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THE PLACE The Dutch Caribbean is a part of globally recognised biodiversity hotspot, spanning the six islands of Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, St. Eustatius, and St. Maarten. Its coral reefs, seagrass meadows, mangrove forests, and tropical dry and wet forests sustain island livelihoods, protect coastlines, store carbon, and underpin the region’s cultural identity and economic vitality. THE CHALLENGE Climate change, coastal development, wastewater pollution, invasive species and disease, and free-roaming grazers are degrading these habitats across every island, with many of the priority ecosystems already in poor condition. Conservation had been fragmented and project-by-project, and what was missing was a shared, evidence-based framework to set priorities and coordinate action across six island jurisdictions. |
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Facing a similar challenge? We can help. |
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OUR APPROACH GCS is supporting the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance and its partners across the six islands to develop and operationalise a regional conservation framework, working across many organisations and governance contexts to integrate biodiversity priorities, monitoring systems, and implementation planning across marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Using the Conservation Standards framework across a series of professionally facilitated workshops, we guided the network through standardised habitat-health and pressure assessments, situation analyses, and theories of change, supported by GIS-based spatial prioritisation, to define shared goals, coordinated strategies, and measurable objectives for the region’s key habitats. RESULTS & IMPACT The first time a regional conservation plan has ever been developed across all six Dutch Caribbean islands Five coordinated strategies and SMART objectives aligned across the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance network Developed a comprehensive monitoring framework and operational plan linking goals to indicators, methods, and responsibilities Supported the launch of the Key Habitats Program, including running the RFP process to directly fund on-the-ground projects |
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“We had a very positive experience working with GCS on setting up the DCNA’s Key Habitats Program. They are excellent facilitators, asking the right questions, guiding us toward decisions, allowing space for input while maintaining structure and progress, and communicating clearly with strong expertise.” |
Tineke van Bussel Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance |