they all have in common is that theseprecious resources could soon becomeendangered.

To achieve their common objectiveseach group agreed that it made sense toband together and form an umbrellaorganization to act as a central repositoryfor everything environmental. After ajoint appeal to the Dutch Government,funding was obtained from the DutchPostcode Lottery to launch an awesomeeco-coalition. The result: the DutchCaribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA)whose mission is to:

“Safeguard the biodiversity andpromote the sustainable managementof the natural resources of the islandsof the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba,both on land and in the water, for thebenefit of present and future generations,by supporting and assisting the protected

108 Nights

Eco-News

Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba,St. Eustatius (Statia) and St. Maarteneach have their own non-profit, non-governmental environmental organi-zations that work tirelessly to promotenature conservation and education.Though their spirits are strong, unfortu-nately, the numbers within each orga-nization are often too few – and thechallenges too many. They depend heav-ily on volunteers, private donations, cor-porate sponsorship and global conser-vation organizations to enable them tocontinue to safeguard their environ-ments. They also depend on each otherto swap best practices, innovations,know-how, data, research and tech-niques. Though the diversity of theirecosystems ranges from semidesert tolush tropical rainforest, coral reefs, seagrass beds and mangroves, the one thing

Left photo by Pierre Arsenault. Other photos by Michael DeFreitas

Awesome Eco-Allianceby Susan Campbell

For the love of the land and the song of the sea…the new Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance is out to preserve

today’s natural treasures for tomorrow’s generations to enjoy.

109Nights

Eco-News

Top photo courtesy of The Nature Foundation of St. Maarten.Bottom middle photo courtesy of Kalli De Meyer. Bottom left and right photos by James Johnston

Current DCNA Executive Director,Kalli De Meyer, says, “Our terrestrialand marine environments desperatelyneed our help. By uniting our forces, ourvoice has become stronger and we havebeen able to work more creatively andefficiently to get the message out and getmore funding in. Though we are delight-ed to have been given the opportunityto form this inspirational alliance, pre-serving paradise will not come cheap.We are always looking for additionalfunding and more volunteers.” DCNAgot a recent boost when Queen Beatrixof the Netherlands agreed to join theirCouncil of Patrons. �

area management organizations andnature conservation activities in theDutch Caribbean.”

DCNA aims to provide much need-ed information, research tools, fundinghelp, project planning, natural parkmanagement techniques and commu-nications and promotional help for eachgroup. So far, excellent cooperation andmutual respect have been the impetusbehind the completion of many impor-tant projects. One such successful ven-ture was the innovative satellite sea turtletracking program – part of a five-islandoutreach project – to educate locals andvisitors alike about the importance of seaturtle conservation. Tiny transmitters areattached to the turtle so that their amaz-ing migratory journey can be trackedby satellite. Their progress can be viewedvia the Internet. So far, Bonaire, Curaçao,St. Eustatius and St.Maarten have trackedtheir turtles. This research enables orga-nizations to pinpoint turtle foraginggrounds that are returned to each yearand ensure they remain protected.

The Alliance’s website aims to become the premier Internet resourcefor issues of biodiversity and conservation within the Dutch Caribbean.

For more information visit www.dcnanature.org.

Kalli De Meyer