Saba Conservation Foundation
| Saba Conservation Foundation | |
|---|---|
| legal form | Foundation, endowment |
| founding | October 15, 1987 |
| founder | Wycliffe Smith |
| Seat | Fort Bay , Saba ( ⊙ ) |
| main emphasis | Nature and environmental protection |
| Action space | Saba and surrounding waters |
| Website | sabapark.org |
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The Saba Conservation Foundation (SCF for short) is a non-profit foundation based in Fort Bay on the Dutch Caribbean island of Saba , whose main task is to protect the nature of the island and the waters around it.
History and tasks
The SCF was founded on October 15, 1987 by Wycliffe Smith , the then gezaghebber Sabas, with the aim of protecting the relatively unspoiled nature on and around the island. In the first few years after its establishment, the foundation was primarily concerned with educational work for the local population with the aim of making people aware of nature conservation. Among other things, fundraising and collective garbage collections were organized during this time. The SCF also held lectures, readings and film screenings. A ranger from the United States Forest Service helped the foundation select suitable hiking trails for tourists and wrote a hiking guide, which the SCF then published.
In 1989, the SCF successfully fought against the granting of licenses for the construction of various television and communication antennas on the summit of Mount Scenery in the center of the island. A mountain rainforest grows in this area , which is particularly worth preserving not only because of its biodiversity, but also because of its importance for Saba's hydrology . A year later, the island administration handed over responsibility to the SCF for the Saba Marine Park , founded in 1987 , which protects the waters around Saba up to a depth of 60 meters. The Marine Park has been financially self-sustaining since the end of 1992, whereupon the Dutch government suspended its funding for the project on January 1, 1993.
In 1994, the Saba Conservation Foundation donated around 35 hectares of land that stretched from the north coast of the island in a narrow strip to the summit of Mount Scenery. The heiress of this area, whose ownership structure had been unclear for a long time, made the protection and future non-development of the area a condition for this donation. This was followed by the establishment of a nature reserve in 1999, which was expanded considerably to around 350 hectares in 2018 and now enjoys official national park status as Mount Scenery National Park .
The Saba Bank Management Unit (SBMU for short) has existed since 2010 as a sub-organization of the SCF, which was founded as an administrative unit of the Saba Bank National Park . The Saba Bank is an extensive underwater atoll located a few kilometers southwest of Saba. Among other things, the SBMU monitors fisheries in the region, conducts patrols and coordinates research teams working in the area.
Web links
- Official website of the foundation
- History of the SCF until 1997 at sabaweb.nl (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Saba Conservation Foundation: A short chronicle. In: sabaweb.nl. Accessed August 9, 2019 .
- ↑ Eric G. Schultz, Stephen F. McCool, David Kooistra: Revisions to SMP Plan. Saba Conservation Foundation, accessed August 9, 2019 .
- ^ Bob Payne: Philanthropy . In: Joan Tapper (Ed.): Islands Magazine . Islands Publishing Company, Santa Barbara, CA April 1999, pp. 20 .
- ↑ New national park protects Saba's nature and artefacts. In: thedailyherald.sx. The Daily Herald, December 31, 2018, accessed August 9, 2019 .
- ↑ Jens Odinga: Saba Bank Management Unit Activity Report 2016. In: dcbd.nl. Dutch Carribean Biodervisty Database, October 13, 2016, accessed August 9, 2019 .