Nature and Environment Policy Plan

The Nature and Environment Policy Plan Caribbean Netherlands 2020-2030 (NMBP) addresses common and island-specific issues, making the NMBP an integral plan for land and water in the Caribbean part of the Netherlands.

The plan was jointly adopted by the Ministries of Infrastructure and Water Management (I&W), the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK), and Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV). In addition, the plan was created with ample involvement from the islands and takes local requirements and circumstances into account.

The purpose of the plan is to preserve and protect the rich nature of the Caribbean Netherlands and to use it in a sustainable way. Healthy nature contributes to the economic development of the islands. Good spatial policy is essential in this respect. The NMBP is the starting point for the preparation of implementation agendas per island and provides the strategy and framework with which each island, together with the Central Government, can set to work this decade.

Threats

The state of nature of the Caribbean Netherlands is moderate to very unfavourable. The main threats to nature are stray livestock, invasive species, climate change, overfishing, coastal development, erosion, and eutrophication caused by sewage. The unfavourable quality of habitats means that they are insufficiently resilient to cope with the effects of climate change now and in the future. The integrated approach in the NMBP aims to work with relevant ministries and the Public Entities to reduce or eliminate a number of key pressures such as free-roaming grazers and water pollution, to restore and strengthen the resilience of nature.

Natuur bedreigingen