-Annual Corporate Strategy 2022-2031 during the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA) board meeting held in St. Maarten. Having survived the Covid pandemic, FPNA is now channeling all its efforts to reposition itself to align better with its core purpose.

2020-2021 Challenges & Opportunities

Natasha J. Silva presenting an update on FPNA’s successes and challenges at the DCNA Board meeting

The Covid-year 2021, and 2020, were an eye-opener for many organizations, including FPNA. As the local community was experiencing a non-precedential pandemic, more people decided to recreate in nature and enjoy the protected areas under management of FPNA. On a positive note, this behavior change has led to an increase of approximately 300% of Annual Pass holders for Parke Nacional Arikok in 2021. As the tourism industry was recovering, nature had a breather and temporarily flourished from the mass high-impact recreational activities occurring both on land and in sea. As certain wildlife species became more visible, and some nature values were restored, this led to a community discourse on how to move forward post-pandemic with the tourism industry in balance with nature. This community discourse led to demanding more from FPNA as the guardian of Aruba’s nature.

Amidst the world economic crisis in 2021, FPNA focused on surviving financially, which led to cuts in its operational budget and a down-sizing of the organization by 32%. This, while operations needed to continue as usual and did for the large part. As tourism was recovering, the threats on nature were also rapidly increasing, and with limited financial and human resources, the FPNA team went through a deep introspection to evaluate the direction the organization will have to take post-pandemic, to increase its own organizational sustainability and conservation effectiveness. This introspection led to the realization of a much-needed transition from a park management organization to a conservation management organization. To facilitate this transitioning, FPNA created the first Multi-Annual Corporate Strategy 2022-2031 to increase effectiveness and efficiency for conservation, and a Sustainable Financing Plan 2022-2025 to diversify the income streams and become less dependent on park visitation and government subsidies.

A New Direction

The FPNA Management Team went through a five-step integral approach to access the business environment, stakeholder mapping, articulation of the aspiration towards 2031 drafting of the corporate strategy, and finally the creation of an implementation strategy. This approach has enabled the team to restructure their thinking, ask the right questions, test underlying assumptions, probe to critically look at the organization from an integrated perspective, explore and capture the most essential aspirational elements, and have a profound dialogue on these aspects. The Management Team had established a Sounding Board consisting of employees of FPNA to provide feedback at each step within the process.

To accomplish the Multi-Annual Corporate Strategy 2022-2031 the Management Team must commit to a broad strategic approach which enables the team to focus their attention, energy, and resources on four distinct but interrelated strategic pillars, and a set of strategic goals. The four strategic pillars are: 1) ‘Leadership in Nature Conservation – Integrated and inclusive Care for Nature of Aruba and its sustained conservation’, 2) ‘Transition to Sustainable Transformational Experiences – Create Value towards a nature based-experience economy for Nature of Aruba, Aruba as a whole and stakeholders’, 3) ‘Excellence in Conservation Co-Creation – Connect and Engage People to Nature by increasing understanding, stewardship and support for long term Conservation’, and 4) ‘Sustainable Organizational Development – Transformation to a modern, high performing conservation management organization with future proof capabilities and exemplary leadership in sustainability. The defined strategic pillars and strategic goals will pave the way for effective collaboration between FPNA and the members of the DCNA.

Strategically Working Together

For a sustainable future, with a thriving biodiversity and resilient ecosystems, within the Dutch Caribbean, it is crucial for all protected area management organization to reevaluate their contribution to nature conservation. As FPNA is leading in this process, it can serve as an example on how to create a long-term strategic planning to reach effective and efficient conservation. The long-term planning will facilitate the collaboration through the DCNA, and for DCNA to strategically provide the necessary technical support, foster knowledge exchange withing the alliance, and effectively raise funds for the different collaborations between the nature conservation organizations. Working together, each island can learn from the others, maximizing their successes and learning from the more challenging experiences.

 

DCNA Board meeting including representatives of the DCNA Board, Protected Area Management Organizations in the Dutch Caribbean (including FPNA), Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV), World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-NL), Caribbean Cetacean Society, St. Eustatius Island Commissioner Lady Francis and His Excellency Governor Holiday of Sint Maarten

 

Article included in Special Edition: 2022 Park Updates

Date
2022
Data type
Media
Geographic location
Aruba