guidelines

Dutch Below 

The Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA) along with local nature management organizations across the six Dutch Caribbean islands have recently published “Guidelines for the Design and Conduct of Research and Monitoring Projects within the Dutch Caribbean Protected Areas.” These guidelines aim to encourage local capacity building, ethical practices, science communication and targeted research on the most pressing conservation issues for managing protected areas. This advice is given to support improved collaboration and communication between (visiting) researchers, students and the local nature (management) organizations in their common goal of safeguarding nature in the Dutch Caribbean.

Saba island. Photo credit: Kai Wulf

The Dutch Caribbean, a haven for diverse flora and fauna, faces challenges from local, regional, and global threats. Recognizing the importance of preserving these natural resources and the essential role of research and monitoring in this, the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA) and its network partners Fundacion Parke Nacional Aruba (FPNA),  STINAPA Bonaire, CARMABI Curaçao , Saba Conservation Foundation (SCF), Nature Foundation St. Maarten (NFSXM), St. Eustatius National Parks (STENAPA), developed guidelines for research and monitoring initiatives. These guidelines aim to bridge the gap between foreign research institutions, funders and local organizations, fostering effective conservation practices encouraging researchers to take the local context and needs into consideration.

Roadmap

The guidelines are like a roadmap for setting up and conducting research projects in the Dutch Caribbean. These guidelines have a few goals. First of all, to support research and monitoring in the region by creating a resource where all the recommendations and wishes of the nature conservation management organizations can be found. Second, to promote local capacity building such as training of local staff and build on social and technical infrastructures. Third, to encourage ethical practices while conducting research considering the local context. Lastly, to promote the sharing of research project information and results and to enhance science communication and outreach to a diverse group of stakeholders such as other members of the scientific community, local nature conservation organizations, policy makes and the inhabitants of the islands. This way, anyone interested can learn and use the valuable work being done to protect the unique plants and animals of the Dutch Caribbean.

Working together

Understanding the state of nature through research and monitoring is crucial for efficient and effective management and protection. Nature conservation (management) organizations’ staff (biologists and rangers) and (citizen) scientists from all over the world provide invaluable support by gathering knowledge about these complex and fragile ecosystems. Collaboration and communication between all involved stakeholders is of the utmost importance in the common goal to safeguard nature in the Dutch Caribbean for the wellbeing of future generations.

Read more: Find the complete Research and Monitoring Guidelines here.

DCNA 

The Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA) supports (science) communication and outreach in the Dutch Caribbean region by making nature related scientific information more widely available through amongst others the Dutch Caribbean Biodiversity Database, DCNA’s news platform BioNews and through the press. No rights can be derived from the content. DCNA is not liable for the content and the in(direct) impacts resulting from publishing this article.

De Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA) heeft samen met lokale natuurbeheerorganisaties op de zes Nederlands-Caribische eilanden onlangs “Guidelines for the Design and Conduct of Research and Monitoring Projects within the Dutch Caribbean Protected Areas.” gepubliceerd. Deze richtlijnen zijn bedoeld om lokale capaciteitsopbouw, ethische praktijken, wetenschapscommunicatie en gericht onderzoek naar de meest urgente kwesties voor het beheer van beschermde gebieden aan te moedigen. Dit advies wordt gegeven ter ondersteuning van een betere samenwerking en communicatie tussen (bezoekende) onderzoekers, studenten en de lokale natuur (beheer)organisaties in hun gezamenlijke doel om de natuur in het Nederlands Caribisch gebied te beschermen.

Saba eiland. Foto: Kai Wulf

De Nederlandse Cariben, een toevluchtsoord voor diverse flora en fauna, wordt geconfronteerd met uitdagingen van lokale, regionale en mondiale bedreigingen. Het belang van het behoud van deze natuurlijke hulpbronnen en de essentiële rol van onderzoek en monitoring hierin wordt erkend, en daarom ontwikkelde de Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA) en haar netwerkpartners: Fundacion Parke Nacional Aruba (FPNA), STINAPA Bonaire, CARMABI Curaçao, Saba Conservation Foundation (SCF), Nature Foundation St. Maarten (NFSXM), St. Eustatius National Parks (STENAPA), richtlijnen voor onderzoeks- en monitoringsinitiatieven. Deze richtlijnen zijn bedoeld om de kloof tussen buitenlandse onderzoeksinstellingen, financiers en lokale organisaties te overbruggen en effectieve instandhoudingspraktijken te bevorderen en onderzoekers aan te moedigen rekening te houden met de lokale context en behoeften.

Stappenplan

De richtlijnen zijn als een routekaart voor het opzetten en uitvoeren van onderzoeksprojecten in Caribisch Nederland. Deze richtlijnen hebben een paar doelen. Allereerst om onderzoek en monitoring in de regio te ondersteunen door een bron te creëren waar alle aanbevelingen en wensen van de natuurbeschermingsorganisaties te vinden zijn. Ten tweede, het bevorderen van lokale capaciteitsopbouw, zoals de opleiding van lokaal personeel, en het voortbouwen op sociale en technische infrastructuur. Ten derde, het aanmoedigen van ethische praktijken bij het uitvoeren van onderzoek rekening houdend met de lokale context. Ten slotte het bevorderen van het delen van informatie en resultaten van onderzoeksprojecten en het verbeteren van de wetenschapscommunicatie en het bereiken van een diverse groep belanghebbenden, zoals andere leden van de wetenschappelijke gemeenschap, lokale natuurbeschermingsorganisaties, beleidsmakers en de bewoners van de eilanden. Op deze manier kan iedereen die geïnteresseerd is leren en gebruik maken van het waardevolle werk dat wordt gedaan om de unieke planten en dieren van de Nederlandse Cariben te beschermen.

Samenwerken

Inzicht in de toestand van de natuur door middel van onderzoek en monitoring is cruciaal voor efficiënt en effectief beheer en bescherming. Medewerkers van natuurbeschermingsorganisaties (biologen en rangers) en (burger)wetenschappers van over de hele wereld bieden een onschatbare ondersteuning bij het vergaren van kennis over deze complexe en kwetsbare ecosystemen. Samenwerking en communicatie tussen alle betrokken stakeholders is van het grootste belang in het gezamenlijke doel om de natuur in het Nederlands Caribisch gebied te beschermen voor het welzijn van toekomstige generaties.

Lees meer

Hier vindt u de volledige richtlijnen voor onderzoek en monitoring (link)

DCNA

De Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA)ondersteunt (wetenschaps) communicatie en outreach in de Nederlandse Caribische regio door natuurgerelateerde wetenschappelijke informatie breder beschikbaar te maken via onder meer de Dutch Caribbean Biodiversity Database, DCNA’s nieuwsplatform BioNews en de pers. Dit artikel bevat de resultaten van verschillende (wetenschappelijke) projecten, maar de projecten zelf zijn geen DCNA-projecten. Aan de inhoud kunnen geen rechten worden ontleend. DCNA is niet aansprakelijk voor de inhoud en de indirecte gevolgen die voortvloeien uit het publiceren van dit artikel.

Published in BioNews 70

The Dutch Caribbean is home to a wide variety of unique animal and plant species and tropical habitats like coral reefs, mangroves and elfin forest. Nature contributes to the wellbeing of the local people, providing areas used as to generate income, food, recreation and (coastal) protection. Unfortunately, the islands’ natural resources are under pressure, stemming from local, regional and global threats. This combination makes understanding the state of nature through research and monitoring projects crucial for efficient and effective management and protection.

Each island has its own nature conservation (management) organizations tasked with safeguarding these natural areas. Nature conservation (management) organizations’ staff (biologists, rangers) and (citizen) scientists from all over the world provide invaluable support by gathering knowledge about these complex and fragile ecosystems.

The funding for research and monitoring in the Dutch Caribbean comes largely from the European Netherlands but also from other foreign institutions. Some monitoring (and research) projects by the local nature conservation (management) organizations are funded by governments and through park visitors' incomes. Science and research agendas are determined, and essential fieldwork is often directed by large science institutes and universities such as Wageningen University & Research (WUR), Dutch Research Council (NWO), the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), Naturalis Biodiversity Center and the Smithsonian Institution. Although these institutions have sound scientific expertise and can meet the specific conditions required by international funders, they often lack local knowledge, capacity and infrastructure on the islands to carry out their work. Research topics are often based on knowledge gaps in science and international reporting obligations which do not always match the most pressing conservation issues for managing the protected areas (parks) in the Dutch Caribbean.

Local organizations can play an essential role in ensuring the local context is taken into consideration when doing research on the Dutch Caribbean islands. The (small) local non-governmental conservation organisations are often the only institutions with the capacity to support fieldwork of visiting scientists. They have the staff, local knowledge and necessary infrastructure and/or logistics (e.g. vehicles and laboratories), but their resources and capacity are often limited. One of the principles of 'sound nature management' is to have management choices guided by scientific research ('science-based management'). Unfortunately, this is often impossible on the islands due to a lack of financial resources and personnel, and conservation organizations are frequently forced to conduct annual monitoring with the limited available resources they have ("management-based science").

One of the key roles of the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA) is to find ways to build local capacity, improve knowledge sharing and cooperation, and promote efficient networking between different stakeholders, including the nature conservation management organizations on the six Dutch Caribbean islands. To help guide (visiting) researchers, students and funders in their design and implementation of projects within the region, nature conservation management organizations created these Research and Monitoring Guidelines for the protected areas (parks) with the following objectives:

• Support research and monitoring: keep researchers, funders and students well informed about the nature conservation management organizations’ research recommendations and wishes by having this framework updated yearly and published in DCNA’s digital newsletter BioNews and the Dutch Caribbean Biodiversity Database.

• Support local capacity building: encourage (visiting) researchers, students and funders to include local capacity building in their activities to adopt a more sustainable and integrative approach by bridging the worlds of knowledge and action, by not only focusing regionally but emphasizing approaches which are local, place-based, and solution-oriented.

• Encourage ethical practices: provide guidance for conducting research which is carried out in consideration of the local context, practices and sensitivities.

• Make scientific information widely available: request researchers to submit data, reports and publications for upload to the Dutch Caribbean Biodiversity Database where it can be used, amongst others, to guide local policy and management.

• Support science communication and outreach: to promote the sharing of project information to enhance communication and outreach to a diverse group of stakeholders such as other members of the scientific community, local nature conservation organizations, policy makes and the inhabitants of the islands.