A expat friend living in Bonaire posted this last night.
So sad that greed is going to run it into the ground and ruin it. They (big corporate) already have Aruba and Curacao, they should leave Bonaire alone.
Here’s the article:
Bonaire’s Marine Park Opened to Commercial DevelopmentDespite a critical Environmental Impact Assessment and over 700 appeals, Bonaire’s Spatial Development Plan (Ruimtelijk Ontwikkelingsplan Bonaire, or R.O.B.) has been revised to re-zone a portion of the Bonaire National Marine Park, paving the way to allow a large commercial construction to be built in Bonaire’s near-shore marine environment.
(This post is based on a media release by Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire, 03 April, 2013)
On March 15, 2013, Bonaire’s two marine conservation groups (Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire and STINAPA Bonaire) and 86 community members filed an appeal to the BES Court of First Appeal, contending that revising zoning laws to allow commercial development in the Bonaire National Marine Park violates island policy, law and public trust.
The recently adopted change removes a portion of the Bonaire National Marine Park next to Karel’s Beach Bar in Kralendijk, and re-zones it as “Center.” This zone is typically applied to dense urban development. The government’s decision to apply it in marine park waters will enable the construction of a large pier housing two bars, a restaurant, a kitchen, and a dive school.
The developer expects to attract 300 people per day during normal activity, and between 700 – 1300 people at twice-monthly events. These numbers are projected to increase by 30% yearly.
“Once we re-zone a portion of the Bonaire National Marine Park to “Center,” we open the door to the inevitable ongoing decline of Bonaire’s critical economic asset,” said STINAPA’s Marine Park Manager Ramon de Leon. “This change would violate Bonaire’s reputation as a leader in nature protection and as a magnet for marine-based nature tourism. The government of Bonaire is undermining its own economic development policy with this zoning change.”
In 1991, Bonaire’s entire coastal waters, from the high tide line to a depth of 60 meters, were designated Marine Park. In October 2011, this designation was zoned “Water-Marine Park” in Bonaire’s new Spatial Development Plan (R.O.B.). The designation puts strict limits on built structures and other activities in order to protect the fragile coral reef environment.
Bonaire’s marine park was further distinguished in 2012 when the Dutch Parliament conferred the status of “National Park” to the marine park.
The Marine Park designation and related laws were put in place to support Bonaire’s economic development policy, which recognizes the critical importance of protecting marine tourism as the island’s economic driver. The designation and laws were also created in support of the island’s vision that Bonaireans’ have a right to a continuation of the historic experience of unspoiled nature, along with the ecosystem services, health benefits and well-being derived from it.
An Environmental Impact Assessment of the proposed Karel’s Beach Bar expansion was conducted by Curacao environmental consulting firm Carmabi, in compliance with the Maritime Law of the BES Islands.
That report, issued in August 2012, stated that shallow water coral cover on Bonaire decreased from about 44% in 1973 to about 18% in 2003, “clearly indicating that the current degree of development and resource extraction on Bonaire is presently too high to allow coral reef systems to persist.”
The Carmabi report attributed the decline to ongoing construction activities, run-off, trash, anchoring and storms, and stated “…it is obvious that the current degree of development in the vicinity of the proposed facility is already providing sufficient stressors that caused coral communities to degrade without the proposed facility even being present.”
The report concluded that “…various elements of the proposed facility are considered particularly detrimental to the marine environments and organisms therein,” and enumerated those elements.
Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire Manager, Mabel Nava, responded to the zoning change in the Bonaire National Marine Park. “Bonaire is widely considered a leader in nature conservation, but long-term research shows that our reefs are in rapid decline. If we don’t reverse this trend, Bonaire will cease being one of the world’s top scuba diving destinations,” Nava continued. “The decision to re-zone the Marine Park negates decades of policy and effort to secure the Marine Park as Bonaire’s economic driver.” |