~Receives Letter of Support from Royal Patron Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands.~
BONAIRE:--- The Nature Conservation Network Organization the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA) will host its next Board Meeting on Sint Maarten from the 14th to the 17th of March. DCNA Board meetings are critical for discussing and strategizing on the most effective way to support protected area management organizations in the Dutch Caribbean, especially in light of the significant challenges brought about by the global Covid-19 pandemic and other pressures faced by the Park Management Organizations. Park Management Organizations also have the opportunity to update attendees on some of the challenges and successes the parks are experiencing as they continue to safeguard nature in the Dutch Caribbean. Various governance decisions are also taken during the biannual meetings, including decisions related to financial good-governance, the disbursement of the DCNA Conservation Trust Fund, and the support the DCNA network provides in terms of its regional and international lobby on behalf of the conservation organizations in the Dutch Caribbean.
The DCNA conservation network provides support to the Protected Area Management Organizations of all six islands of the Dutch Caribbean: Aruba National Parks Foundation, STINAPA Bonaire, CARMABI Curaçao, STENAPA St. Eustatius, the Saba Conservation Foundation, and the Sint Maarten Nature Foundation. Another critical component discussed during the Board Meeting is the importance of implementing a strategy that will help foster the development of sustainable tourism for the islands, enabling the Dutch Caribbean to emerge from the challenges brought about by the Pandemic with a greater focus on green and blue economies. Aside from conservation managers and the various experts of the Board of DCNA, observers from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN-NL), BirdLife Netherlands, Observation International, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV) also participate in DCNA Board Meetings.
DCNA’s Royal Patron Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands also recently commended the Conservation Network Organization for their recently organized Board Congress held last November in Curacao. During an official letter from the Royal Palace to the Chair of DCNA Dr. Hellen van der Wal, the Princess commended the organization on their continued support for the protected area management organizations on all six islands while especially providing the means to nature organizations to execute their tasks.
