KRALENDIJK – The new National Climate Adaptation Strategy (NAS), currently open for public consultation, offers insufficient guidance for addressing climate change on Bonaire, according to STINAPA Bonaire. The nature organization describes the strategy as overdue and incomplete, and calls on the Dutch government to swiftly come forward with a concrete implementation plan, structural funding, and local implementation capacity.
STINAPA welcomes the fact that the Caribbean Netherlands has received its own chapter in the national climate strategy for the first time. However, the organization believes the plans do not adequately reflect the high vulnerability of Bonaire to climate change.
According to STINAPA, Bonaire urgently needs a detailed adaptation programme with clear responsibilities and budgets. The island is increasingly confronted with extreme heat, prolonged drought, heavy rainfall, rising sea levels and deterioration of coral reefs, while its economy and biodiversity are heavily dependent on a healthy natural environment.
The organization points out that European Netherlands has for many years operated under the principles of "safe, sufficient and clean" in water management. On Bonaire, comparable structural provisions and funding are absent, according to STINAPA.
Coastal protection inadequate
In terms of safety, STINAPA states that the protection of the coastline and coral reefs is insufficiently addressed. With rising sea levels and increasingly extreme weather, the urgency is growing, while concrete measures remain absent.
Water availability also requires action, according to the organization. By better capturing rainwater during heavy downpours, water can be stored for dry periods. This would also reduce the use of costly desalinated seawater for purposes such as irrigation.
Water quality
STINAPA also calls for attention to water quality. The organization refers to recent research by Wageningen Marine Research, which found that polluting substances are present in the Bonaire National Marine Park, including carcinogenic and hormone-disrupting compounds. According to STINAPA, a targeted approach to pollution sources, such as the landfill and the oil transhipment site, is necessary.
The organization also criticizes the Netherlands’ failure to ratify the Land-Based Sources Protocol of the United Nations’ Cartagena Convention. According to STINAPA, the cabinet is thereby missing opportunities to strengthen the protection of coral reefs and public health.
The nature organization concludes that the knowledge and solutions are largely available, but that implementation is lagging behind. STINAPA therefore calls on the Dutch government to stop settling for policy plans and to swiftly take concrete action to make Bonaire more resilient to the effects of climate change.
