PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — The Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA) is excited to announce the 2022 Junior Ranger Exchange event, which will be held on St. Eustatius between July 30th and August 5th. Junior Rangers from Aruba, Bonaire, Saba, St. Eustatius, and St. Maarten will come together to learn all about the unique biodiversity within the Dutch Caribbean, and work to develop positive, cooperative and social skills.
Island Collaboration
This annual event helps build community and collaboration between the Dutch Caribbean islands by supporting the next generation of nature-minded citizens. Each year, two junior rangers between the ages of 10 and 13 are invited to come together and share what they’ve learned about the nature on their islands.
Participating organizations this year include Fundacion Parke Nacional Aruba, Stinapa Bonaire, Saba Conservation Foundation, Stenapa St. Eustatius, and Nature Foundation St. Maarten. By combining educational and scientific components throughout the exchange event, participants are empowered to share ideas and improve the connections between the protected area management organizations and the educational programs.
Building Resilience
The theme of this year’s event is Ecosystem Services and How They Supports Us All. As small islands, the Dutch Caribbean will be forced to face some of the most significant impacts of climate change. Protecting and improving the local ecosystem services available to each island will help build resilience and ensure each island is capable of flourishing for the next generation. During this event Junior Rangers will develop awareness of each island’s key flora and fauna, learn about the importance of biodiversity and its preservation in response to climate change and explore different links between humans and nature.
This program is funded by Prins Bernhard Cultuur Fonds, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF-NL). DCNA’s activities are generously funded by the National Postcode Lottery. Island sponsors Azure Beach Hotel in St. Maarten, Winair, and Dominoes Pizza have also graciously donated to this event.
To follow along, stay tuned to DCNA’s social media pages- Facebook (Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance), Instagram (dcnanature)! For interviews, please contact Dahlia Hassell – Knijff, DCNA Projects Officer at projects@dcnanature.org.
