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Tuesday 5 November 2019

DCNA convention 2019:
Youth participation, nature

management and science
organizations united

participants Junior Ranger Exchange Program
servation Work Group was
therefore established dur-
ing the Convention.
A common vision and di-
rection have been estab-
KRALENDIJK, BONAIRE — issues threatening nature lished and tasks based on
The DCNA convention on affect all islands jointly and a common direction have
Bonaire was recently the are interconnected includ- been assigned. The follow-
backdrop for the start of a ing the decline of the cor- ing applies to all islands:
new phase of international al, the warming of the sea investing in nature and the
nature management in the water, the rise in sea level, environment is not a luxury,
Dutch Caribbean, with a soil erosion on the islands, but a crucial to the future take this knowledge and important steps have been
special focus on the future. the arrival of invasive ex- social and economic well- experience with them and taken to enhance the
The recently held conven- otic species, the nuisance being of island residents. will spread that knowledge working relationship be-
tion was a resounding suc- caused by stray cattle and on all six islands with the tween the Dutch Organiza-
cess, with the protected the damage to nature Valuable nature lessons for support of the local nature tion for Scientific Research
area management organi- caused by unsustainable the youth management organiza- (NWO), scientists and local
zations from the six islands tourism. During the DCNA conven- tions. Youth participation actors. The day ended with
leading nature organiza- tion there was also special will become a permanent a well- attended public
tions and scientific institu- Action attention for the youth of part of the annual DCNA lecture about the status of
tions from the Netherlands, Unfortunately, the list of the six Dutch Caribbean program for the six islands. the coral reefs.
local stakeholders and concerns and risks can islands. From the youth na- DCNA wants to thank ev-
youth nature ambassadors even be further extended ture programs of Funda- erybody that helped orga- Restart DCNA
in closer collaboration. and the challenges that cion Parke Nacional Aruba, nizing this amazing event, After a difficult period,
Participants joined forces lie ahead are significant. STINAPA Bonaire, CARMABI and the Warehouse Bo- DCNA shows with the new
for "our" nature, the most However, a serious basis on Curaçao, Saba Conser- naire for generously spon- developments that it forms
unique ecosystems of the for action has been estab- vation Foundation, Saba soring with groceries. a unique network of lead-
Dutch Kingdom. lished during this conven- Nature Education (SNE) ing and cross-disciplinary
tion and all parties have and Sint Maarten Nature Coral, NWO and (citizen) organizations, and a re-
Collaboration set their sight on a joint Foundation, four teenag- science workshops biolo- focus on the actual con-
The protected area man- approach for conserva- ers per island have been gists servation needs of the
agement organizations tion management This ap- brought together. Thanks Biologists from the local na- parks on the six islands is
of Aruba, Bonaire, Cura- proach has been given to the co-financing of the ture organizations on all six now a fact. In the com-
çao, Saba, Sint Maarten more substance through World Wide Fund for Na- Dutch Caribbean islands ing months there will be a
and Statia are increasingly strategic workshops facili- ture, Rabobank and STI- also had the opportunity to lot of hard work to get the
working together to enact tated by the World Wildlife NAPA, a weekend-long get first hand expert knowl- action plan going. One of
pragmatic conservation Fund (WWF-NL), Bird Pro- program was organized edge from coral restoration the outcomes of the DCNA
actions in the Caribbean tection Netherlands and with overnight stays, field expert Francesca Viridis convention is that several
part of the Dutch Kingdom. the International Union for excursions and workshops of Reef Renewal Bonaire, joint statements, presently
Expertise has been shared, Conservation of Nature in the Washington Slagbaai coral scientist Erik Meesters in draft, will soon be sub-
experiences have been (IUCN-NL), which all pro- National Park specially or- of Wageningen University & mitted to local and Dutch
exchanged and a great tected area management ganized for the younger Research, (citizen) science governments. The state-
deal has been learned organizations and the generation. It was a unique platform Observation.org ments concern the condi-
from each other, fulfilling DCNA board attended. weekend where partici- expert Hans Verdaat and tions that are necessary to
one of the main tasks of the This highlights another main pants experienced and Arjan de Groene of the safeguard nature manage-
Dutch Caribbean Nature task of DCNA: bringing the learned a lot about Bo- World Wildlife Fund in the ment for the future on all six
Alliance: the wide-scale parks into contact with in- naire's nature, corals, birds Netherlands. The knowl- islands.
collaboration to safeguard ternational stakeholders in and plastic pollution, which edge that participating For more information,
nature in the Dutch Carib- the field of nature protec- they will remember for the biologists will take back to please contact DCNA:
bean. This in light of the in- tion and conservation. The rest of their lives. The young their respective islands is (+599) 717-5010 or re-
creasing evidence that the Dutch Caribbean Bird Con- nature ambassadors will invaluable. Additionally, search@dcnanature.org q