The Economics of Marine Conservation for Bonaire

Tools for Sustainability – STINAPA

The island of Bonaire, in the Dutch Antilles, has been one of the most successful and well-managed Marine Parks in the world and was facing a growing challenge from the pressures of development. The Baum Foundation sponsored the attendance of STINAPA’s Director, Elsmarie Beukenboom, and STINAPA’s economic advisor, Yvonne de Vries, at an economic training program conducted by the Conservation Strategy Fund at Stanford University in 2004 and 2007. The course has given STINAPA’s staff crucial tools for negotiating sustainable development.

 
Ms. Beukenboom, equipped with skills she learned in the course, was able to initiate and win a case against the government for illegally selling a protected piece of land. This program will impact the future of Bonaire by enabling STINAPA to give an economic value to the island’s natural resources and to convey an understanding of the true cost of development to nearby island states.

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