It's perhaps a classic bit of serendipity that in the same year the United Nations set aside as the International Year of Biodiversity (IYB), the Kingdom of the Netherlands is set to inherit a pair of ecological gems in the small Caribbean islands of Saba and St. Eustatius on 10-10-10. That's the date when the Netherland Antilles will cease to exist as a country. The larger Antillean islands of St. Maarten and Curaçao will become autonomous countries within the kingdom while the smaller islands of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba (BES islands) come under the direct jurisdiction of Holland as public entities.
With Holland soon to assume responsibility for Saba and St. Eustatius, the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA) organized a press trip last week, bringing some of the top media outlets from throughout the kingdom to the islands for a week-long tour with the goal of better exposing the islands' diverse ecological wonders for appreciation and support throughout the kingdom.
"Our goal is very simple," said Kalli DeMyer Executive Director of the DCNA. "We've been trying very hard to put nature and the environment on the agenda – particularly during the whole process of the constitutional change. Two years ago, we were in the Netherlands talking to our partners and friends there. We asked them the question, 'How do we get nature on the agenda?' They said we need much more publicity because too few people in the Netherlands know much about the islands. They don't realize the natural value of the islands. So, that's our goal for the whole year. This is not just the year of the constitutional change, but it's also the year of biodiversity. What we want to do is put the two together and use the combination to leverage support in the Netherlands."
Early birds
Taking part in the recent press trip were reporters from two of Holland's three largest daily newspapers, Johannes Marijnissen of Trouw and Berendina Eggink of De Telegraaf. Acclaimed film producer Willem Mouissie (Tropical Kingdom) of the Dutch nature-oriented television show Vroege Vogels participated in the trip. Freelance photographer Nicolaas Kooijman of the Dutch nature magazine Grasduinen and R.J. van Oosten an independent graphic designer were both on hand as photographers.
The Dutch Caribbean press was represented by The Daily Herald of St. Maarten, Linda van Eekeres, managing editor for the Amigoe in Curaçao and Nelly Rosa, a radio reporter for Paradise FM out of Curaçao. Patrick Holian, a freelance journalist from Bonaire also took part in the press trip.
Of the journalists assembled, no greater impact toward the cause of preserving nature has been made like that of Mouissie. Mouissie is a well-established documentary film maker. His six-part documentary called "Tropical Kingdom" features each island of the Dutch Caribbean in succession while focusing on the rich biodiversity of the islands and the need to preserve them.
Tropical Kingdom has been both a critical and popular success in Holland. It has aired twice on the Dutch television channel BVN since its April debut and is about to be broadcast for a third time. Mouissie is taking part in the press trip to do additional filming for future instalments. "(Tropical Kingdom) had nice reviews and because of that positive reaction from the viewers back in Holland, it opened doors," Mouissie said. "(Vroege Vogels) is a well known nature program in Holland. The producers of that show saw bits and pieces of Tropical Kingdom and they invited me to negotiate new nature items for their show.
"That's also the reason why I am here. I am doing some additional shooting of this press trip and I am going to use those items coming up for a new nature program. Through my experience of the first show I produced, it gives you a close look at the specialties on the island. There are so many additional topics you can focus on. That's what nature is all about. I have the feeling that there is still a lot to be filmed, so I grabbed the chance to produce a new film for a variety of reasons."
Mouissie added that he believes the success of Tropical Kingdom is a good barometer for the interest in Holland for biodiversity in general and the unique natural beauty of the islands in particular. That new found appreciation is also coming from people living in Holland who grew up in the Dutch Caribbean.
"I am pretty sure that there is awareness due to the Tropical Kingdom show. It opened eyes because we had many, many positive reactions from the show," Mouissie said. "People are asking where they can buy the DVDs and when it will be repeated. We had emails and letters from all over the world coming in, but also there were a lot of people who lived on the islands and migrated to Holland from other different countries that gave reactions as if they had not realized the beauty of their home island.
"It creates awareness and it creates the feeling for discussion. I am not involved in any political background, but it's always hard to tell what's happening behind the scenes. In that respect, I don't know. At least we have created awareness of nature. Now, it's about getting that message across. These small signals can work out in a very positive way. That's why I am able to produce new content and I would like to continue doing that."
Natural politics
For those involved in the political realm, a balancing act as delicate as nature itself has to be reached. Saba in particular has built its identity as "The Unspoiled Queen" where the island's natural wonders from the Cloud Forest atop Mount Scenery, to Green Island which is one of the world's densest bird nesting sites, to the diving and fishing in the Saba Marine Park, to the newly declared Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) of the Saba Bank are all of particular concern to many nature enthusiasts throughout the kingdom.
"I have a personal interest in the cloud forest on the top of Mount Scenery because it's so unique," said Ecolodge founder Tom van Hoft, who gave a presentation during the press trip of the island's bird life and served as a guide for the Mt. Scenery Trail. "This is what I really wanted to share with them. We had a group of people there who were really interested and kind of understood what was special about it. Unfortunately, we had some significant hurricane damage going all the way back to 98, so for me it's no longer as magical as it used to be. But for first time visitors, they can still experience that magical atmosphere that you have up there. I'm just happy that I can share that with people. That was my main purpose of the trip.
"I would certainly hope that it brings awareness. I'm looking in a very optimistic way about the changes that are supposed to be coming. Our government for reasons that are understandable has been fairly reluctant in passing legislation that would enable us to set aside more areas as protected areas or reserves, but I am hopeful that this is going to change quite a bit with the constitutional changes that are up coming."
Holland's Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality Ton Akkerman, who was instrumental in having the Saba Bank declared a PSSA, also participated in the press trip. Akkerman said he hopes the recent press trip will generate greater support for conservation efforts on the islands.
"I think it's really a good opportunity for the Dutch press to see the beauty of Saba and Statia," Akkerman said. "It's always very difficult to show the people in the Netherlands what an island like Saba is really like now. I really hope (journalists) will make articles in which they can express all the richness and beauty that islands like Saba have."
Akkerman added that Holland's long-standing tradition of environmental protectionism should take root in the country's new environmental assets. "Of course, the Netherlands is always very interested in nature," he said. "This new part of the Netherlands I think will make the Netherlands proud. We of the Netherlands already have dunes, sea and forest. Now we have rain forest and new biodiversity with new animals. Saba has everything and therefore it's also a task for the Netherlands to really protect it – especially in this year of biodiversity."
No detours
From the perspective of local government, Saba is ahead of the curve in the realization that the preservation of its natural beauty is the island's best tourist attraction. "One of the key things about right now is that because of the transition of the 10-10-10, we have a very good opportunity to use it for other things like marketing for tourism," Saba's Commissioner of Tourism Chris Johnson said. "In a large country, they can have a very short attention span when it comes to the news. Every day there's a new story – whether it is the formation of the new Dutch government or what have you.
"Since we are making news right now, we have to capture the moment and use it for tourism and for promoting the natural beauty. We have to do whatever we can do. In that regard, it's very good that (the journalists) are here before the actual date. Hopefully, this will all come around that same time of 10-10-10 and capture people's attention.
"If (the Dutch) see it as something of preserving their nature, and it becomes something that's on the agenda of the Dutch government and the Dutch people, then they are more than happy to be a part of it – especially since we will be a part of the Netherlands. They will be preserving themselves and their own country."
Whether that awareness takes hold sooner or later, no one knows, but nature lovers throughout the kingdom can only hope that the recent press trip opens minds and eyes to what the smallest islands have to offer.
"In terms of the general public, I don't think we'll know until the end of this press trip and the end of this year what kind of an impact we have made," DeMeyer said. "But to be honest, we have to start somewhere and this is awesome. Maybe it's a little drop in the pond, but maybe we can start to make some waves from that and bring some of the attention to the islands that they deserve."
