Economic Development and Nature Conservation Go Hand in Hand
Tadzio Bervoets, representing the St. Maarten Nature Foundation, recently gave a guest presentation and formed part of a panel discussion at the Small Island's Conservation Symposium at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Bervoets gave a presentation on how Economic Development of a developing small island nation like St. Maarten and Nature Conservation go hand in hand and are essential in promoting both a sustainable economy and conserving the important and unique wildlife habitat remaining on St. Maarten.
American president Barack Obama also recently released a plan aimed at conserving and protecting various ocean habitats while simultaneously safeguarding businesses associated with the ecosystems. "It has long been thought that conservation impedes economic development and vice versa but this is very far from the truth. It is our belief that these systems are in fact interconnected and very much dependant on each other. For example research has shown that St. Maarten's Coral Reefs and Mullet Pond for example contribute almost 60 million dollars to the economy of the island combined," commented Bervoets.
During the symposium there was much interest from participants from around the world regarding the various issues, both positive and negative, regarding the environment of St. Maarten and the Dutch Caribbean in General.
