PHILIPSBURG:--- During yesterday’s meeting of the Parliamentary Committee for Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment, and Infrastructure (VROMI), chaired by MP Darryl York, the Nature Foundation presented a dire report on the environmental challenges facing St. Maarten. Leslie Hickerson, a representative from the Foundation, outlined the severe threats to the island’s marine and terrestrial ecosystems, stressing the urgency for action to mitigate further damage.
The report highlighted critical issues, including declining coral reefs, rising sea levels, and destroying mangrove forests. Hickerson emphasized that the island’s coral reefs—essential for biodiversity and tourism—are seriously declining due to coral bleaching, pollution, and disease. Without intervention, the tourism sector, heavily reliant on marine attractions, could face significant economic losses.
Additionally, rising sea levels and the loss of mangrove forests threaten the island’s infrastructure, while the ongoing destruction of wildlife habitats and overfishing are damaging local fisheries. These environmental issues put the economy and biodiversity at risk, prompting an urgent call for protective measures.
In response to the information provided, Committee members proposed various solutions to address the pressing challenges. MP Lacroes suggested that the Nature Foundation could become more self-sustainable by introducing environmental enforcement officers with the authority to issue fines for violations, with a portion of the collected funds supporting the Foundation’s operations.
MP Ardwell Irion urged the Nature Foundation to stand firm against the activist backlash, particularly regarding the wild Veret monkeys. He stressed that their efforts to manage the monkey problem are crucial for St. Maarten's future, emphasizing that protecting local livelihoods should outweigh external pressures. Irion also suggested a temporary solution for better control over plant and animal imports, recommending that the government charge a fee for advice from the Foundation. This would generate funding for the Foundation, help regulate imports, and ensure invasive species are kept out, protecting the island’s ecosystem.
MP Roseburg proposed alternative financial strategies, including crowdfunding and access to European grants, such as the Asylum, Migration, and Integration Fund and the GEF Small Grants Program. She also recommended seeking technical assistance from European organizations to help navigate the complex grant application process.
MP York expressed concern about the insufficient support for the Nature Foundation, calling its treatment “nothing short of abuse.” He pointed out the Foundation’s critical role across several government ministries yet noted that it receives inadequate financial backing. He expressed that he finds the concept of a nature fee, similar to Bonaire and other islands, to be a good idea for generating sustainable funding. However, it stressed that simply copying these models won’t guarantee success in St. Maarten and that such ideas must be carefully tailored to work for the island. The importance of protecting the island’s coral reefs for the tourism industry was emphasized, with a recommendation to place Little Key on the national monument list for temporary protection. Additionally, misconceptions about the mangroves in the Great Salt Pond were addressed, underscoring their vital role in flood prevention, carbon absorption, and providing habitats for wildlife.
During the meeting, Hickerson also provided an update on the turtle population on the island. She shared that hundreds of turtles are currently residing in various ponds across St. Maarten. While this growing turtle population is a positive sign of marine life restoration, it presents challenges in terms of their health and habitat needs. The Foundation is actively addressing these challenges as part of its broader conservation efforts.
The meeting concluded with a clear path forward for the Committee. The next steps will involve a closed-door VROMI Committee meeting, where members will review the information presented during yesterday’s session. This meeting will focus on brainstorming key questions and solutions to propose to the Minister. These proposals will be submitted in writing ahead of the Minister’s appearance in Parliament, ensuring that queries on behalf of the Nature Foundation won’t fall on deaf ears but will be actively worked on.
