Conservation in Bonaire
National Marine Park sets the standard
virginvoices.com staff
It saves sea turtles, has a ban on spear-fishing, and insists on protection for all coral.
The Bonaire National Marine Park is a benchmark for marine preservation and conservation.
Bonaire has a long history of marine preservation, beginning with turtle protection in 1961, the prohibition of spear fishing in 1971, and protection for coral, dead or alive, in 1975.
The driving forces behind the creation of a Marine Park on Bonaire included Bonaire devotees Captain Don Stewartand late Carel Steensma and The Netherlands Antilles National Parks Foundation.
Steensma was a friend of HRH Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, Chairman of the World Wildlife Fund at the time. The project of the Bonaire Marine Park started in 1979, with funding from the World Wildlife Fund Netherlands, the Dutch Government, the Government of the Netherlands Antilles, and the Island Government of Bonaire.
It was was ahead of its time when it launched in 1980, the permanent mooring system for boat divers to avoid anchoring; it’s now a system which is used throughout tropical reefs around the world.
It continues today to lead in matters of marine conservation.
Bonaire National Marine Park starts at the high water mark and extends to a depth of 200 ft, covering 6672 acres. Everything within the BNMP, living or dead, is protected. While it is possible to access shore sites on the leeward side all year round, conditions on the windward side are unpredictable.
All users of the waters, must adhere to specific BNMP rules and regulations. Divers are required must purchase a nature tag ($25 US for divers per calendar year/$10 US for other users) attend an orientation and perform a check-out dive with a dive operator upon each visit.
No spear fishing, glove wearing or anchoring are permitted.
A diver in Bonarie. Photo courtesy Bonaire Tourism
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