Since 2011, unprecedented beaching events of Sargassum seaweed have caused major environmental, health and economic problems in the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, northern Brazil and the western coast of Africa. Not only are Sargassum influxes threatening already fragile and often endangered coastal ecosystems, such as coral reefs, mangroves and seagrass beds, they also disrupt the livelihoods of communities, especially those associated with the tourism and fishing sectors. The aim of this study is to develop a plan to turn these “brown tides” into opportunities for sustainable, scalable and efficient harvesting and valorisation approaches that will deliver environmental and socioeconomic benefits to the Dutch Caribbean and other end-users in the region. In this report we have reviewed the state-of-the-art of research on recent Sargassum blooms and influxes in the Caribbean with respect to biology, ecology, origin, distribution, socio-ecological impact and management options, in addition to existing valorisation chains and uses of Sargassum biomass, and environmental and socio-economic impacts of Sargassum valorisation. We conclude that value chains based on valorisation of nearshore Sargassum biomass into biofuel and agricultural products (i.e. fertilizer, animal feed supplement) seem the most promising for the Dutch Caribbean islands, since they will contribute to sustainable energy and food security, while reducing environmental impact of the energy and agricultural sector. Some of the identified management and valorisation strategies could also be applied to other areas that are affected by massive Sargassum influxes, such as the Gulf of Mexico. During 2020 pelagic Sargassum samples have been collected in different locations in the Caribbean region (Bonaire, Mexico, St Maarten) and Florida. These samples have been analysed for major components (including sugars and ash) and for content in iodine and heavy metals. The values obtained in these analysis were compared to values reported in the literature. The results of these analysis are of importance for the definition of possible applications of the Sargassum biomass or its products as component in the food and feed value chains Based on our literature review, a number of knowledge gaps have been identified that are related to the availability of pelagic Sargassum biomass, the environmental impacts of the harvesting, technological challenges, effects of Sargassum leachates to the environment (in case of agricultural uses) and on socio-economic impacts of the current and predicted actions (Chapter 7). These knowledge gaps need to be addressed before (commercial) harvesting and valorisation actions concerning pelagic Sargassum are taken. Therefore, we defined an implementation plan (Section 7.5 and Fig. 1), which addresses these knowledge gaps to set the first steps in the short term towards efficient and sustainable management and valorisation of pelagic Sargassum in the Dutch Caribbean. In the potential value chains defined, prevention of landings of Sargassum on the coasts is preferred to harvesting onshore. This is due to the negative ecological impact of harvesting onshore and the lower quality of beached Sargassum, that decays very rapidly.

/pdf/opportunities-for-valorisation-of-pelagic-sargassum-in-the-3af95ixqkt.pdf

Opportunities for valorisation of pelagic Sargassum in the Dutch Caribbean

De huidige voedselproductie op de eilanden Bonaire, Sint Eustatius en Saba is beperkt. Zowel de overheid als de lokale bevolking hebben de afgelopen jaren initiatieven genomen om de voedselproductie te verhogen. Deze studie trekt daar lering uit en komt met concrete aanbevelingen voor zowel het beleid als de sector (land- en tuinbouw, veeteelt en visserij). Centraal staan, voor elk van de drie eilanden, vier op te stellen plannen: een integraal zoetwaterplan, een agrarisch ontwikkelplan, een visserijontwikkelplan en een agrarisch onderwijsplan. Dit onderwijsplan moet leiden tot een grotere interesse voor lokale voedselproductie bij jongeren en dient zich te richten op kennis en vaardigheden ten behoeve van zowel duurzame innovatieve intensivering van productiesystemen als professionele voedselproductie in combinatie met nevenactiviteiten met betrekking tot toerisme of zorg.

/pdf/ontwikkelingsmogelijkheden-voor-de-agrarische-sector-in-28rsot16db.pdf

Ontwikkelingsmogelijkheden voor de agrarische sector in Caribisch Nederland

The vegetation database CACTUS (registered in GIVD under SA-00-004) aims to bring together all plot-based relevés from the Dutch Caribbean Islands that are available from literature, unpublished resources, and recent field surveys. The database currently contains 2,701 vegetation descriptions. The database is used for vegetation classification, to investigate vegetation change over time, to assist in the planning of vegetation surveys, as a source for plant species distribution maps, and to inform nature conservation and policy.
 Taxonomic references: Van Proosdij (2012) for the Leeward Islands, Axelrod (2017, 2021) for the Windward Islands, except for St. Martin (Howard 1974-1989).

/pdf/cactus-vegetation-database-of-the-dutch-caribbean-islands-25lucbv0.pdf

﻿CACTUS – Vegetation database of the Dutch Caribbean Islands

/pdf/tracking-digital-footprints-in-bonaire-s-landscapes-spatial-30dh3wu35e.pdf

Tracking digital footprints in Bonaire’s landscapes : spatial distribution and characterization of tourists on Bonaire using social media

The economies of small tropical islands often benefit from large-scale tourism, attracted by the guarantee of beach facilities, sun and warmth, landscape beauty, and cultural and underwater life. While these are highly valued assets, it is unclear how local communities benefit from tourism, or how they perceive their natural environment, which has been the basis for their rich cultural history. Against this background, the main aim of this article is to investigate inhabitants’ perceptions about locals’ inclusiveness in tourism and recreation on a small island called Bonaire. A total of 400 households were interviewed during the period November 2021–February 2022. Inclusiveness in tourism and the welfare it brings are judged as low, based on the findings in this study. With a share of around 40% of the population of Dutch Caribbean islanders living in poverty, the challenge of inequality is urgent. While environmental degradation contributes to inequality, inequality can also contribute to environmental degradation. To reduce inequalities, while ensuring life below water and life on land, the handling of poverty is one of the most critical bottlenecks in this society.

/pdf/inclusiveness-in-the-caribbean-locals-perceptions-about-26ru6cwl.pdf

Inclusiveness in the Caribbean-Locals’ Perceptions about Nature, Tourism and Recreation in Bonaire

of nature to improve the q uality of life” . U nder the b anner Wageningen U niversity & Research, Wageningen U niversity and the specialised research institutes of the Wageningen Research F oundation have joined forces in contrib uting to inding solutions to important q uestions in the domain of healthy food and living environment. With its roughly 30 b ranches, 5,000 employ ees and 12,000 students, Wageningen U niversity & Research is one of the leading organisations in its domain. The uniq ue Wageningen approach lies in its integrated approach to issues and the collaboration between different disciplines. A nature inclusive vision for Bonaire in 2050

/pdf/a-nature-inclusive-vision-for-bonaire-in-2050-4zp2nz3nvy.pdf

A nature inclusive vision for Bonaire in 2050

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A nature inclusive vision for Bonaire in 2050