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LOCAL Tuesday 1 November 2022

Arno Verhoeven new Executive Director at DCNA

management authorities, sence this alliance is about
DCNA Board members and working together. It’s about
secretariat, Mr Verhoeven how you can cooperate
leads efforts to build ties and share with others, in-
not only within the Dutch stead of thinking about
Caribbean, but regionally yourself first. I believe that
and nationally, developing if you help others to thrive,
strong working relationships you will thrive yourself. What
with the Dutch Ministries makes me proud to serve
and top tier conservation this team is this collective
organizations such as the spirit, where the differences
International Union for the between the islands are
Conservation of Nature, an enrichment and where
Bird Conservation Nether- the similarities easily make
lands and the World Wild- us aware that we are all in
life Fund for Nature. the same boat.” stated Mr
Verhoeven.q
“DCNA is magnificent. In es-

Arno Verhoeven will head Mr Verhoeven grew up groves
the Dutch Caribbean Na- in The Netherlands. After In 2018 he, his wife and two
ture Alliance (DCNA) as of graduating with a ba in daughters finally moved
November 1st. The DCNA marketing and working in from Eindhoven to Bo-
is a regional partnership of Turkey first, he joined his naire, where his mother
protected area manage- parent’s advertising agen- still resided. His concern
ment organizations on the cy as an account man- for nature led him to join
six islands of the Dutch Ca- ager. Quickly followed up the mangrove restoration
ribbean (Aruba, Bonaire, by taking over the family work in Lac, becoming one
Curacao, Saba, St. Eusta- business at the age of 26. it’s core conservationists.
tius and St. Maarten) with For the next 20 years he ex- Since 2021 he is a found-
the mission to safeguard panded the agency to be- ing board member of the
nature in the Dutch Carib- come one of the leading Mangrove Maniacs Foun-
bean. “business to business” dation. This group of mainly
agencies in The Nether- volunteers works hard to
Passion for the Caribbean lands. In 1995 he started preserve and restore the
DCNA’s New Executive one of the first Dutch inter- mangroves on Bonaire and
Director Mr Verhoeven is net service providers, which works together with other
a serial entrepreneur and became a large multime- ngo’s in the region to share
conservationist living on dia agency. In 2014 he knowledge and skills.
Bonaire. His love for Bonaire joined an international big
arose when his parents data company that spe- Safeguarding nature in the
moved to the island almost cialized in social media Dutch Caribbean
30 years ago. Ever since monitoring tools. For the In his new role as Execu-
the island, with its nature, governments on Bonaire tive Director at DCNA Mr
culture and people be- and Curaçao he helped to Verhoeven aims at further
came part his life. Over the develop the first algorithm strengthening the orga-
years he could also clearly that could recognize the nization, improving the
see the rapid changes of Papiamentu and Papia- services and helping the
Bonaire. mento languages. islands to get more aware-
ness to preserve our nature.
Experience & expertise Protecting Bonaire’s man- Supported by island park