Description of the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the Proposed Marine Nomination Properties of the Bonaire and Curaçao Marine Parks (BCMP)

Abstract

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Los Roques and Las Aves Archipelagos, Venezuela: A Marine Ecological and Conservation Reconnaissance of Two Little-Known Southeastern Caribbean Oceanic Archipelagos

“…Moreover, the foundation supports the declaration of Las Aves as a National Park and the integration of these islands with Curaçao and Bonaire as a transboundary marine ecological corridor in the southern Caribbean. This idea is also supported by the Dutch government (Debrot et al 2018).…”

“…Los Roques and the Aves islands are without question, an excellent partner for a Transboundary World Heritage site nomination, which has long been a Dutch Caribbean ecotourism policy intention (Debrot et al 2018). As soon as feasible, this very promising option for a transboundary cooperation should be pursued further.…”

Preliminary checklist of extant endemic species and subspecies of the windward Dutch Caribbean (St. Martin, St. Eustatius, Saba and the Saba Bank)

“…So far, identification of species that are endemic to the Caribbean Netherlands is largely restricted to the Leeward Dutch Caribbean (Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao) for which an inventory of species has been made (Debrot 2006), and to which imported updates have been recently added (Debrot et al 2018).…”

“…Many endemics are ecological specialists, and are confined to specific habitats. The conservation status of habitats of Saba and St. Eustatius (which are generally much better-off than those of overpopulated St. Martin) are all assessed as unfavourable, some of which unfavourable-bad(Debrot et al 2018), it is expected that many more species are threatened than one could conclude from the IUCN Red List. The conservation status for most endemic species occuring on St. Martin is probably worse, due to the devastating impact of hurricane Irma at the end of 2017 (DCNA Nature 2017), resulting in more fragmented habitats and due to much larger numbers of extremely predatory invasive species such as the mongoose, Herpestes auropunctatus, vervet monkey, Clorocebus pygerythrus, and raccoon, Procyon lotor(van Buurt et al 2012).…”