Page 269 - The Dutch Caribbean Isles
P. 269
The Curacao Marine Park, known as the Cura- The Marine Park is a “paper” park at the mo- by staff and visiting researchers amounts to
cao Underwater Park was was established in ment, not being officially stipulated as such about 25 scholarly publications and reports
1983. It stretches from Breezes Hotel (previously by law. A new marine protection law is in the per year. CARMABI is an active and found-
named Princess Beach Hotel) to the eastern tip making at this moment, which will once and for ing member of the Association of Marine
of the island and includes some of Curacao’s fin- all indicate an official Marine Park for Curacao Laboratories of the Caribbean (AMLC),
est reefs. The seaward boundary is the 60-meter with the same model as the Bonaire Marine Park. DCNA, Member of IUCN, and the Caribbean
depth contour and on the shore side the bound- Carmabi has managed the “paper” marine park Conservation Association. The foundation
ary is high-water mark. The Park covers a total since 1983 and still several activities are execut- has a board, currently consisting of 5 rep-
surface area of 600 hectares (1482 acres) of reef ed that benefit endeavors awareness for marine resentaives and a total of about 30 people,
and 436 hectares (1077.4 acres) of inner bays. protection, marine research and monitoring and both staff and semi-volunteers who work
protection in itself. However the government is at the institute in all the departments and
Extensive coral reef research by CARMABI not paying for these endeavors. They are com- divisions.
indicated that serious reef degeneration was pletely supported by donations and sponsoring.
taking place as a result of pollution and coastal
development. At the same time, spear fishing C ARMABI headquarters lies 5 minutes
and poaching were taking their toll on reef from downtown Willemstad and 10
fish populations and black coral respectively. minutes from the Hato International Air-
This data demonstrated the need for coral reef port. Today CARMABI provides facilities and
management. In answer to this need, CARMABI logistical support to upwards of 70 visiting
proposed establishment of an underwater park researchers and graduate students per year,
in the area in which the park now exists. This was manages nine protected areas on Curacao,
a relatively untouched area valuable from both the largest of which is the 1860 hectare
an aesthetic standpoint and its great biological Christoffelpark, and runs an educational
variation. program reaching about 12000 school chil-
dren per year. Combined research output
