An interview with Dr. Sam Williams, director of EchoBonaire.org who is dedicated to preserving the species of Yellow-shouldered Amazon Green Parrots on the caribbean island of Bonaire. His research and foundation helps to protect these parrots from extinction so that future generations will enjoy these birds in the wild.
For more information visit www.echobonaire.org.
Posts tagged ‘bonaire’
Video: Parrot conservation on Bonaire
January 9th, 2012
Internship opportunity: Marine Ecology Expeditions, Bonaire
December 9th, 2011
The Marine Ecology Expeditions (MEE) Caribbean Internship Program is offering 3 – 6 month work experience internships in Bonaire, Dutch Caribbean. The hands-on training in coral reef ecology and conservation will provide work experience that is not available at most universities. The specific skills you learn will depend on ongoing research projects and needs of MEE and its internship partners. Interns gain valuable practical experience while working with MEE and are an integral part of the program by leading high quality expeditions along the coast of Bonaire during the day or night. Examples of skills that might be learned during the internship are prioritizing and scheduling; leading expeditions on coral reefs, mangroves, or seagrasses; fish, algae and invertebrate ID; laboratory skills in feeding ecology; video analysis; nutrient analysis or microbiology; designing and implementing ecological studies; data analysis; report writing; grant writing; public speaking; and assisting with public education and outreach. MEE internships are intense and physically demanding. Many activities are repetitive, and must be done with accuracy and great care to ensure the high quality of the research and public education at MEE. For more information and applications contact coordinator@marinecologyexpeditions.org.
Tropical Kingdom: Bonaire
October 14th, 2011
Bonaire is one of six Dutch Caribbean islands and since 10/10/10, along with Saba and St. Eustatius, is a full municipality of the Netherlands, adding a treasure’s chest of biodiversity to the country. This video explores some of that tremendous nature, the conservation efforts to maintain it and the pressures that threaten it.
Another in the series of nature documentaries produced by the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (see previously Tropical Kingdom: Aruba). The audio is in Dutch, but you can find it with English subtitles here.
Bonaire, Saba and Statia develop five-year nature policy plan
October 14th, 2011
The territories of the Dutch Caribbean recently met to develop a five-year nature policy:
On October 13th the first workshop for the formulation of a Nature Policy Plan for the Dutch Caribbean [was] held in Bonaire. The main stakeholders of Saba, Sint Eustatius and Bonaire in the area of nature conservation and protection [came] together to discuss the structure and content of this policy.
As the basis for the workshop, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation (EL&I) evaluated the nature policy of the Netherlands Antilles of the past ten years. That evaluation is now completed and serves as the basis for establishing the structure of a new nature policy for the Dutch Caribbean for the next five years.
At the … workshop, the rough structure of the policy [was] discussed and developed further. The result will then be further developed in close consultation with all stakeholders into a complete nature policy. The definitive nature policy will then be presented to the Minister of EL&I who is responsible to establish it.
The formulation of a five year nature policy for the Dutch Caribbean is a legal obligation which is based on the Law of Principle of Nature Management and Protection BES. This law requires for the nature policy to contain at least the achievable objectives concerning nature and the landscape. It should also include: the priorities that should be addressed in the field of nature and the landscape; the conservation of values that should be taken into consideration and a list of national parks (both on land and at sea) that consist of nature parks established by Island Ordinance or Ministerial Decree.
(Source.)
[Photo: Dan Hershman]
World Turtle Day
May 23rd, 2011
It’s World Turtle Day (a good excuse to post one of my favourite turtle photos)! Find out more at the ARKive blog and the World Turtle Day Facebook page.
Here are some of the turtle conservation organisations that have been previously featured on Green Antilles: the Sea Turtle Conservancy, the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Network, the Barbados Sea Turtle Project, the Nevis Turtle Group, the Tobago group Save our Sea Turtles, the Dominica Sea Turtle Conservation Organisation, the Anguilla National Trust, Nature Seekers, Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire, the Turks and Caicos Turtle Project, Ocean Spirits in Grenada…
I know there are plenty more that I don’t know about or haven’t mentioned. Please add to the list by leaving a comment (with a link to a relevant website, if possible). Happy Turtle Day!
[Photo: ben matthews]
Study assesses Bonaire’s reef resilience, flags potential threats
April 28th, 2011
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) recently published a report on coral reef resilience in Bonaire:
[The report] includes results on resilience indicators, benthic cover, coral population structure, algae populations and fish community structure which can determine how the coral reefs respond to climate change threats. The aim of the study is to provide information on how to incorporate resilience information and climate change responses into the Marine Protected Area (MPA) design and management, especially given the recent bleaching event that occurred in 2010-2011.
Bonaire’s coral reefs remain among the healthiest and most resilient in the Caribbean. However, the IUCN study highlights that they are threatened by coastal development and artificial beaches, sewage leaching from septic tanks, increasing populations of damselfish that destroy coral, as well as animals and algae such as the Trididemnum and the Lobophora that grow over and out-compete corals. The study argues that these threats could have serious implications for resilience to future climate change and other threats.
Read more in this IUCN news release.
You can download the report from the IUCN website: Coral Reef Resilience Assessment of the Bonaire National Marine Park, Netherlands Antilles.
Previously on Green Antilles: Researching Bonaire’s Reefs.
[Photo: Gabriel Grimsditch via IUCN]
Caribbean territories represented at European Union climate change workshop
April 15th, 2011
Several Caribbean territories were represented at a recent European Union climate change workshop:
The “Islands and Adapting to Climate Change” workshop … was geared towards small islands, addressed challenges and applicable tools that overseas territories can implement to manage climate change adaptation initiatives and strategies.
In attendance were representatives from The Cayman Islands, Aruba, Bonaire, Curaco, St. Eustatius, St. Maarten, Wallis & Futuna, Fresh Polynesia, New Caledonia, St. Pierre ET Miquelon, the Falkland Islands and Greenland.
Also in attendance were representatives from the European Commission, the Overseas Countries and Territories Association, (OCTA) the United Kingdom´s Department of International Development (DFID) and the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC).
In an update to the Department of Information and Public Relations on her return to office last week, [the British Virgin Islands] Climate Change Coordinator, Ms. Angela Burnett Penn, highlighted some major items discussed.
“Overseas Countries and Territories are among the most vulnerable to climate change impacts. The Caribbean overseas territories (OT) of the UK are currently working on a joint climate change declaration to push our agenda,” Burnett Penn reported.
She added that, “Workshop participants agreed that a priority for OTs is the development of a common adaptation strategy on climate change. This would encompass three central pillars which are sustained financing, a local and EU level political strategy and local capacity building.”
For more information read the full article from BVI Platinum News.
[Photo: Anthony V.]
Using GIS to map nature in the Dutch Caribbean
April 12th, 2011
In their latest blog post the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA) explains some of their recent conservation work, monitoring and mapping flora and fauna in Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, St. Eustatius and St. Maarten:
Protecting this paradise is the goal of the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA), a partnership organization made up of the islands’ protected area managers. DCNA works to ensure the islands preserve their unique natural world through focused management. Effective conservation requires exceptional management, and exceptional management requires objective, reliable data that can be used to measure progress and make critical decisions.
“A Geographic Information System (GIS) is one tool that will contribute to us achieving our mission of safeguarding nature in the Dutch Caribbean,” said Nathaniel Miller, DCNA’s Conservation Projects Assistant.
In addition to working to build a trust fund that will sustain at least one land and one marine park on each Dutch Caribbean island, DCNA is developing a regional approach to conservation and has embarked on multiyear initiatives to standardize management plans, evaluate conservation success, and monitor biodiversity and key habitats.
Through ESRI’s Grant Assistance Program, each protected area management organization on each island and DCNA are benefiting from ArcInfo GIS licenses.
“DCNA is working to help the protected area managers use GIS and ArcInfo software to collect data on environmental threats, key species, vegetation, visitor resources, and other information that will aid in all aspects of management,” said Kalli De Meyer, Executive Director. “Partnering with the ESRI office based in Curacao, DCNA is training protected area staff not only on how to use and understand GIS, but also how to apply these skills to their day-to-day work.” Assessments of protected area management over the last three years have shown gaps between protected area needs and how resources are allocated.
“One of our first GIS goals,” Miller said, “is to enable park management staff to map their protected area threats and resources and then overlay where and how they are expending their resources. This data visualization will give us a fresh perspective on the biodiversity we are protecting and allow us to be more efficient in the work we are doing to ensure its vitality.“
Read more about the DCNA’s work to map nature in the Dutch Caribbean at their blog.
The DCNA was recently mentioned in this post on Green Antilles: Suriname Conservation Foundation and Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance provide good practice examples of conservation trust funding.
[Image: via the DCNA]
Suriname Conservation Foundation and Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance provide good practice examples of conservation trust funding
April 8th, 2011
A recently published study about the long term benefits of permanent conservation endowments includes case studies and examples of best practice from Suriname and the Dutch Caribbean. I’ve embedded the full paper below, and here’s one of the relevant excerpts:
A remarkable thing has occurred with most of the Conservation Trust Funds we have observed. Each has attracted substantial additional funding from new partners.
In Suriname, the Suriname Conservation Foundation (SCF) has attracted multiple corporate grants to enhance conservation efforts around the country. SCF has also attracted several million dollars in grants from a Private U.S. Foundation to do scientific research in unmapped areas of the Amazon rainforest of Suriname.
Conservation Trust Funds offer an important vehicle through which donors can channel funds or through which ecosystem payment
programs or corporate payments can be organized to ensure effective and transparent management of resource flows.The Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA), based in Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles, was founded by grants from the Dutch Government. Only a few years old, it has been recognized for its capable administration and capacity to deliver results. The Dutch Postal Lottery, a beneficial state agency, has added a $500,000 Euro commitment each year for five years to help expand their conservation impact of DCNA in the six Caribbean islands.
Find out more about the organisations in question at their websites/Facebook pages: the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance and the Suriname Conservation Foundation.
Vacancy: Faculty position, CIEE Tropical Marine Ecology and Conservation Programme, Bonaire
April 7th, 2011
There is a vacant faculty position at the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) Research Station in Bonaire:
The CIEE Tropical Marine Ecology and Conservation Program in Bonaire (Dutch Caribbean), a study abroad program for upper level, undergraduate students, is hiring a full time faculty for a 1 year period (31 July 2011 – 31 July 2012) to teach Tropical Marine Conservation Biology and co-teach Independent Research during the fall and spring semester programs.
During summer sessions, the faculty will co-teach Marine Ecology Field Research Methods, Advanced SCUBA and Tropical Ecology of the Southern Caribbean.
In addition to teaching, duties include participating in CIEE’s long-term monitoring project and assisting with program logistics. The faculty is part of a field science program that employs shore diving to demonstrate theoretical principles in the field, which is physically demanding.
Qualifications include: a PhD in Biology (or related field) or equivalent experience; scientific diving experience; comprehensive dive physical (AAUS); broad field experience in marine ecology and excellent analytical skills; field experience in coral reef ecology in the Caribbean ideal; demonstrated ability to work as a team member; a commitment to education and research in marine ecology and conservation; an eagerness to work closely with students; an appreciation for field-based education; current certifications in First Aid, CPR, DAN Oxygen Rescue; DAN dive insurance; a driver’s license and the ability to drive a standard vehicle.
See the full vacancy notice for details of how to apply. The deadline for applications in April 22, 2011.
