Nature: Our Greatest Asset Under Threat

The Dutch Caribbean is home to some of the world’s most unique and diverse ecosystems, both on land and underwater. These habitats support endangered species, protect coastlines, sustain fisheries, and underpin local livelihoods and economies. Unfortunately, they are under unprecedented threat; climate change, unchecked development, pollution, invasive species, and unsustainable tourism are pushing nature to the brink. In some cases, we have already passed critical tipping points, and urgent action is needed to save what can still be preserved. In many other cases, we still have the chance to protect these vital ecosystems before it is too late.

The Hard Truth: Decline is Now Structural

Scientific research and assessments by our local partners show troubling trends: coral reefs are declining fast, biodiversity loss is accelerating, and water quality is deteriorating across the islands. Coral cover has dropped by as much as 70% in recent decades, worsened by destructive storms, increasing land erosion, and devastating diseases such as Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease. Mangroves, seagrass beds, and dry forests are also in decline, impacted by coastal development, pollution, and sediment runoff. This undermines essential ecosystem services such as coastal protection, water filtration, carbon storage, and fish nursery grounds. Invasive species, such as coralita, lionfish, and roaming goats are further disrupting ecosystems and crowding out native flora and fauna.

Coralita overgrowth. Photo credit: Achsah Mitchell

Not Just Nature: Our Economies and Communities at Stake

These problems are not isolated environmental issues. They affect food security, cultural identity, island economies, and the long-term health of our communities. The Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA), the region’s leading nature conservation network, is sounding the alarm: we must act now. Immediate and sustained action is essential to protect the natural resources on which our livelihoods, tourism economies, and community well-being depend.

The Cost of Inaction: Governments Must Step Up

We call on the governments of The Netherlands, Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten, as well as the local authorities of the BES islands, to take urgent, decisive action.

We welcome the Nature and Environment Policy Plan (NEPP) for the BES islands as an important starting point, however it is not nearly sufficient to meet the scale of the challenges we are currently facing. It lacks the scope, ambition, and coordination needed to tackle the growing threats across our region. Without a real, coordinated regional strategy for conservation and resilience, isolated efforts will not be enough to protect a vibrant future for nature within the Dutch Caribbean. Based on what has been achieved so far, the projects still awaiting implementation, and the worsening degradation we are witnessing, experts estimate that a minimum of €150 million is required over the coming years to meaningfully protect nature and strengthen climate resilience in the Caribbean Netherlands.

Structural, long-term financing for nature conservation remains critically lacking. The financial commitment to nature in the Dutch Caribbean is shockingly low compared to the European Netherlands, despite the fact that the Dutch Caribbean harbors the vast majority of the Kingdom’s biodiversity. Of the more than 223 endemic species found within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, only two occur in the European part; the rest are found on the Caribbean islands.

The Dutch Government must urgently commit to stronger, structural funding for nature conservation in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom. The cost of inaction, the loss of biodiversity, the decline of ecosystems, and the weakening of local economies, will be far greater than the cost of protecting our natural heritage today.

Healthy ecosystems are also our best natural defense against the growing impacts of climate change. Mangroves, coral reefs, seagrass beds, and forests provide nature-based solutions that help reduce flooding, prevent coastal erosion, store carbon, and buffer extreme heat, among other benefits. When these natural systems are weakened or lost, the effects of climate change will hit harder, with more severe consequences for communities and economies alike.

To help drive change, DCNA and its island partners are developing a regional program focused on the conservation and restoration of key habitats such as coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass beds, and dry forests. This program will coordinate conservation and restoration efforts across the islands, strengthen local conservation capacity, and build a stronger foundation for long-term ecosystem resilience. Without structural support and investment, these efforts alone will not be enough to reverse the scale of the threats we face.

Endemic Sabal antillensis Curacao. Photo credit: Andre van Proosdij

Seeing the Reality: What We Face Every Day

As a network of professional conservation management organizations working in the field every day, we see the reality on the ground, and in the seas. The signs are clear, and the decline is no longer occasional or isolated, it is structural.

Despite our ongoing efforts, the lack of long-term structural financing, the absence of a coordinated regional policy, and the limited political commitment to bold conservation measures severely constrains what can be achieved. Without real, sustained investment and a strong vision at national and regional levels, even the best fieldwork cannot reverse the current trends.

This is not a warning just based on predictions; it is based on daily evidence from those who are closest to the land and the sea. We cannot afford further delay. The gap between what is happening, and our response is dangerously wide. It must be closed now.

The Private Sector: Protecting Your Own Future

Governments alone cannot solve this. We must also call on entrepreneurs, investors, developers, and all economic sectors to step up. Protecting nature is not just a social responsibility, it is a direct investment in your own future. The ecosystems under pressure today are the same ecosystems that tourism, fisheries, real estate, and local economies rely upon. Failing to act will undermine the very foundations of economic prosperity and community resilience in the Dutch Caribbean.

“Nature is not a political agenda, it’s the foundation of our health, security, and future.”

A Turning Point: Risk or Global Leadership

This requires a fundamental shift in mindset. We must stop treating nature as secondary and start recognizing it as central to our survival, our economies, and our identity. The time to rethink how we live with nature, and how we build our future.

In this shift lies one of our greatest opportunities. While nature is essential everywhere in the world, in the Dutch Caribbean its impact is even more direct and tangible. Nature is not only more visible and present, but it is also critical to our way of life. Our tourism sectors, a backbone of our economies, depend directly on healthy reefs, pristine beaches, and vibrant landscapes. Yet despite a strong sense of the beauty and importance of nature (and despite this clear dependence) we see a dangerous lack of willingness to truly safeguard these vital assets. Instead, short-term decisions are often driving the decline of the very foundations of our economic success.

The Dutch Caribbean has a real choice to make. By protecting and embracing our unique natural environment, we can set our region apart as a global example of resilience, sustainability, and prosperity. This is about more than conservation, it is about leadership, vision, and pride in who we are and what we can achieve. Nature is not a barrier to development; it is the foundation of lasting prosperity and resilience. Let us be the region that shows the world that a thriving economy and thriving nature can go hand in hand.

The Call: Action Today for Tomorrow’s Islands

We call on all partners across the Dutch Caribbean and the Kingdom of the Netherlands to join forces with us. The time to act is now, together, we can halt the decline, restore what has been damaged, and safeguard our natural heritage for generations to come.

The Bottom. Photo credit: Kai Wulf

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature (LVVN) is expected to publish its long-awaited State of Nature report for the Caribbean Netherlands in the coming weeks. Initially planned for release in 2024 and later promised for January 2025, the report draws on several years of ecological research and monitoring. It will provide an official overview of the current condition of nature in the region and guide future conservation policy. In view of its importance, we strongly encourage the Ministry to publish the report as soon as possible.