Caribbean Compass Yachting Magazine September 2016

Caribbean ECO-News
Court Rules in Favor of Bonaire Marine Park
At the beginning of June, a Higher Court in Bonaire ruled in favor of the Bonaire
National Marine Park by decreeing that no commercial construction work is allowed
in the Marine Park under current legislation.
The Joint Court of Justice confirmed the decision made by the Court of First Instance
against the Openbaar Lichaam Bonaire (the local government), denying the re-zoning
of portions of the Marine Park. The re-zoning was intended to allow large commercial
development at several locations in the waters of the Park. The plaintiffs, Sea Turtle
Conservation Bonaire and Stichting Nationale Parken Bonaire (STINAPA, the foundation
commissioned by the government to manage the Park) contended that ongoing
local government attempts to open the Bonaire National Marine Park to commercial
development could have irreversible negative impacts on the marine ecosystem.
The Joint Court of Justice confirmed that the local government did not follow procedures
according to good governance, which means that construction at several locations
in the waters of the Bonaire Marine Park is not possible under current legislation.
The Joint Court of Justice also ruled on the appeal by Sea Turtle Conservation
Bonaire and STINAPA Bonaire against a related change in the Marine Park Ordinance
that would create an exemption to the ordinance’s restrictions on piers. The Joint
Court of Justice did not approve the amendment of the nature ordinance in practice,
since the Court of First Instance already rightfully annulled the permit.
Mabel Nava, manager of Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire, was quoted in the Bonaire
Reporter: “We are pleased with the verdict because it shows the importance of following
good governance and working together to foster sustainable economic development on
Bonaire. At this moment all parties involved are communicating with each other with
the goal of moving towards a sustainable lasting strategy for the future.”
Visit http://stinapabonaire.org/bonaire-national for more information on the Bonaire
National Marine Park.
SEPTEMBER 2016 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 10
Aruba Joins Plastic-Bag Bans
As reported by Juliet D. Carvalhal in the August 8th issue of Caribbean Journal, at
a public meeting held on June 28th, Aruba’s Members of Parliament unanimously
voted in favor of a proposal to ban single-use plastic bags.
The law will take effect as of January 1st, 2017, when all retailers and vendors on
the island will no longer be able to
distribute nor sell carry-out plastic
bags intended for single use at
the point of sale.
The plastic-bag ban and its communication
strategy have been
designed to encourage a mental
and behavioral shift toward
increased corporate responsibility
on the supply spectrum, and
responsible consumerism on the
demand spectrum. Managing
waste on islands, especially those heavily dependent on tourism, has been an ongoing
challenge. But being on an island also presents communities with added motivation
to apply concepts of “Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, and Respect”, as there is often
limited or non-existent access to recycling facilities.
Aruba joins Antigua & Barbuda and Puerto Rico in banning single-use plastic
bags. Who’s next?
Read the full story at www.caribjournal.com/2016/08/08/aruba-just-banned-plastic
ZAINUB RAZVI
Plastic Drink Bottles Top Caribbean Marine Garbage
Meanwhile, a July 21st report by Jamilla Sealy at www.caribbean360.com tells us
that marine debris generated by the beverage industry topped the 2015 finds during
the Caribbean segment of the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC).
In the recently released ‘2015 Trash Free Seas’ report of the Ocean Conservancy’s
ICC, marine debris was removed from beaches in 16 Caribbean countries. Just over
36,000 citizen scientists removed about 400,000 pounds of solid waste from beaches
and the marine environment. More than 28 percent of that was plastic bottles.
The ICC is the largest volunteer effort in the world and volunteers from service
clubs, youth-led organizations such as the Caribbean Youth Environment Network
and government agencies coordinate the cleanups. Schools and the public and private
sectors play their part in cleaning up the mess that others make. Not only do they rid
the beaches of debris, but they also record the data that go into the reports.
Read the full story at www.caribbean360.com/opinion/thirst-real-jamilla-sealy
JENNY DALTRY FFI-OICP
Redonda Given a New Lease on Life
The Government of Antigua & Barbuda has announced plans to remove goats and
invasive rats from its most rugged and remote offshore island to allow endangered
wildlife and their habitats to recover.
Redonda is home to a unique array of plants and animals, including rare lizards
found nowhere else in the world. The uninhabited and seldom visited island is also
formally recognized as an Important Bird Area, supporting globally significant numbers
of seabirds.
However, the island’s plant and
animal populations are disappearing
fast, thanks in large part to its population
of over 5,000 aggressive black
rats (an invasive alien species), which
prey heavily on the island’s wildlife.
Together with the herd of long-horned
goats that was brought to Redonda
by humans more than a century ago,
these mammals have transformed
this once-forested island into a moonscape.
So few plants survive that
even the goats now face starvation.
Redonda is over 50 hectares in area
and rises dramatically from the
Caribbean Sea, 56 kilometres southwest
of Antigua. Goat skeletons litter the island, along with the relics of stone buildings
from a guano-mining community that lived here until the First World War. With
few trees left to stabilize the ground, soil and rocks continue to crumble into the sea,
threatening nearshore coral reefs in the waters below.
“We cannot stand by and watch as a part of our country, part of our history, disappears.
We cannot be responsible for decimating animal populations on a regional
scale,” says local conservationist Natalya Lawrence of the Environmental Awareness
Group (EAG).
—Continued on next page