Page 22 - AHATA

A16 LOCAL
Thursday 17 OcTOber 2019

The Upcoming Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance Convention to be a Symposium
for and by Nature Experts, Researchers, Managers and the Youth

KRALENDIJK, BONAIRE — The upcoming convention of the Dutch Carib- together at the convention. Thanks to co-financing of the World Wide
bean Nature Alliance (DCNA) will be taking place on Bonaire this year Fund for Nature, Rabobank and STINAPA, a weekend-long program has
and will focus on youth participation, marine park management, coral been organized, with overnight stays, field excursions and workshops in
restoration, research and strategic planning. All six National Park Man- the Washington Slagbaai National Park, especially for the participants. It
agement organizations from the Dutch Caribbean and the key players will be a unique experience where they will have the opportunity to learn
and other local stakeholders are joining forces to jointly enhance stra- about each other's nature and have memorable experiences. They will
tegic nature management policies for the coming years. Attending the complete their program with a presentation. The young nature ambas-
symposium will also be the World Wildlife Fund (WWF-NL), Bird Protection sadors will present their own knowledge and experience and how they
Netherlands, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN- want to initiate further action together with the respective local organi-
NL), the Dutch Organization for Scientific Research (NWO), and coral sci- zations on their home islands.
entists from Wageningen University & Research and Reef Renewal Foun-
dation Bonaire. Also, during the convention youth from the Dutch Carib- Strategic planning
bean islands will be brought together to learn about each other’s nature DCNA’s various partners and other stakeholders in nature management
conservation activities on their respective islands. There is also a public in the Caribbean often have similar goals or goals that are in line with
lecture on coral reefs on October 28 at 7:30 pm at Captain Don’s Hotel, each other. During the various workshops under the theme "strategic
Bonaire planning", the participating organizations will work on concrete work
plans and specific assignment of tasks, thereby optimizing support for fo-
Collaboration is essential cused conservation efforts. WWF-NL, Bird Protection Netherlands, IUCN-
A joint approach to address common conservation challenges across NL and DCNA will all come together in this regard.
all six islands of the Caribbean will greatly benefit nature protection in
the Dutch Kingdom. The park management organizations on all six is- Coral workshops for biologists
lands are much stronger together than individually and several Dutch As part of a soon to be released coral action plan and the coral resto-
organizations indicate needing the parks to achieve their goals and to ration work being done by the six Dutch Caribbean islands, a special
implement joint plans for the enhancement of nature conservation ac- day of lectures, workshops and a field excursion has been compiled for
tivities on all six islands of the Dutch Caribbean. The Dutch Caribbean biologists associated with protected areas in the Dutch Caribbean. In
Nature Alliance (DCNA), together with the invited organizations, aims to addition, the Dutch Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) will be
expand, professionalize and strengthen the expertise that the protected present and will facilitate a workshop on the upcoming call for research
areas in the Dutch Caribbean currently have. It goes without saying that proposals.
even things that go well can and should be better in the perspective of
the serious consequences of climate change. Many issues that all islands Public reading coral reefs
face can better be solved together. Together we can achieve more. For anyone who is interested and committed to the status of the coral
reefs on Bonaire and would like to meet the regional experts in person,
Youth participation there is a public lecture by dr. Erik Meesters of Wageningen University &
Nature management is first and foremost dedicated to the benefit and Research on Monday October 28 from 7:30 PM to 8:30 PM at Captain
the use of natural resources for the future generations. During the up- Don’s hotel, Bonaire.
coming DCNA convention, which will now be organized annually, spe-
cial attention will be paid to the youth nature programs of the six Dutch Four themes, one convention
Caribbean islands. From the youth programs of Fundacion Parke Nacio- The aforementioned four themes form the common thread of the con-
nal Aruba, STINAPA Bonaire, CARMABI on Curaçao, Saba Conservation vention. Together we will make of it a huge success, which will repre-
Foundation, Sint Maarten Nature Foundation and STENAPA on Sint Eusta- sent the starting point of a new phase in nature management in the
tius, four teenagers have been selected per island and will be brought Caribbean.q