dcna convention

Kralendijk – The recently concluded Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA) convention reminded participants that nature is big business. However, many people are unaware of the varied ways in which nature’s resources can be leveraged to create sustainable economic growth. One of DCNA’s goals is to raise awareness of nature’s potential.

Nature’s Economic Value

Mrs. Hellen van der Wal, chairlady of DCNA, notes that “nature provides us with food and offers us alternatives for entertainment and relaxation. The unique biodiversity that we have in the Dutch Caribbean is a source of attraction for tourists who travel to the region purely to contemplate this nature.” Nature underpins all economic activity and according to the World Wildlife Fund for Nature, nature’s contribution to global GDP was valued at US125 trillion in 2018.

Mrs. Van der Wal leading important discussions during the DCNA convention

Sustainability Concerns

While nature provides opportunities for considerable economic growth, DCNA believes that such growth should not be attained at the expense of natural assets. To protect its unique biodiversity, the Dutch Caribbean islands need to integrate sustainable development practices into policies and long-term plans. To achieve this, nature must be the point of departure in decision-making and in the creation of strategic plans.

DCNA’s Contribution

During the recent convention in Curaçao, DCNA’s board renewed its commitment to intensify efforts to raise awareness of nature’s economic value, particularly among Dutch Caribbean governments. DCNA will also continue to engage the next generation in nature conservation discussions. Youth contribution is of great value, which is why DCNA has created a structural program for young people.

DCNA will also continue to encourage and facilitate credible scientific research, which is needed to navigate a future that will be shaped by climate change-induced challenges and crises. To achieve these important goals, DCNA will continue to build partnerships and raise funds. This is crucial, considering the challenges that resulted from the pandemic.

There is still a lot of work to be done, which is why close collaboration between the six Dutch Caribbean islands is of paramount importance. Mrs. Van der Wal believes the recent convention succeeded in strengthening existing relationships, but many challenges remain. “With the important changes we are making in our governance structure, we are equipping ourselves to better serve our Protected Area Management Organizations in their task to conserve nature and raise awareness. We also want to inform governments more effectively and will therefore continue working on strengthening our relationship and collaboration with the respective governments.” Van der Wal concludes emphasizing that “we cannot talk about sustainable development without talking about nature conservation.”

More information about the DCNA convention can be found on DCNA’s Facebook page: DutchCaribbeanNatureAlliance

Article published in Special Edition BioNews: 2021 DCNA Convention

Kralendijk – The Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance’s (DCNA) bi-annual board meeting took place during the recent convention held in Curaçao. Their Excellencies, Governors Holiday and Boekhoudt from Sint Maarten and Aruba, as well as Mr. Jaime Saleh, patron of DCNA, were present as observers for crucial discussions on governance and DCNA’s strategic vision moving forward.

The arrival of Their Excellencies, Governors Holiday and Boekhoudt

Strategic vision

After 15 years of existence, DCNA has the requisite tools needed to enable its member organizations to withstand looming challenges. While the immediate support to parks due to COVID-19 remains essential, DCNA must also focus on the impact of climate change, which is an existential threat to the lives and livelihoods of Dutch Caribbean Communities.

Director of DCNA, Tadzio Bervoets, says “it is crucial to increase the resiliency of our Protected Area Management Organizations to hold out against the myriad external shocks that are heading our way due to global warming. Another important strategic objective is to advice our local governments more effectively since they remain an important stakeholder.”

Good governance

In order to better serve the Protected Area Management Organizations, DCNA will move from a one-tiered to a two-tiered governance structure. This will allow management to focus on routine managerial tasks, while the board handles long-term decision-making and strategic planning. During the board meeting, the team dealt with the basic good governance procedures, such as approval of the budget for 2022 and approval of the 2021 Financial Statements. The board meeting also offered an opportunity for the secretariat and the Protected Area Management Organizations to share activities carried out since the last board meeting in April.

The way forward

The board agreed on a strategic plan for the period of 2021-2030 that takes into consideration the common challenges among the nature conservation organizations as well as island-specific needs. Raising awareness of these developments is an import aspect of DCNA’s goals. “We are in the final stages of hiring a PR and Information Officer who will increase our own capacity to communicate and help the parks to communicate with their respective communities as well”, says Bervoets.

More information about the DCNA board meeting can be found on DCNA’s Facebook page: DutchCaribbeanNatureAlliance

Article published in the Special Edition BioNews:  2021 DCNA Convention

Willemstad – A group of engaged teens and young adults had the opportunity to discuss youth engagement in nature conservation and nature education during the Youth and Nature Education Symposium organized by the DCNA as part of their annual convention.

Youth Participation

One of the priorities for DCNA and its member organizations is to engage the youth in their work of safeguarding nature in the Dutch Caribbean. After a successful Junior Rangers Exchange held during the DCNA convention of 2019, the expectations for this year’s symposium were high. DCNA chairlady, Mrs. Hellen van der Wal firmly believes that “the younger generation has a future today. They have a voice, and we should listen more to them”. The youth symposium that recently took place during the DCNA convention focused on nature education and the 2030 Agenda. A total of seventeen participants between the ages of fifteen and twenty-three had the opportunity to strategize and discuss how they would like to see nature conservation develop on their islands, how they would like to see their governments committing more to nature conservation, and how they see their lives and livelihoods impacted by climate change.

Princess Beatrix together with the participants of Young Ones United To Heighten Curaçao (YOUTH-C)

Thorough Preparation

Before discussing the topics at hand and preparing the conclusions, the participants went through a preparation stage that lasted three months. They learned more about the environment in general, the Sustainable Development Goals and further developed their debating skills. The specific topics that they prepared to discuss were the environment in general, life under water, climate change, and nature education.

Symposium Program

The participants were welcomed by Sietske van der Wal, representing Aruba National Parks Foundation. The keynote speech that followed was delivered by Dahlia Hassell-Knijff, projects officer at DCNA who started her career in nature conservation as a Saba youth ranger since the age of seven. After a keynote conversation led by Mr. Elton Villareal, the youth participants got the opportunity to present their conclusions to Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands, patron of the DCNA.

The Way Forward

There was marked interests amongst the audience for the various perspectives brought forward by the participants. They came up with three propositions: an awareness campaign, a movement to clean up the island on a weekly basis (‘Cleaning Sundays’), and a youth council for matters regarding the environment.

Mr. Tadzio Bervoets, director of the DCNA, wrapped up the afternoon concluding that “the future of nature conservation looks exceedingly bright”.

“The youth is generally very eager to learn and after witnessing today’s discussions and presentation, we are particularly driven to prepare an inspiring and educational program for them next year.”, says Achsah Mitchell from St. Eustatius National Parks.

The next official engagement with the youth will take place in March 2022 in St. Eustatius.

More information about the Youth Symposium can be found on DCNA’s Facebook page: DutchCaribbeanNatureAlliance

Article published in Special Edition BioNews: 2021 DCNA Convention

Willemstad – The 2021 Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA) Convention began with a workshop on climate change resiliency. The workshop served as a platform for knowledge sharing between researchers from the Royal Netherlands Institute for Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies (KITLV), and Dutch Caribbean experts. The participants discussed the impact of climate change on marine ecosystems in the Dutch Caribbean and related issues.

Different perspectives

This workshop is part of a pilot project that aims to unpack the impact of climate change on marine protected areas in Indonesia and the Caribbean. To get an accurate understanding of the key issues and challenges, listening to experts from various fields within and outside academia is key. Yvonne Kunz, main postdoctoral researcher at KITLV notes that “if we want to understand the impact of climate change on marine protected areas, we must engage with those who experience this impact firsthand. This is our main motivation to obtain information from as many sources as possible.”

Climate change resiliency workshop

Collaboration with DCNA

David Kloos, project lead at KITLV, further explains that “DCNA has been involved from the very beginning of this pilot project. They represent a key stakeholder in the Caribbean.” The project is a comparative analysis, and the stakeholders are taking care to ensure that crucial comparisons are made from various angles. Mr. Kloos says that “policy versus actual operations is one aspect, but also the number of years of existence of the marine protected areas. We have chosen to investigate protected areas in Aruba and Bonaire, where there is a difference in years of existence. By comparing Indonesia and the Caribbean, KITLV can analyze yet another aspect. Whereas in the Caribbean the need to protect marine areas takes on a ‘bottom-up’ approach, in Indonesia the initiatives are more government-led. In addition, these contrasts facilitate the comparison and analysis of different conservation narratives.”

Climate change impact

For some, climate change is seen as a theoretical issue, even though the Caribbean region has already started to experience its effects.

Melanie Meijer zu Schlochtern of DCNA states that “we have observed a deterioration of our coral reefs. The majority of our population may not be aware of this, but if we do not stop this decline, we can end up with green water, instead of the crystalline blue seas that we know today. If we can only become more aware of the economic value of these coral reefs, we will soon start to realize that further decline will have a direct negative impact on tourism, one of the main economic pillars of our islands.”

Everyone can and must contribute to mitigation of the impact of climate change.

This pilot project is being conducted in partnership with the Netherlands Institute for Ecology (NIOO), the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Studies (NIAS), and various partners in Indonesia and the Caribbean. More information about this pilot project and practical tips can be found on DCNA’s Facebook page: DutchCaribbeanNatureAlliance.

Article published in the Special Edition Bionews: 2021 DCNA Convention and BioNews 50

Kralendijk – The upcoming convention of the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA) will focus on governance, climate change, and youth engagement in nature conservation. All six Protected Area Management Organizations of the Dutch Caribbean are joining forces to strengthen strategic nature management policies for the coming years. The Patron of the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance, Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands, will also attend the Convention, which will take place in Curaçao from Tuesday, November 23 to Friday, November 27.

Princess Beatrix meets Tadzio Bervoets, the Director of DCNA, in Saba. Photo credit: Lincoln Charles

Governance in times of recovery

The significant disruptions caused by the pandemic have reminded us that our ecosystems are critical to our success as small island developing states. Further development in these challenging times should be sustainable, with the aim to conserve the biodiversity of the islands, which supports the unique tourism product of the Dutch Caribbean.

One of the highlights of convention will be the board meeting, which will be held in-person for the first time after almost two years of virtual engagements. Tadzio Bervoets, Director of the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance said that “even though we are convinced that we can achieve more by joining forces, we realize that governance is equally important, which is why our board meeting will address our governance structure and our strategic vision for the time to come.”

Climate change

The Dutch Caribbean islands are now emerging from the effects of the pandemic. However, the Caribbean region is also experiencing another crisis that will have significant negative impact on the ecosystems that are critical to the sustainable economies that the islands need to build. One of the workshops at the Convention will focus on climate change resiliency. This topic could not be timelier, considering the renewed commitment of global leaders to keep the global average temperature increase below 2° Celsius. DCNA’s chairlady, Hellen van der Wall noted that “we in the Caribbean are at the frontlines of the climate change crises and it is only through using the goods and services our nature provides us that we can become resilient as Dutch Caribbean societies.” The workshop will highlight a pilot project that seeks to analyze and understand the impact of climate change on marine protected areas in Indonesia and the Caribbean. The long-term goal of the pilot is to set up a larger research program that will help to develop responses to the dynamic consequences of climate change.

Youth engagement

Sustainability is about meeting current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs. With this understanding, the youth are considered crucial stakeholders in DCNA’s work. Since 2019, DCNA Conventions have included a youth symposium that provides platforms for youth to share their views. Their inputs have proven valuable over the years and have led to the creation of youth nature programs. This year’s symposium will also feature key conversations focused on the importance of investing in nature education in order to create ownership of natural areas. Even though the next generation of young environmental stewards seem to be naturally inclined to practice responsible use of the available natural resources, it is imperative to provide them with the necessary tools at a young age.

More information about the DCNA Convention can be found on the DCNA’s Facebook page: DutchCaribbeanNatureAlliance.

Article published in Special Edition BioNews: 2021 DCNA Convention