p-1 news - dcna | safeguarding nature in the dutch · pdf filep-1 we can already report some...

P-1

We can already report some interesting findings on the most abundant species and seasonality. Car-ibbean reef sharks are by far the most abundant shark species in the waters of all three islands, with nurse sharks the second most abundant (see table below). As the sharks are not tagged, it is impos-sible to tell how many individuals are re-counted, nonetheless these numbers give us a good indica-

Welcome to BioNews

BioNews is a monthly

newsletter featuring recent

biodiversity research and

monitoring on and around

the six islands of the Dutch

Caribbean. BioNews also

provides an overview of

recent publications, current

research and monitoring

activities, and upcoming

events.

For any questions or

feedback, or if you would

like to make a contribution,

please contact us at

[email protected]

25Bringing you the latest in research and monitoring

news from the Dutch CaribbeanBioNews

We have much to report on in this month’s edition of BioNews, from bird and shark monitoring activities to a look at the effect of lionfish culling on local reef fish populations. Protected area management organizations and conservation organizations on our islands never stop working to protect the region’s spectacu-lar biodiversity, and we never get tired of sharing their projects and accomplishments.

Lionfish have become a key con-cern for marine park managers

since they first reached Bonaire in 2009, and we here examine the efficiency of current culling activities in controlling lionfish populations within our waters as well as in other parts of the Carib-bean region. All Dutch Caribbean islands have bird monitoring pro-jects. In this issue we bring you an update on Curaçao where the island’s most important aquatic areas are being monitored to help understand their impor-tance for migrating and resident waterbirds.

DCNA’s Save our Sharks cam-paign launched last year and has really helped focus conservation activities on local shark popula-tions, and we here provide you with both an update on shark sightings around the SSS islands as well as the upcoming Shark Week. We leave you with a report of the 68th annual Gulf and Car-ibbean Fisheries Institute (GCFI) meeting in Panama last Novem-ber, which was attended by a Dutch Caribbean Delegation.

DCNA Team

Editor’s Notes

Dutch Caribbean Nature AllianceSafeguarding nature in the Dutch Caribbean

This IssueShark sightings around the SSS islands

68th GCFI meeting in PanamaLionfish management in the Dutch Caribbean

Waterbird monitoring on CuraçaoResearch Overview

Long term Projects overviewMonitoring overview

Reports and publicationsCalendar

13489

10121415

Photo credit: Jim Abernethy

Shark sightings around the SSS IslandsShark sightings around the SSS islands (Saba, St. Eustatius and St. Maarten) are currently being recorded to provide information on the occur-rence of shark species known to be present, as well as their relative and seasonal abundance. The data, collected during organized dives, is then entered into the Dutch Caribbean Biodiver-sity Database where it is processed into indica-tors (www.dcbd.nl).


ISSUEMAY2016

Shark monitoring around St. Maarten. Photo credit: Melanie Meijer zu Schlochtern

BioNews Issue 25 P-2

tion of what the islands’ shark population looks like. Saba appears to have the highest diversity of shark species, with a few blacktip reef sharks and ham-merheads recorded, but this may be due to the fact that data was collected over a much longer period of time. Saba is the only island so far where seasonal abundance can be measured as the island has 4 years worth of data. It appears that for both Carib-bean reef sharks and nurse sharks there is a peak in abundance around October/November, although in 2015 the peak actually took place in July and August.

Sharks are currently a focal point of conservation efforts within the Dutch Caribbean thanks to the Save Our Sharks campaign launched by the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA) in 2015 and gen-erously funded by the Dutch National Postcode Lottery. This 3-year campaign has three main goals, explains Kalli De Meyer, DCNA’s Executive Director: “First, we want to create more support for shark con-servation by increasing outreach and education to the local community, especially schools, fishermen and div-ing schools; second, we are looking to increase knowl-

edge of these incredible predators within our region by conducting more research; and third, we are focusing on legislation to ensure sharks cannot be fished and have safe sanctuaries.” In fact, June 15th marked a huge success for the Save Our Sharks campaign as St. Maarten announced its First Shark Sanctuary. From June 19th to 26th, Shark Week is celebrated on all five Dutch Caribbean islands as well as in the Netherlands as part of the Save Our Sharks cam-paign. Shark Week is a week that focuses on teach-ing each island’s community about its shark popu-lation and why it is so important to protect it. This year, Shark Week organizers on all Dutch Caribbean Islands have announced many fantastic events and activities such as games and crafts for kids, shark conservation movies and documentaries, shark trivia quizzes, shark art competitions, presentations and school visits by sharks experts, underwater shark photo competitions and even an island wide shark treasure hunt. We’re looking forward to shar-ing some stories from Shark Week with you in next month’s BioNews edition!

Continued: Shark sightings around the SSS Islands

Great hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran)Photo credit: Jim Abernethy

Would you like to

share a news item?

Please e-mail us:

[email protected]

Island / period Caribbeanreef shark Nurse shark Blacktip

reef shark Hammerhead

Saba (April 2012 to May 2015) 1969 1180 22 5

St. Eustatius (April 2016 and May 2016) 125 66 5 0

St. Maarten (Feb. 2016 to April 2016) 255 46 0 0

Data collected by Sea Saba (Saba), Golden Rock and SCUBAQUA (St. Eustatius); St. Maarten Nature Foundation (St. Maarten), IMARES (Dr. Martin de Graaf)


GCFI was founded in 1947 to pro-mote the exchange of current information on the use and man-agement of marine resources in the Gulf and Caribbean region. The theme of the November 2015 conference was “Two Oceans…Same Coastal Issues”, and marked the first time that counterparts from the tropical eastern Pacific were invited to join the Institute’s annual meeting. The goal here was to optimize experiences and lessons learned for all involved by sharing issues, challenges and opportunities from both areas.

During the conference, represen-tatives of the Dutch Caribbean Delegation took part in a vari-ety of forums, presentations and workshops that aimed to enhance fisheries conservation and the safeguard of marine resources, including the conservation and management of Caribbean sharks and rays. “The 68th GCFI meeting was a great forum to exchange ideas and learn about how to better

conserve and manage our marine resources in our region”, reported Tadzio Bervoets from Nature Foundation.

Dutch Caribbean representatives attended the lionfish manage-ment workshop, which was built in close conjunction with the Lionfish Science Symposium and was sponsored by SPAW RAC and UNEP. Lessons learnt, successful local and national strategies as well as best management tools were shared between fishermen, resource managers and decision makers on topics such as the con-trol of deep populations and spe-cific management in Marine Pro-tected Areas and No-Take zones.

The conference ended on a high note for the Dutch Caribbean Del-egation, with the documentary “Sharks Demystified: Saba, Sta-tia and St. Maarten” winning the award for best Documentary Film at the Conference’s CINEFISH film festival. The film is a locally pro-

duced film about the conserva-tion of sharks on the three sister islands narrated by Nature Foun-dation Manager Tadzio Bervoets.

68th annual Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute (GCFI) meeting, PanamaLast November (Nov. 9th to Nov.15th), a Dutch Caribbean Delegation attended the 68th annual Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute (GCFI) meeting in Panama City. The Delegation was comprised of representatives from the Nature Foundation (Tadzio Bervoets), STINAPA Bonaire, CARMABI, the Saba Conservation Foundation, the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs (Pieter van Baren), the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (Ron van de Veer, DCNA Board Member) and representatives from the commercial fisheries community.

Tazdio Bervoets (Manager Nature Foun-dation St. Maarten) proudly showing the award for the best Documentary Film at the CINEFISH film festival that their doc-umentary “Sharks Demystified: Saba, Statia and St. Maarten” won.Photo credit: St. Maarten Nature Foundation

“The 68th GCFI meeting was a great forum to exchange ideas and learn about how to better conserve and manage our marine resources in our region”


Lionfish Culling:the Solution to Managing Lionfish Populations in the Dutch Caribbean?

One of the most talked about fish in the Caribbean Region is an exotic looking fish with eye-catching

stripes and remarkable feathery pectoral fins: the lionfish (Pterois sp.). This fish, however, has not

been a topic of discussion for its appearance but for how quickly it has invaded Caribbean waters and

for the fear it has instilled in many: fear of its venomous spines, fear of its negative impacts on reef

communities and fear that its population cannot be controlled. Containing the population of lionfish

has become a fundamental objective for marine protected areas in the Caribbean, including within

our Dutch Caribbean Islands.

Photo credit: Cassandra Benkwitt


Would you like to

share a news item?

Please e-mail us:

[email protected] Worrisome InvaderSeveral aspects of the lionfish’s ecology shed light onto why the lionfish is a quick, prolific invader that swiftly alters the reef. Indeed, the presence of lionfish has been found to greatly decrease species richness and density of prey-sized native reef fish (2, 6). Lionfish reproduce often and year-round, with females releasing up to 30,000 eggs every four days. They also consume a lot of prey, some up to half their own body size. In a 2012 study, Cure et al. discov-ered that invasive lionfish not only have a broader diet than in their native Indo-Pacific waters but also ingestgreater daily rations of prey biomass (14).

Research by Kindinger (2015) and Anton et al. (2016) on how native fish respond to lionfish has revealed that some reef fishes do not appear to recognize invading lionfish as a threat (5,22). However, this does not appear to be the case for all reef fish. A study carried out by Black et al. in Jamaica found that beaugregory damselfish exhibited increased hiding behavior in the presence of lionfish, but they did not change their courtship behavior (12).

A key issue is that many of the lionfish’sprey spe-cies have some important commercial or/and eco-logical value.The top five teleost families in the diet of lionfish on Bonaire, Klein Bonaire and Curaçao were found to be Pomacentridae, Gobiidae, Labri-dae, Apogonidae and Grammatidae, which all play important roles within the reef (3). When compar-ing behavior of lionfish (Pterois volitans) on native Pacific versus invaded Atlantic reefs, Cure et al. only observed lionfish consuming parrotfishes in the invaded range (14), which is alarming because par-rotfishes help maintain coral reef health by consum-ing marine algae.

There have been some encouraging accounts of predation on lionfish by native species. For exam-ple, fishermen on the Saba Bank have since 2013 reported caught blackfin snappers with lionfish in their stomach. The accounts however remain too few to make a dent in the lionfish population.

Managing Lionfish Populations through Culling within the Dutch Caribbean….Managers of marine parks within the Dutch Carib-bean have developed island-specific Lionfish Response Plans since the first arrival of lionfish in Bonaire in 2009. These Response Plans serve as a reference for the control and management of this invasive species. Control efforts have so far largely focused on lionfish removal programs paired with research on lionfish ecology. This research is critical to assess the impacts these fish are having on reef

communities and how these impacts can be mini-mized. Since 2009, biologist Fadilah Aliin collabora-tion with CIEE Research Station Bonaire, STINAPA Bonaire, dive shop GOOODIVE Bonaire and volun-teer lionfish hunters has preserved and analyzed thousands of caught lionfish for studies on feeding ecology, growth dynamics and parasite ecology (3,10).

The Bonaire National Marine Park was the first within the Dutch Caribbean to introduce a lionfish removal program based on volunteers. Nowadays, more than 300 local volunteers have been trained on how to remove lionfish using an ELF (Eradicate Lion Fish) Tool - a special type of spear- and many dive cen-ters offer training courses on lionfish hunting (10). A similar volunteer-based culling program was begun in Curaçao in 2011 (16). In St. Eustatius, marine park staff focuses lionfish removal efforts mainly on the Southern Marine Reserve, where most dive sites are located (20). Culling is also done in the general use area where several wrecks are located and at specific sites in the northern reserve.

Lionfish derbies have become a popular way to involve the public in culling efforts. Participants typi-cally win prizes for the most and the largest or heavi-est lionfish caught. St. Maarten Nature Foundation has been organizing a lionfish derby each September since 2012. Lionfish are also promoted as a delicious food source, and are often offered in local restau-rants. On Bonaire, eight restaurants now offer lion-fish on the menu, and much of the lionfish caught by volunteers is taken home to eat. In St. Eustatius, STENAPA organized their second annual Lionfish Fry on March 24th of this year that included dissection demonstrations and samples of the fish to try.

Recent evaluations of the impact of lionfish removal programs have revealed that, so far, these programs are successfully reducing lionfish populations on our

Group of lionfish hunters from Bonaire on one of the final removal dives at Klein Bonaire. Photo credit: Fadilah Ali


reefs.In 2013, De León et al. looked at differences in reef fish density and biomass between areas where lionfish had and hadn’t been removed in both Bonaire and Curaçao (16). Lionfish biomass in fished locations on Bonaire was 2.76 times lower than in unfished areas and 4.14 times lower than on Cura-çao where no removal program had begun at the time of this study. These results highlight the need to start lionfish removal efforts as soon as possible and to continue these efforts relentlessly. Around St. Eustatius, Sanguinet reports that the culling program has been fairly efficient in minimizing the well-estab-lished lionfish population, with marine park staff killing more than 50% of lionfish observed annually since 2012 in the Southern Marine Reserve (23).

…. and throughout the entire Caribbean RegionThe efficiency of lionfish culling has also been highlighted by several studies in other parts of the Caribbean Region. Off Little Cayman Island, Frazer et al. reported smaller lionfish that consume less prey as a direct result of repeated and targeted cull-ing efforts (18). On Bahamian patch reefs, Green et al. found that small native fish biomass increased by 50 to 70% on reefs where lionfish were kept below reef-specific threshold densities, but declined by more than 50% on reefs where lionfish exceeded threshold densities (19). While removal programs have shown some success, it is important to con-sider that reef health may be an important factor in minimizing lionfish impact on native species rich-ness and density. Elise et al. highlight this point in their study of lionfish impact on the reefs of a Ven-ezuelan marine protected area (17).

Removal program efforts can also have important ben-efits beyond lowering lionfish numbers and reducing their effects on coral reef fishes. For example, removals may also reduce the foraging movements of lionfish across multiple habitats, notably seagrass beds team-ing with juvenile reef fish. Recent research carried out by Benkwitt (8) in The Bahamas revealed that at higher abundances, lionfish make more movements away from patch reefs, perhaps because they more quickly deplete their food supply on reefs. Lionfish then cause large reductions in native fish populations in the sur-rounding habitats, including important nursery areas for juvenile fishes (9). Keeping lionfish abundances low may therefore “reduce the local foraging range of lionfish and help maintain fish populations across multiple habitats” (Benkwitt).

Is Culling a Realistic Long-term Solution?Concerns are now being raised about the true effec-tiveness of culling programs in containing the spread of lionfish populations and reducing their overall numbers. Removal programs have so far primarily focused on shallow reef areas. Constant recruitment from areas where lionfish are not being culled, nota-bly remote areas or areas at depths beyond safe div-ing limits, means that lionfish populations are or will eventually be replenished. St. Maarten Nature Foun-dation and Substation Curaçao recorded lionfish up to a depth of 244 meters during a recent expedition in Dominica. The transport of lionfish eggs by ocean currents is of special concern and highlights the need for cooperation between all affected countries.

There have been some reports of changes in lionfish behavior as a direct result of culling. Côté et al. found that the repeated culling by spearing on coral reef patches in the Bahamas led to lionfish that were less active, hid deeper within the reef and were more cautious of approaching divers that in non-culled areas (15). These findings, if also true for the reefs of our islands, have huge implications for the future of culling initiatives as they imply that lionfish may become harder to remove.

While the long-term goal of lionfish culling is to provide native species with the chance to adapt to the presence of lionfish on a timescale that does not threaten their local extinction, a small group of stakeholders is said to question culling due to issues of safety, effectiveness, and morality of the practice. In her 2015 study of the different stances of different MPA stakeholders towards lionfish culling (most respondents were located within the Dutch Caribbean), Carballo-Cárdenas reported that 20% of respondents (all professional divers) were against the concept of killing lionfish, with some expressing that reef ecosystems will eventually regain equilib-rium without man’s help (13).


References

1. Adkins, L. (2010) Lionfish must be culled to prevent major reef impacts. Scuba Diving Magazine, May 2010.

2. Albins, M.A. (2015) Invasive Pacific lionfish Pterois-volitans reduce abundance and species richness of native Bahamian coral-reef fishes. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 522:231-243

3. Ali, F., (2015) A comparison of the feeding ecol-ogy of lionfish in Bonaire, Klein Bonaire & Cura-cao, Proceedings of the 68th Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute

4. Anderson, L.; Akins, J.L.; Lozano, R.G.; Buddo, D.; Garcia-Moliner, G.; Gourdin, F.; Laurent, M.; Mor-ris, J.; Ramnanan, N.; Torres, R.; Lilyestrom, C. (2013) Regional Strategy for the Control of Invasive Lionfish in the Wider Caribbean. International Cor-al Reef Initiative, 23 pp.

5. Anton A, Cure K, Layman CA, Puntila R, Simpson MS, Bruno JF. Prey naiveté to invasive lionfish Pterois volitans on Caribbean coral reefs. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 544:257-269

6. Benkwitt, C.E. 2015. Non-linear effects of invasive lionfish density on native coral-reef fish. communi-ties. Biol Invasions (2015) 17:1383–1395

7. Benkwitt, C.E. and Hixon, M.A. 2015.A coral-reef fish alters recruitment in response to native but not invasive predator. Presented at the 100th ESA An-nual Meeting.

8. Benkwitt, C.E. In press. Invasive lionfish increase activity and foraging movements at greater local densities. Mar Ecol Prog Ser.

9. Benkwitt, C.E. In press. Central-place foraging and ecological effects of an invasive predator across multiple habitats. Ecology.

10. Bertuol, P. (2015). Using the Dive Industry as a Tool for Successful Lionfish Management in Bonaire Na-tional Marine Park. STINAPA Bonaire, presentation at the 68th GCFI Conference in Panama

11. Bervoets, T. (2010) St. Maarten Nature Foundation Lionfish Response Plan. Nature Foundation St. Maarten, 30pp.

12. Black, A.N.; Weimann, S.R; Imhoff, V.E.; Richter, M.L; Itzkowitz, M. (2014) A differential prey response to invasive lionfish, Pteroisvolitans: Prey naiveté and risk-sensitive courtship. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 460, 1–7

13. Carballo-Cárdenas, E. C. (2015) Controversies and consensus on the lionfish invasion in the Western Atlantic Ocean. Ecology and Society 20(3): 24

14. Cure, K., Benkwitt, C.E., Kindinger, T.L., Pickering, E.A., Pusack, T.J., McIlwain, J.L., Hixon, M.A. 2012. Comparative behavior of red lionfish Pteroisvoli-tans on native Pacific versus invaded Atlantic coral reefs. Mar EcolProgSer 467:181-192

15. Côté, I.M.; Darling, E.S.; Malpica-Cruz, L.; Smith, N.S.; Green S.J.; et al. (2014) What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Wary? Effect of Repeated Culling on the Behaviour of an Invasive Predator.PLoS ONE 9(4)

16. de León, R.; Vane, K.; Bertuol, P; Chamberland, V.C. (2013) Effectiveness of lionfish removal efforts in thesouthern Caribbean. Endang Species Res, Vol. 22, 175-182

17. Elise, S.; Urbina-Barreto, I.; Boadas-Gil, H.; Galindo-Vivas, M., Kulbicki, M. (2015) No detectable effect of lionfish (Pteroisvolitans and P. miles) invasion on a healthy reef fish assemblage in Archipelago Los Roques National Park, Venezuela. Mar Biol, 162(2), 319-330

18. Frazer, T.K.; Jacoby, C.A.; Edwards, M.A; Barry, S.C.; Manfrino, C.M. (2012) Coping with the Lionfish In-vasion: Can Targeted Removals Yield Beneficial Ef-fects? Reviews in Fisheries Science, 20:4, 185-191

19. Green, S.J.; Dulvy, N.K., Brooks, A.L.; Akins, J.L.; Cooper, A.B.; Miller, S.; Côte´, I.M. (2014). Linking removal targets to the ecological effects of invad-ers: a predictive model and field test. Ecological Applications, 24: 1311-1322

20. Hackerott, S., Valdivia, A., Green, S.J., Côté, I.M., Cox, C.E., Akins, L., et al. (2013) Native Predators Do Not Influence Invasion Success of Pacific Lionfish on Caribbean Reefs. PLoS ONE 8(7)

21. Johnston, M.W.; Purkis, S.J. (2015) A coordinated and sustained international strategy is required to turn the tide on the Atlantic lionfish invasion. MEPS Vol. 533.

22. Kindinger, T.L. 2015. Behavioral response of native Atlantic territorial three spot damselfish (Stegastes-planifrons) toward invasive Pacific red lionfish (Pteroisvolitans). Environ Biol Fish, Vol.98:2, pp. 487-498.

23. Sanguinet, M. (2015) The lionfish culling program in Sint Eustatius island, Dutch Caribbean: effec-tiveness and knowledge contribution. Internship Report, Sint Eustatius National Park (STENAPA), Feb-Aug 2015

Parting ThoughtsCulling lionfish within the Dutch Caribbean has proven to be an effective way to control the popula-tion of this invasive species, with the added bonus of them being quite delicious to eat. But many ques-tions remain unanswered concerning the success of removal programs in the long-term. If/when the lionfish population has stabilized at a level that does not cause significant negative impact to reef com-munities, can lionfish culling be stopped without the risk of the population being replenished from

other areas? If lionfish populations remain well established, will culling programs be necessary until the ecosystem eventually adapts? How long will that take? And what kind of damage will the reef suffer? As Lad Akins in Scuba Diving Magazine explains, what we cannot yet predict is “how effective we can be in controlling lionfish populations and minimiz-ing impacts in the long-term, or how many lionfish a reef can sustainably support” (1). Thankfully, there are many ongoing and planned lionfish research projects on our islands.


Members of theDutch Caribbean Nature Alliance

ArubaFundacion ParkeNacional Arikok

tel: +297-585-1234www.arubanationalpark.org

BonaireSTINAPA Bonaire

tel: +599-717-8444www.stinapa.org

CuraçaoCARMABI

tel: +599-9-462-4242www.carmabi.org

CuraçaoStichting Uniek Curaçao

tel: +599-9-462-8989www.uniekcuracao.org

BonaireSTCB

tel: +599-717-2225www.bonaireturtles.org

Waterbird monitoring in CuraçaoBy John de Freitas, CARMABI Curaçao

Following the Caribbean Waterbird Census Monitoring Training workshop given by Lisa Sorenson (BirdsCaribbean) and Jeff Gerbracht (Cornell) at Carmabi in January 2015 and spon-sored by DCNA, we set up a group whose goal was to monitor some of the most important aquatic areas on Curaçao.

The group consisted of volunteers (mostly retired school teachers) and a few (retired) biologists. The group originally consisted of the following people: Ans Bronneberg, Odette Doest, Robyn Fidanque, John de Freitas , Elizabeth van de Kar, Clifford de Lannoy, Jeltje Maduro, Eric Newton, Anna Rojer, and Marijn Tijdens. Shortly after the onset of the activi-ties we decided to split the original group into two groups: one would monitor the aquatic areas in the eastern part of the island while the other group would monitor the aquatic areas in the suburbs west of Willemstad.

In the eastern section of the island, the Jan Thiel saliña has so far been the most surveyed with a total of eight different locations visited around the salt

marsh. The fresh water ponds of Klein Kwartier and the sewage water treatment plant of Seru Lora were also visited once. For the visit of the latter two sites permission was obtained from the government.

In the western section of the island, the following saliñas and fresh water areas were monitored: St. Michiel saliña, Jan Kok saliña, fresh water ponds of Blue Bay golf course, sewage water treatment of Klein Hofje and freshwater dam of Malpais.

Some of the data collected during these monitor-ing activities has already been entered into the eBird Caribbean database, and the remaining data will soon be added. The goal of these monitor-ing efforts is to learn more about the importance of local aquatic areas for migrating and resident waterbirds, as a number of these birds are also of international conservation concern and appear on e.g. an appendix of the SPAW protocol, the U.S. Endangered Species Act list or listed on the National Audubon Society/American Bird Conser-vancy’s Watch list or the U.S. Fish and Wilflife Ser-vice’s Birds of Conservation Concern.

White-cheeked Pintails (Anas bahamensis) and a few female Blue-winged Teals (Anas discors) at freshwater pond at Klein Kwartier. Photo credit: Carel de Haseth

Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) at salina of Jan Thiel.Photo credit: Robyn Fidanque

Participants of DCNA-sponsored waterbird monitoring work-shop during fieldtrip at salina of Jan Thiel. Participants from all six Dutch Caribbean islands participated in the workshop. Photo credit: John de Freitas


Below you will find an overview of the research projects for which fieldwork took place on the islands of the

Dutch Caribbean.

Category Subject Islands Organization(s):Lead scientist(s)

Amphinomida Fluorescence on the marine fireworm Hermodice carunculata BON CIEE:Enrique Arboleda

BirdsSuitability study and reforestation of exclosures facilitating the Yellow-shouldered Amazon Parrots (Amazona barbadensis) on Bonaire.

BON Echo: Lauren Schmaltz

Cnidaria Cubozoans of Bonaire BON CIEE: Rita Peachey, Austin Lin

Coral Reefecosystems

Comparing reef fish survey techniques between UVC and sDOV EUXIMARES: Martin de GraafSTENAPA, Min EZ, CNSI

Coral Reefecosystems

Coral reef mapping using hyperspectral imagery (BO-11-019.02-022)

BONAlterra: Sander MücherIMARES: Erik Meesters

Economics of ecosystems

The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) on Aruba AUA

Wolfs Company: Esther WolfsVU University Amsterdam: Pieter van BeukeringYABI consultancy: Francielle Laclé

Environmental Environmental DNA (eDNA)

CIEE: Rita Peachey,Dr. Enrique Arboleda Indiana University: Stephen Glaholt

Invasive species Research into mitigation measures for Sargassum Seaweed SXMNFSXM: Tadzio Bervoets Government of St. Maarten

Invasive speciesInvasive seagrass-sea turtle interactions (*Part of NWO project: Ecology and conservation of green and hawksbill turtles in the Dutch Caribbean)

BONSTCB: Mabel Nava RuG: Marjolijn Christianen, WUR: Lisa Becking

Invasive species The effect of goats on soil erosion, in Bonairean Scrublands - WSNP BONWUR: Asha VergeerSTINAPA: Paulo Bertuol

Invasive species Lionfish ecology CURDC: Amelia Ritger CARMABI

ManagementA policy assessment on pest management in Washington Slagbaai National Park.

BONWUR: Nikkie van GrinsvenSTINAPA: Paulo Bertuol

MammalsSpatial and temporal distribution of whales (acoustic loggers Saba Bank)

SABIMARES: Dick de Haan Min. EZ: Paul Hoetjes SCF, NFSXM, CNSI

Plants Germination of seeds of indigenous trees of Curaçao CUR CARMABI: John de Freitas

Pants Testing effective ways to grow native plants BONEcho: Nathan Schmaltz, Johan van Blerk, Maddi Lattimore

ReptilesSea turtle conservation in spite of climate change (*Part of NWO project: Ecology and conservation of green and hawksbill turtles in the Dutch Caribbean)

BONSTCB: Mabel Nava RuG: Marjolijn Christianen WUR: Lisa Becking

Zooplankton Zooplankton Response to UV light BONCIEE:Rita Peachey, Sara Buckley, Austin Lin

Research Overview Members of theDutch CaribbeanNature Alliance

SabaSaba Conservation Foundation

tel: +599-416-3295www.sabapark.org

St. EustatiusSTENAPA

tel: +599-318-2884www.statiapark.org

St. MaartenNature Foundation tel: +721-544-4267

www.naturefoundationsxm.org

St. MaartenEmilio Wilson Estate FDN

tel: +1-721-524-1516www.sxmconservation-foundations.org/ewef

BonaireEcho

tel. +599-701-1188www.echobonaire.org

SABA CONSERVATIO

N

FOUNDATION


Don’t see your research

program on the list or

incorrect information?

Please e-mail us:

[email protected]

Long Term Projects

Category Subject Island Organization(s):Lead scientist(s)

Coral Reef Ecosystems

Deep Reef Observation Project (DROP) (ARMS: Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures) CUR Smithsonian: Carole Baldwin


Restoration Ecosystem Services and Coral Reef Quality (Project RESQ) BON

IMARES: Erik MeestersNFSXMSTENAPASCFTurks & Caicos Reef Fund


Environmental factors driving recruitment success in Caribbean corals CUR

UvA: Valerie Chamberland (PhD Student) CARMABI SECORE Foundation


Development of restoration methods for threatened Caribbean coral species BON, CUR, SAB

CRF Bonaire: Augusto Montbrun, Francesca Virdis SECORE Project CARMABI: Mark Vermeij UvA: Valerie Chamberland (PhD student) SCF, Sea Saba, Samford University: Jennifer Rahn


Dissolved Organic Matter released by macroalgae as a pos-sible food source of bioeroding sponges BON, CUR

NIOZ: Benjamin Müller, Fleur van Duyl CARMABI FORCE Project

Coral Reef Ecosystems Bioersion of reefs by coral-excavating sponges BON,CUR, SAB,

EUX

NIOZ: Fleur van Duyl IMARES: Erik Meesters, Didier de Bakker (PhD student)


Developing a plan to manage the waters around Curaçao sustainably, profitably, and enjoyably for this and future generations

CUR Waitt Institute (Blue Halo Curaçao)

Database Dutch Caribbean Species Catalog: Taxonomic knowledge system Dutch Caribbean

AUA, BON, CUR, SAB, EUX, SXM

Naturalis: Sander Pieterse & Berry van der Hoorn

EnvironmentalZero nutrient discharge of domestic waste (water) nutrients and total reuse of nutrients in agriculture and aquaculture in Caribbean Islands (TripleP@Sea Program)

EUX WUR: Grietje Zeeman, Marc SpillerCNSI

Environmental Sustainable ecosystem management and use by marine com-munities in two exemplary regions (TripleP@Sea Program) BON, EUX

WUR: Linde van Bets (PhD student); Arthur Mol, Jan van Tatenhove; Machiel Lamers IMARES: Han LindeboomCNSI

Environmental Effects of dispersants on the fate of oil in realistic conditions (C-IMAGE consortium, TripleP@Sea Program) EUX

WUR: Tinka Murk, Marieke Zeinstra-Helfrich (PhD student)CNSI

EnvironmentalEcotoxicological aspects of rational application of chemicals in response to oil spills to reduce environmental damage (C-IMAGE consortium, TripleP@Sea Program)

EUXWUR: Tinka Murk, Justine van Eenennaam (PhD student)CNSI

Environmental

Ecotoxicological aspects of rational application of chemicals in response to oil spills to reduce environmental damage Development of an area specific net environmental and eco-nomic benefit analysis (NEEBA) to support oil spill mitigation decisions; with St. Eustatius as example

EUX

WUR: Tinka Murk, Sophie Vonk (PhD student)Lei Wageningen UR: Stijn ReinhardCNSI

Fish Status of shark and fish communities in the Dutch Caribbean BON, CUR, SAB, EUX, SXM IMARES: Martin de Graaf

Fish Fish and Fisheries Research Programme EUX

IMARES: Martin de GraafMin. EZDept LVVCNSI

Interstitial biodiversity

Moleculair biodiversity analysis of marine and terrestrial com-munities by metabarcoding EUX Naturalis: Arjen speksnijder

ANEMOON: Niels Schrieken

Invasivespecies

Combatting the economic and ecological impacts of overgraz-ing on inhabited islands BON UsA: Michaela Roberts (PhD student)

Mangrove ecosystems Mangrove restoration Lac Bay, Bonaire BON

STINAPA: Sabine EngelIMARES: Dolfi DebrotWUR: Klaas MetselaarDROB

Marineecosystems Marine biodiversity baseline study St. Eustatius EUX

Naturalis: Bert HoeksemaSTENAPACNSI

Molluscs Population dynamics and role in the food chain of the Queen Conch Lobatus gigas in the Dutch Caribbean Territories EUX, SAB

WUR: Aad Smaal, Leo Nagelkerke IMARES: Martin de Graaf Erik Boman (PhD student) SCF (SBMU) CNSI


Long Term Projects

Public Health DNA waterscan: Monitoring disease vectors in the Caribbean (mosquitoes and midges) EUX Naturalis: Kevin Beentjes

ECPHF: Teresa Leslie

Sustainability

Sustainable development Dutch Caribbean (TripleP@Sea Program)- Are human activities a risk for ecosystem services?- Green Statia or how to regain balance between nature and

agriculture?

EUXIMARES: Diana Slijkerman Alterra: Rene HenkensCNSI

Terrestrialbiodiversity Baseline assessment and DNA barcoding of specimens EUX

Naturalis: Michael Stech, Berry van der Hoorn STENAPACNSI

Terrestrialbiodiversity Testing surrogates to establish conservation priorities EUX Naturalis: Jeremy Miller

STENAPA

NWO Projects in the Dutch Caribbean


Caribbean coral reef ecosystems: interactions of anthropo-genic ocean acidification and eutrophication with bioero-sion by coral excavating sponges- Bioerosian and climate change

BON, SAB, EUX

NIOZ: Fleur van Duyl, Steven van Heuzen (PostDoc), Alice Webb (PhD student)STENAPACNSI

Environmental Caribbean island biogeography meets the anthropoceneEUX, SXM

(Planned for other islands)

VU: Jacintha Ellers, Matt Helmus, Wendy Jesse (PhD. Student)CNSI

Environmental psychology

Confronting Caribbean Challenges: Hybrid Identities and Governance in Small-scale Island Jurisdictions- Behavioural differences between/within the BES islands when it comes to nature conservation and cultural heritage.

BON, SAB, EUX

KITLV, Leiden University: Gert Oostin-die (Project director)KITLV, Leiden University: Stacey Mac Donald (PhD student)

GeosciencesStability of Caribbean coastal ecosystems under future extreme sea level changes (SCENES)- The effects of climate change on calcifying algae

BON, EUX, SXM

UU: Henk Dijkstra, NIOZ: Peter Her-man, Rebecca James (PhD student) TU Delft: Julie PietrzakSTENAPACNSI

Geomorpho-logical

4D crust-mantle modelling of the eastern Caribbean region: toward coupling deep driving processes to surface evolution - Reconstructing past climate change

EUX

UU: Wim SpakmanNIOZ: Lennart de NooijerAlfred Wegener Institute GermanyCNSI

Invasivespecies

Exotic plant species in the Caribbean: foreign foes or alien allies?(1) Socio-economic impacts of invasive plant species (2) Ecological impacts of invasive plant species-Utrecht University

BON, SAB, EUX

(1) UU: Jetske Vaas (PhD student), Peter Driessen, Frank van Laerhoven and Mendel Giezen (2) UU: Elizabeth Haber (PhD student), Martin Wassen, Max Rietkerk,Maarten Eppinga.CNSI

Reptiles Ecology and conservation of green and hawksbill turtles in the Dutch Caribbean

BON, CUR, (Planned for

other islands)

RuG: Per Palsbøll, Marjolijn Christianen, Jurgen van der Zee (PhD student)WUR: Lisa BeckingSTCB: Mabel NavaCARMABISTENAPACNSI

BO-projects in the Dutch Caribbean


BO-11-019.02-038– Analysis photomaterial coral reefs/ phase 2 BON, CUR IMARES: Erik Meesters

Coral Reef Ecosystems BO-11-019.02-022 –Inventory corals BON IMARES: Erik Meesters

DCBD BO-11-019.02-002 - Expansion knowledge system Dutch Caribbean

AUA, BON, CUR, SAB, EUX, SXM Alterra: Peter Verweij

Fisheries BO-11-019.02-055 – Fisheries inventory (EEZ Curaçao) CUR IMARES: Martin de Graaf

Fisheries BO-11-019.02-049 – Saba Bank – Fisheries SAB IMARES: Martin de Graaf

Marinebiodiversity BO-11-019.02-008 – Saba Bank – Marine Biodiversity SAB IMARES: Erik Meesters

Marinemammals

BO-11-019.02-054 – Management plan marine mammal sanctuary Sababank SAB IMARES: Dolfi Debrot

Marinemammals BO-11-019.02-005 – Marine mammals Caribbean Netherlands BON, SAB, EUX IMARES: Dolfi Debrot

Natural resource use

BO-11-019.02-050 – World Heritage nomination Bonaire National Marine Park BON IMARES: Dolfi Debrot

Reptiles BO-11-019.02-057 – Action plan invasive Green Iguana (HD3623) EUX

IMARES: Dolfi DebrotEcological Professionals Foundation: Hannah Madden


Don’t see your monitoring

program on the list or

incorrect information?

Please e-mail us:

[email protected]

If you have research or

monitoring data, the DCNA

secretariat can help you to

get it housed in the Dutch

Caribbean Biodiversity

Database (DCBD). This

database is a central online

resource with all biodiversity

and conservation related

information for the Dutch

Caribbean.

Below you will find an overview of the monitoring work that is currently running in the Dutch Caribbean. Monitoring work for which fieldwork took place in this month is highlighted.

Category Subject Island Organization(s): Lead scientist(s)

Birds Flamingo Abundance BONDROB: Frank van Slobbe Cargill STINAPA: Paulo Bertuol

Birds Monitoring vulnerable parrot nests (remote camera sensing work) BON Echo: Nathan Schmaltz

Birds Yellow-shouldered Amazon parrot roost counts BON Echo: Sam Williams DROB: Frank van Slobbe

Birds Bird Monitoring (Caribbean Waterbird Census) AUA BON

FPNA DLVV: Tatiana Becker STINAPA: Paulo Bertuol, Caren Eckrich

Birds Tern monitoring(artificial nesting islands) BON

STINAPA: Paulo Bertuol Cargill DROB IMARES: Dolfi Debrot

Birds Terrestrial Bird Monitoring Program for Bonaire BON STINAPA: Fernando Simal Echo: Nathan Schmaltz

Birds Nesting Sea Birds BON STINAPA: Paulo Bertuol

Birds Bird monitoringSAB, EUX, SXM

EPIC: Adam Brown

Birds Red-billed Tropicbird monitoring SAB EUX

STENAPA Ecological Professionals Foundation: Hannah Madden SCF: Kai Wulf IMARES: Dolfi Debrot

Birds Population assessment of the Bridled Quail-dove EUXSTENAPA Ecological Professionals Founda-tion: Hannah Madden

Coral reef ecosystems Coral Bleaching Monitoring SXM NFSXM: Tadzio Bervoets

Coral reef ecosystems

Survival rate of Scleractinian Corals and Diadema antillarum) in Oranjebaai. (Permanent monitoring transects)

EUX Gem City Consulting: Steve Piontek

Coral reef ecosystems Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network SAB

EUX

IMARES: Martin de Graaf SCF (SBMU): Jens Odinga Gem City Consulting: Steve Piontek STENAPA: Jessica Berkel CNSI

Corals reef ecosystems Staghorn coral field monitoring survey EUX STENAPA: Jessica Berkel

Coral reef ecosystems

Monitoring and research of the longest coral reef time-series in the world (since 1973)

BON CUR

IMARES: Erik Meesters, Didier de Bakker (PhD student) NIOZ: Fleur van Duyl, Rolf Bak

Ecosystems Invasive seagrass monitoring BON EUX

STINAPA: Sabine Engel, Caren Eckrich Gem City Consulting: Steve Piontek

Ecosystems Seagrass monitoring SXM NFSXM: Tadzio Bervoets

Ecosystems Mangrove monitoring SXM NFSXM: Tadzio Bervoets

Monitoring Overview


Monitoring Overview

Ecosystems Seagrass/conch/mangrove/ benthic fauna, Lac Bay Restoration BON

STINAPA: Sabine Engel, Caren Eckrich WUR: Klaas Metselaar

Environmental Water quality testing SXM NFSXM: Tadzio Bervoets EPIC: Natalia Collier

Fish

Shark monitoring: -Shark sightings - Shark Abundance, distribution and movements (tagging, acoustic telemetry)

SAB SXM EUX

IMARES: Martin de Graaf, Erwin de Winter SCF(SBMU) NFSXM: Tadzio Bervoets STENAPA: Jessica Berkel

Fish Spawning monitoring: Red hind surveys on Moonfish Bank SAB SCF (SBMU): Jens Odinga

IMARES: Martin de Graaf

Insects Bee tracking BON Echo: Nathan Schmaltz

Invasive species

Goat and/or donkey removal: -Washington Slagbaai National Park - Lac Bay area (exclusion plots) - Quill National Park (exclusion plots)

BON EUX

STINAPA: Evo Cicilia IMARES: Dolfi Debrot DROB STENAPA

Invasive species Lionfish abundance and control

BON CUR SXM SAB EUX

STINAPA: Paulo Bertuol (50 meter traps) CARMABI: Mark Vermeij NFSXM: Tadzio Bervoets SCF (SBMU): Jens Odinga STENAPA: Jessica Berkel

Invasive species Monkey Monitoring: abundance and distribution SXM NFSXM: Tadzio Bervoets

Invasive species Feral pig population assessment (trapping) BONEcho: Nathan Schmaltz, Sam Williams UsA: Michaela Roberts

Mammals Bat monitoring AUA BON

FPNA WildConscience: Fernando Simal, Linda Garcia

Mammals Dolphin monitoring (since 1999) BON Ron Sewell

Molluscs Conch (Strombus gigas) on St. Eustatius, Saba Bank, Anguilla

SAB EUX

IMARES: Martin de Graaf, Erik Bo-man (PhD student) SCF (SBMU): Jens Odinga

Natural resource use

Fishery monitoring (including marine mammal sightings and use of escape vents to reduce by-catch )

SAB EUX

IMARES: Martin de Graaf SCF (SBMU): Jens Odinga Gem City Consulting: Steve Piontek

Plants Reforestation Klein Bonaire BON STINAPA

Plants Phenology of bats in cacti landscapes of Aruba AUA WildConscience: Linda Garcia, FPNA

Reptiles Lesser Antillean Iguana: Monitoring population density EUX

RAVON: Tim van Wagensveld STENAPA Ecological ProfessionalsFoundation: Hannah Madden

Reptiles Boa and Cascabel Monitoring AUA FPNA, Toledo Zoological Society: Andrew Odum

Reptiles Red bellied Racer snake population survey EUX Gem City Consulting: Steve Piontek

Reptiles

Sea turtle monitoring: -Satellite tracking -Nest monitoring -In water surveys (BON, CUR, SXM) -Fibropapillomatosis presence (BON)

AUA, BON, CUR, SAB, EUX, SXM

TurtugAruba Foundation STCB: Mabel Nava CARMABI (STCC): Sabine Berendse STENAPA: Jessica Berkel SCF:Kai Wulf NFSXM: Tadzio Bervoets


List of Acronyms

AUA Aruba

BON Bonaire

CUR Curaçao

SAB Saba

EUX St. Eustatius

SXM St. Maarten

Alterra Research Institute for our green living environment, the Netherlands

ANEMOON Analyse Educatie en Marien Oecologisch Onderzoek

ASDF Aruba Sustainable Development Foundation

BO project Policy Supporting Research project

BU Bangor University, United Kingdom

CARMABI Caribbean Research and Management of Biodi-versity Foundation

CIEE Council of International Educational Exchange, Bonaire

CRF Coral Reef Foundation

DCNA Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance

DCBD Dutch Caribbean Biodiversity Database

DROB Directorate of Spatial Planning and Develop-ment, Bonaire

DLVV (Santa Rosa)

Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fishery and Farmers market (Santa Rosa), Aruba

ECPHF Eastern Caribbean Public Health Foundation

EPIC Environmental Protection in the Caribbean

FPNA Fundacion Parke Nacional Arikok, Aruba

IMARES Institute for Marine Resources and Ecosystem Studies, the Netherlands

LVV Department of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry & Fisheries, St. Eustatius

NFSXM Nature Foundation St. Maarten

Naturalis Naturalis Biodiversity Center, The Netherlands

NIOZ Royal Institute for Sea Research, the Netherlands

NWO Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research

RAVON Reptielen Amfibieën Vissen Onderzoek Nederland

RuG University of Groningen, the Netherlands

SBMU Saba Bank Management Unit

SCF Saba Conservation Foundation

Smith-sonian

Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History

STCB Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire

STCC Sea Turtle Conservation Curacao

STENAPA St. Eustatius National Parks Foundation

STINAPA National Parks Foundation Bonaire

TUD Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands

UsA University of St. Andrews, Scotland

UU University of Utrecht, the Netherlands

UvA University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands

VHL University of Applied Sciences VHL, the Neth-erlands

VU VU University Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Wildcon-science Wildlife Conservation, Science and Education

WNF World Wide Fund for Nature

WUR Wageningen University and Research Centre,the Netherlands

Reports and Publications overview

Below you will find an overview of the reports and publications on biodiversity related subjects in the Dutch Caribbean that have recently been published.

Bar, R. (2016)50 Tiger Shark Facts (www.allfiveoceans.com/2016/05/tiger-shark-facts.html)

Bjorndal, K.A. et al. (2016)Somatic growth dynamics of West Atlantic hawksbill sea turtles: a spatio-temporal perspective, ECOSPHERE 7(5), p. 1-14

Dabor Resiere, Laura Cerland, Luc De Haro, Ruddy Valentino, Anne Criquet- Hayot, Cyrille Chabartier, Stephane Kaidomar, Yanick Brouste, Bruno Mégarbane & Hossein Mehdaoui (2016)Envenomation by the invasive Pterois volitans species (lionfish) in the French West Indies – a two-year prospective study in Martinique, Clinical Toxicology, DOI: 10.3109/15563650.2016.1143100

Réserve Naturelle de Saint-Martin (RNSM) and Regional Activity Centre for the SPAW Protocol (SPAW-RAC) (2016)Ecosystem profile for the 15 European Overseas entities in the Caribbean region. Report of the Caribbean Hub team for the European BEST III Initiative, 260 pp + 5 Appendices.

Tamis, J.E., E.M. Foekema (2015)Blue carbon in the Dutch Caribbean, IMARES Report C151/15

Tornebene, L., D.R. Robertson, C.C. Baldwin (2016)Varicus lacerta, a new species of goby (Teleostei, Gobiidae,

Gobiosomatini, Nes subgroup) from a mesophotic reef in the southern Caribbean, ZooKeys 596: 143-156. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.596.8217

Tussenbroek, B.I. van, M.M. van Katwijk, T.J. Bouma, T. van der Heide, L.L. Govers. R.S.E.W. Leuven (2016)Non-native seagrass Halophila stipulacea forms dense mats under eutrophic conditions in the Caribbean, Journal of Sea Research.

Internship ReportsVeerbeek, B. (Msc. student), K. Metselaar, W.F. vam Hooft (2016)”Goats or no goats” The influence of goats on soil ersoian and vergetation in Arikok National Park, Aruba

Veililla, E.(IMARES student), E. Meesters (2016)Survey of Reef Fish Communities of the Fringing reefs of Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles

Voskuijlen, Eva van (Msc. student WUR), Hilde Toonen (2016)To what extent are nature conservation and economic development mutually exclusive or reconcilable in Bonaire National Marine Park? An analysis of stakeholder images

Zanke, F. (IMARES student), E. de Froe (IMARES student), E. Meesters (2015)Small-scale variation in coral reef quality on the leeward side of Bonaire


DCNA Contact Information

Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance | Kaya Finlandia 10a | Kralendijk, Bonaire | Dutch Caribbean+599-717-5010 | [email protected] | www.DCNAnature.org

DCNA’s activities are generously supported by the Ministry of InteriorAffairs and Kingdom Relations and Dutch Postcode Lottery.BioNews is funded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs.

If you do not wish to receive future issues of BioNews, or if you have suggestions of colleagues you would like us to add to our mailing list, please contact us at [email protected]

May5 Webinar Illegal trafficking of Caribbean birds (http://bit.ly/1rxjzlA), BirdsCaribbean

10 Event World Migratory Bird Day

14 Event Global big day

14-22 Conference Blue Week 2016, An International Conference to Promote Blue Growth and Investment. St. George’s, Grenada

20 -20 june Event Sea Turtle Conservation campaign by STCB (crowdfunding), Bonaire

June5 Event World Environment Day

6-9 Workshop Caribbean border control and invasive aliens species management workshop, Jamaica

6-8 Event World Oceans Day

14-16 SymposiumShark Conservation Symposium, Sint Maarten (Hosted by Government of St. Maarten, St. Maarten Nature Foundation, the Bahamas National Trust, and The Pew Charitable Trusts)

18-26 Event Dutch Caribbean Shark Week 2016 (Save Our Sharks Project Dutch Postcode Lottery)

19-24 Symposium 13th International Coral Reef Symposium, Honolulu, Hawaii USA

30-3 August Congress 4th International Marine Conservation Congress (IMCC4), St. John's, Newfoundland and

Labrador, Canada

July25-5

AugustEconomic Tools for Conservation

Economic tools for conservation, Berkeley, California

25-30 Meeting Ramsar Caribbean Regional Initiative meeting, Castries, Saint Lucia

30-3 August Congress 4th International Marine Conservation Congress (IMCC4),

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

August29-1 Sept

Meeting13th Meeting of the Scientific Committee of the Inter-American Sea Turtle Convention (IAC), Belize

September1-10 Congress IUCN World Conservation Congress, Honolulu, Hawaï

26-30 Workshop Caribbean Birding Trail, Bonaire (Echo and DCNA)

27 Meeting 4th Meeting of the Fisheries Commission of the Caribbean Netherlands, St. Eustatius

28 Meeting10th Meeting of the Committee on Marine Biodiversity and Fisheries (EEZ Committee), St. Eustatius

CalendarAn overview of nature conservation and management related events of this month and the coming months.

Photo credits: All photos courtesy of SHAPE Photography or Brenda S. & R. Duncan Kirkby unless otherwise credited. Layout & Design: Robert Jan van Oosten.

More events to add to this

calendar? Please e-mail us:

[email protected]

Scan with your smart-phone to access the BioNews database:


Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance | Kaya Finlandia 10a | Kralendijk, Bonaire | Dutch Caribbean


p-1 news - dcna | safeguarding nature in the dutch · pdf filep-1 we can already report some...

Documents