Wetland

Orange Tail Mollies In Dutch Waters?

Have you ever seen an orange tail molly in Dutch waters? If not, you should go to the ABC Islands. That’s an abbreviation for Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao. These islands are located not far off the northern coast of Venezuela. In the small Antillean islands (i.e. the ABC islands) the population of mollies in the sea is small, probably because of the multitude of predators. However, this small population seems to be of utmost importance as it is a very stable one, in contrast to the populations of inland waters, both fresh and super saline (i.e. landlocked saltwater lagoons), which habitats seem to be more attractive than the sea. In the inland waters, however, mass mortalities occur of adverse conditions, both biotic and of abiotic nature. Therefore the inland populations are subjected to occasional extinction, and the habitats have to be repopulated from the sea. This may be the explanation that no genetically fixed differences could be found between populations from freshwater, from the sea and from super saline water. The inland migration after rainfall is not caused by the freshwater itself, but by an organic compound that is found in inland water, whether fresh or saline and also in rainwater after it has been in contact with the soil. So the next time you want to go scuba diving, snorkelling, or bird watching, why not choose the ABC islands? They are friendly, safe, and clean, and you can even drink the tap water! But do not forget to look for the local molly: Poecilia vandepolli.

Date
2005
Data type
Media
Theme
Education and outreach
Geographic location
Aruba
Bonaire
Curacao
Author
Image

RAMSAR soft law is not soft at all

Netherlands Crown Decision of 11 September 2007 in the case lodged by Competent Authority for the Island of Bonaire on the annulment of two of its decisions on the Lac wetland by the Governor of the Netherlands Antilles 

In 2006, the Competent Authority for the Island of Bonaire, one of the islands of the Netherlands Antilles (Dutch territory in the Caribbean) decided to allow for the construction of a resort totalling 44,150 square metres. Under "project Mangrove Village" in Sorobon, Bonaire, the privately owned company Crown Court Estate planned to construct 27 single units, 17 double units, a resort entry, and two gatekeeper buildings covering 10.995 square metres. Two decisions (the emphyteutic lease and the building permit) were annulled by the Governor in October 2006 and January 2007 respectively because of infringement of the Convention of Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat (Ramsar Convention), more specifically infringement of Article 3 of the Convention and the guidelines adopted in the Annex of Resolution VIII.9 (the duty to carry out an Environmental Impact Assessment before granting a building permit). The Lac/Sorobon wetland was designated a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention on 23 May 1980. The resort was not planned to be located within the boundaries of the Ramsar site, but (partly) inside the 500 meter buffer zone surrounding the Ramsar site.

Date
2008
Data type
Other resources
Theme
Legislation
Geographic location
Bonaire

RAMSAR sites of Aruba

Ramsar sites map of Aruba(GIS). Smoothed to 100m. 'The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, called the Ramsar Convention, is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.' See convention description for more details.

Date
2011
Data type
Maps and Charts
Theme
Research and monitoring
Document
Geographic location
Aruba
Author

RAMSAR map of Curacao

RAMSAR areas mapped for the Curacao ministry of  health, environment and nature with the help of K.Wenzel of the RAMSAR convention secretariat.

Please refer to the DOI when using this datasource: 10.5281/zenodo.1168484

Date
2012
Data type
Maps and Charts
Theme
Legislation
Document
Geographic location
Curacao