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People and the Parks

People and the Parks. Hannah Madden National Park Ranger/Education Officer St. Eustatius National Parks Foundation (STENAPA) September 2012. Why are National Parks important?. What is a Protected Area?. Protected Areas are specific areas that have special importance for nature, for example:

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People and the Parks

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  1. People and the Parks Hannah MaddenNational Park Ranger/Education Officer St. Eustatius National Parks Foundation (STENAPA)September 2012

  2. Why are National Parks important?

  3. What is a Protected Area? • Protected Areas are specific areas that have special importance for nature, for example: • Important Bird Area • Centre of Plant Diversity • Key Biodiversity Area San Nicolas Bay Reef, Aruba An Important Bird Area (IBA) for Sandwich Terns

  4. Statia’s Protected Areas The Quill and Boven National Parks (est. 1998, 2007): cover 41% (8.65 km²) of Statia’s land area Statia National Marine Park (est. 1996): 27.5 km² from the high-tide mark to a depth of 30m around the entire island

  5. Important Bird Areas on Statia Seabirds The Quill and Boven are designated Important Bird Areas (IBAs) Birds of prey Songbirds Hummingbirds

  6. Why create a protected area? Across the Caribbean, vast areas of natural beauty have been destroyed to make way for development. For this reason, governments decided to preserve certain areas for wildlife and habitat preservation Aruba

  7. Local Legislation • The Executive Committee establishes a five-year Island Nature Plan, which is approved by the Island Council • Stenapa is mandated by the Island Council to execute its obligations with regard to nature conservation • The National Parks fall under the Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW) Protocol (2000)

  8. The Quill

  9. Hiking trails in the Quill

  10. Everything above 250m is protected

  11. National Park Regulations • Do not litter • Stay on the trails • Do not touch or remove plants, trees or animals • Fires are not permitted anywhere in the National Park • If in doubt – use a guide • Always carry sufficient water

  12. Why pay to go into a Park? Who has to pay to enter the Quill? • Tourists (non-residents) What is the price? • $6 per year Why should I pay? • The fees we collect go towards the costs of maintaining hiking trails and installing information boards for visitors

  13. Hiking trails in the Northern Hills

  14. Everything above 50m is protected Historical artefacts Orchids

  15. STENAPA’s Role on Statia In order to properly protect an area, we must first understand what we are protecting…. • Bird surveys • Butterfly surveys • Orchid surveys • Arachnid collection • Tropicbird monitoring • Flora collection • Weather data

  16. Research projects • What is the status our seabirds? • What is the effect of roaming goats in the parks? • How are our native plants being pollinated? • What species exist within the parks? Research enables us to better understand our changing environment so that we can safeguard the future of the island’s native species

  17. Pollination study Endemic bee

  18. Arachnid collection

  19. Education

  20. Frequently Asked Questions • Why can't we hunt iguanas? • Can I cut down/plant trees in the Quill? • Can we control some species by introducing others? • Do we really need snakes, bats, spiders etc?

  21. Why is it Illegal to Kill Iguanas? Exists on many islands; large numbers Green Iguana Lesser Antillean Iguana Exists on just a few islands; small population

  22. Cutting down/planting trees in Quill National parks are areas of natural beauty; the native flora species found within are preserved for that reason. Cutting down trees removes native flora and runs the risk of allowing non-native (invasive) flora to flourish. If a plan exists to reforest an area, care should be taken to plant species that naturally occur there.

  23. Introducing Species • The Mongoose • First introduced with the aim of reducing rodent numbers • Rats and mice are nocturnal; mongooses are diurnal • Instead of controlling the rat population, the hungry mongoose devastated native reptile species such as snakes and iguanas

  24. The Importance of Biodiversity Everything is connected

  25. Thank you for listening

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