Bonaire’s Lt. Governor Rijna has been invited to speak at the 2021 IUCN Conference in Marseille, France.

Bonaire’s Lt. Governor, the Honorable Edison Rijna, is honored to have been invited to speak at the 2021 IUCN conference, taking place now in Marseille, France. The IUCN conference is the World Conservation Congress that the International Union for Nature Conservation (IUCN) is hosting until September 11, 2021.

Lt. Governor Rijna has long been an advocate of Bonaire’s nature for many years. In the first sargassum event on Bonaire, he was in the water, right next to STINAPA staff, volunteers, and residents, cleaning the beaches as quickly as possible to minimize damage to marine life. His speaking appearance in Marseille will support his natural inclination to help preserve and conserve Bonaire’s nature.

Edison Rijna, the Lt. Governor of Bonaire

About the 2021 IUCN Conference.

Held once every four years, political leaders, policymakers, scientists, entrepreneurs, and conservationists from around the world come together to discuss the importance of the environment for the quality of life here on this planet. Speakers at this year’s conference include the president of the European Central Bank, Christine Lagarde, and EU Commissioner Frans Timmermans. The theme is, “Resilience is in Our Nature.”

Lt. Governor Rijna sees the 2021 IUCN conference as the ideal platform to present the Blue Destination concept on an international stage. He hopes to establish a network of contacts that can help Bonaire with its realization. To this end, while in Marseille, Lt. Governor Rijna will conduct exploratory dialogs with possible partners who can cooperate in this effort.

STINAPA and the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance will host a symposium.

During the 2021 IUCN conference, both STINAPA and DCNA (Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance), together with the Dutch IUCN members, will collaborate to host a symposium on nature conservation in the Dutch Caribbean highlighting efforts and future plans to offset the effects of population growth and economic development, both of which have proven to be threats to nature around the world.

The 30×30 Initiative.

To counter such threats, the new 30×30 Initiative has been launched with the goal of providing at least 30% of all terrestrial and underwater ecosystems with legal protection against further degradation by the year 2030. Bonaire already meets the criterion with Washington-Slagbaai National Park and the Bonaire Marine Park as protected areas, but the island’s Executive Council and nature organizations envision additional protection since Bonaire is not immune to external global threats such as pollution or climate change.

(Source: OLB and IUCN)