Exotic and invasive terrestrial and freshwater animal species in the Dutch Caribbean

An overview of 72 invasive animals of the terrestrial and freshwater environments of the Dutch Caribbean, eleven of which are no longer present. All invasive animals that are principally agricultural pests and or animal and plant diseases (46 species) are excluded as these are discussed separately elsewhere. The 61 species documented and discussed here as presently living in the wild or semi-wild state on one or more of the Dutch Caribbean islands, amount to 12 exotic mammals, 16 birds, 13 reptiles, 5 amphibians, 2 freshwater fishes, 3 insects, 2 mollusks and 8 exotic earthworms. For most species, the ecology, distribution, status and current impact remains poorly known as few invasive species have been object of directed studies

The marine mammals of the Dutch Caribbean: a comparison between EEZ sectors, contrasts and concerns

We here provide a synoptic overview and preliminary update of the marine mammals of the Dutch Caribbean EEZ based on 279 cetacean sighting and stranding records. The Dutch Caribbean EEZ is composed of two distinct sectors. One is centered around the leeward Dutch islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao (71,000 km2) while the other is centered around the windward Dutch islands of Saba, St. Eustatius and St. Maarten (22,000 km2). The previous principal review (of cetaceans) dating from 1998, was based on only 70 records from the leeward sector and confirmed the occurrence of some 13 species for Dutch Kingdom waters. Now, with a 4-fold increase in number of records, 19 species can be documented for the Dutch Kingdom waters (18 species in the leeward sector and 8 species in the windward sector). The windward sector stands out for its large number of humpback whale sightings (45% of records) and may form part of its former (or current) calving grounds. This species remains relatively rare in the leeward sector (5% of records) and continues to be targeted by aboriginal fishing in its destination wintering grounds to the east, where the relict breeding population is having difficulty to rebound. The species is of growing interest to tourism in the region and urgently needs full protection from all fishing in the southern Caribbean. The leeward EEZ sector further lies down-stream from seasonal upwelling areas off Venezuela that support the largest fishery of the Caribbean. This sector stands out for its high occurrence of beaked whales and the Bryde’s whale. Marine mammal strandings are much more common here (26% of records) than in the northern sector (3% of records). Human induced mortalities (first suggested in 1974) and disturbance due to coastal tourism and recreation are key and growing concerns in the southern Dutch EEZ sector. The marine mammal fauna of the Dutch Caribbean is evidently rich and varied but continues to suffer man-induced mortality and disturbance. Several nations, including the USA, the Dominican Republic and France, have recently established marine mammal sanctuaries in Caribbean waters. The Netherlands should consider doing the same

Preliminary overview of exotic and invasive marine species in the Dutch Caribbean

The marine exotic species of the Dutch Caribbean are less well-known than its terrestrial exotics. So far, only 27 known or suspected marine exotic species, some of which are also invasive are documented for one or more islands of the Dutch Caribbean. Four of these were documented only once or were only present for a certain period of time and are no longer present. Six of the species are marine epidemic diseases. As very little is known about these diseases, they might actually be native, but based on the literature and their ecological signature we regard them as special cases of invasive species. In addition to these documented species, 76 other exotic species that have already been observed elsewhere in the Caribbean may already be present or can be expected to arrive in the Dutch Caribbean in the near future. The marine communities of the Dutch Caribbean have suffered major changes based on a handful of marine exotic and/or invasive species, particularly in the special case of (opportunistic) pathogens. In certain cases experience shows that after decades, the affected systems/species may show slow signs of recovery from initial impacts (e.g. the green turtle fibropapillomas), while in other cases the impact may be long-lasting and recovery doubtful (e.g. sea fan mortality). Compared to terrestrial exotic species, eradication and control have been proven difficult or impossible for marine exotics. Therefore, management practices aimed at controlling unwanted species introductions should focus on preventing the arrival of such species by ships-- that transport exotics in their ballast water or as fouling communities on their hulls-- and (accidental) introductions from aquaculture or the aquarium trade. Busy harbors can be expected to be the areas where most marine exotics likely establish first. Because of dispersal of marine exotics is facilitated by ocean currents, local approaches to prevent their arrival or reduce their numbers will be less effective compared to similar efforts for terrestrial species. In the case of marine exotics and invasives, it is paramount that prevention, control and management efforts should be regionally integrated. We conclude this report by listing a number recommendations on how to develop effective management approaches with which to address the impacts and risks associated with marine exotic species. This research is part of the Wageningen University BO research program (BO-11-011.05-004) and has been financed by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation (EL&I) under project number 4308202004

Reef fishes of Saba Bank, Netherlands Antilles : Assemblage structure across a gradient of habitat types

Saba Bank is a 2,200 km2 submerged carbonate platform in the northeastern Caribbean Sea off Saba Island, Netherlands Antilles. The presence of reef-like geomorphic features and significant shelf edge coral development on Saba Bank have led to the conclusion that it is an actively growing, though wholly submerged, coral reef atoll. However, little information exists on the composition of benthic communities or associated reef fish assemblages of Saba Bank. We selected a 40 km2 area of the bank for an exploratory study. Habitat and reef fish assemblages were investigated in five shallow-water benthic habitat types that form a gradient from Saba Bank shelf edge to lagoon. Significant coral cover was restricted to fore reef habitat (average cover 11.5%) and outer reef flat habitat (2.4%) and declined to near zero in habitats of the central lagoon zone. Macroalgae dominated benthic cover in all habitats (average cover: 32.5 – 48.1%) but dominant algal genera differed among habitats. A total of 97 fish species were recorded. The composition of Saba Bank fish assemblages differed among habitat types. Highest fish density and diversity occurred in the outer reef flat, fore reef and inner reef flat habitats. Biomass estimates for commercially valued species in the reef zone (fore reef and reef flat habitats) ranged between 52 and 83 g/m2. The composition of Saba Bank fish assemblages reflects the absence of important nursery habitats, as well as the effects of past fishing. The relatively high abundance of large predatory fish (i.e. groupers and sharks), which is generally considered an indicator of good ecosystem health for tropical reef systems, shows that an intact trophic network is still present on Saba Bank

A Proposal Towards a Dutch Caribbean Marine Mammal Sanctuary

Based on the goals set forth in the Dutch Biodiversity Policy Programme, The Netherlands has a traditionally strong commitment to protect biodiversity and marine mammals both internationally and in its own national and Kingdom waters. Last year the responsible ministry, namely the Netherlands Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation (EL&I), developed a management plan for the biological resources of the recently declared Dutch Caribbean Exclusive Economic Zone. The Dutch Caribbean EEZ was formally declared on June 10, 2010, and amounts to more than 90.000 km2 of diverse tropical marine habitats. One of the key ambition coming forth from that plan was to develop a Dutch Caribbean Marine Mammal Sanctuary (MMS). This report provides the necessary review and background on which to base such an endeavour. Our updated review establishes beyond doubt that the Dutch Caribbean EEZ has a rich and diverse marine mammal fauna which merits more extensive protection. Even though the fauna is only poorly known, based almost exclusively on incidental sightings and strandings, it amounts to a minimum of 19 marine mammal species, and possibly up to more than 30. Without exception, all documented species appear on protected species lists of one or more treaties ratified by the Kingdom, and/or its constituent countries. Large differences are apparent between the leeward and windward sectors of the Dutch Caribbean EEZ, both in terms of species composition and conservation issues. Throughout the region, cetaceans are playing an increasingly important role in island economies as an important natural attraction for eco-based recreation and tourism, and in this respect the Dutch Caribbean also possesses major potential. We here propose the establishment of a MMS as the cornerstone to sustainable conservation and management of these charismatic animals. Ecological arguments for the establishment of habitat protection by means of the concept of sanctuaries are outlined, as are the many environmental issues that would eventually need to be addressed within the sanctuary. Legal designation of a marine mammal sanctuary (MMS) would form the first and most important step which provides the framework for all broader (international cooperation) and in depth (knowledge and conservation development) initiatives. Once established, the fuller implementation of a marine mammal sanctuary should be seen as a gradual process, involving development of knowledge, policy, rules and regulations, public and stakeholder participation. In this the Netherlands would follow and importantly reinforce the efforts of other nations who have already established MMS’s within the region. Favourable pre-conditions for the establishment of a MMS in the Dutch Caribbean include the fact that a) all cetaceans are already have a legal status in the Dutch Caribbean EEZ which calls for actual protection, b) the most deleterious fishing practices are already significantly limited and controlled within Kingdom waters, c) the key enforcer, namely the Coastguard, is already strongly present (largely due to other reasons), d) the islands generally have a strong tradition of marine protected areas in coastal habitat, e) the incremental costs for research and enforcement needed to establish a sanctuary is modest, f) public support is high, thanks to the generally high level of development and awareness of the public, g) indigenous fishery practices do not conflict with cetacean conservation, and h) whale watching interests are only in their infancy. We conclude our review by proposing the following key action points to establishing a MMS: a) Legal designation of the EEZ (one or both sectors) as MMS, along with establishment of legal guidelines for interacting with cetaceans (whale watching). b) Establish bonds of cooperation with sister sanctuaries in the region (France, USA, Dominican Republic), (e.g. regional stranding and sightings data network). c) Conduct baseline quantitative surveys of cetacean distribution and assessments in light of sources of deleterious sound sources and risks of vessel strikes. d) Review and adapt existing national and insular legal frameworks to improve these, preferably by developing separate and standardized marine mammals legislation. e) Develop information systems to promote the development of a whale (cetacean) watching industry. f) Train and equip marine parks and island veterinarians to conduct elementary autopsies and collect basic stranding specimens for analysis of causes of mortality, contamination levels and genetics, and link them to international academic institutions who will accept and analyse the specimens in regional context. g) Develop species action plans (e.g. humpback). h) Conduct cetacean surveys and management reviews every 5 years to assess marine mammal status and conservation progress

Slim samenwerken met de natuur: Herbebossing op de Nederlands-Caribische Benedenwindse Eilanden

Herbebossen in een droog, zonovergoten en zout klimaat, kan dat wel? Ja, zolang je maar slim samenwerkt met de natuur. De vernietigende werking van loslopend vee op de inheemse plantengemeenschappen van droge tropische eilanden is vaak aangetoond. Het goede nieuws is dat met de juiste maatregelen de inheemse flora en fauna een behoorlijke veerkracht kunnen vertonen. Op basis van zeventien jaar ervaring en projecten op meer dan vijftien locaties wordt het hoe hieronder uit de doeken gedaan

Management plan for the natural resources of the EEZ of the Dutch Caribbean

On the 10th of October 2010 the governmental entity known as the Netherlands Antilles is scheduled to cease to exist. Each island will aquire a new status within the kingdom. Following the declaration of an Exclusive Fishery Zone (EFZ) in 1993, an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) has been declared in the Dutch Caribbean on the tenth of June 2010. The EEZ area concerned, is a large expanse of sea which harbours exceptional biodiversity, and represents an important natural renewable resource potential. The Netherlands Antilles, Aruba and The Netherlands have, therefore, opted to draft a management plan for the EEZ. This initiative began in the year 2005 when the first conference regarding the management of the biodiversity in the EEZ was held. The consensus was that despite a fragmented Dutch Caribbean, the EEZ should always be integrally managed. In 2009 the participants of the second conference confirmed the need for common management and developed common goals, principles and a framework for the management of the Dutch Caribbean waters. Resulting from this conference a management plan was drafted, circulated to all stakeholders and discussed on the 1st of June 2010. Based on the input and feedback received, as well as subsequent correspondence, this final management plan was jointly developed

Second opinion NuStar terminal expansion

In this report a second opinion is developed for the Environmental Impact Assessment NuStar terminal expansion (at St. Eustatius). Only the marine ecology part of the EIA report is evaluated focusing on the impacts reported for marine reserves, reef- and sea-grass habitat, conchs, turtles, marine mammal and fish. The criteria used are: completeness, consistence, transparency, ecological soundness, and relevance of the foreseen impacts resulting from the terminal expansion. When applying these criteria we have found that most of the impact assessments were incomplete (missing information and data, missing expected impacts). Reference base line data has been incompletely collected. Furthermore, many of the assessments were not transparent (based on the information given in the EIA we could not come to the same conclusion). Also we found that the reasoning to come to a conclusion in the EIA was not ecologically sound in many cases (e.g. mobile species are not affected by habitat loss because they can move out the area instead of describing an effect on the distribution area and thus on the abundance or density of the species). In a few cases assessments scored not relevant or were not assessed in a consistent way. Furthermore, we found that not all expected (potential) impacts were assessed and that those assessed were mainly qualitatively assessed only. Data on pressures was incomplete as was data on ecological receptors, and some publically available data was not used. At the end of this report we list these data needs and missing impact assessments