{"id":401259,"date":"2025-12-17T16:00:48","date_gmt":"2025-12-17T15:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.iucn.nl\/?p=401259"},"modified":"2026-01-06T13:33:59","modified_gmt":"2026-01-06T12:33:59","slug":"restoring-vulnerable-habitat-and-ensuring-sustainable-use-on-klein-bonaire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.iucn.nl\/en\/story\/restoring-vulnerable-habitat-and-ensuring-sustainable-use-on-klein-bonaire\/","title":{"rendered":"Restoring vulnerable habitat and ensuring sustainable use on Klein Bonaire"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Klein Bonaire is a small, uninhabited island off the western coast of Bonaire. With visitor numbers rising rapidly, the fragile ecosystems of beaches, coral reefs, and dry tropical forests are under increasing pressure, making sustainable management more important than ever.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Header photo: Klein Bonaire \u00a9 STINAPA<\/mark><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Stichting Nationale Parken Bonaire (STINAPA)<\/a> manages both Klein Bonaire and the surrounding Marine Park. With support from Bestlife2030, STINAPA is restoring vulnerable habitats and improving sustainable use on Klein Bonaire in order to improve the island’s climate resilience. Jessica Johnson, project coordinator at STINAPA, is leading efforts to protect and restore the island\u2019s biodiversity while ensuring that visitors can enjoy Klein Bonaire responsibly. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Klein Bonaire<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Just off the western coast of Bonaire lies Klein Bonaire, a small, uninhabited island of about six square kilometres. Despite its small size, the island is of great ecological importance. Its relatively flat terrain includes Salinas, beaches, dry tropical forest, and its coast is surrounded by coral reefs. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Historically, Klein Bonaire was privately owned, and exploitation of the island led to degradation of the landscape. Tree cutting, grazing goats, and the impact of a strong hurricane all contributed to deforestation. Today, the island is government-owned and part of the Bonaire National Marine Park, managed by STINAPA. The absence of goats for the last forty years has allowed Klein Bonaire’s flora to recover. The island has become home to a wide variety of local plants and animals, some not even found on Bonaire itself [1]<\/sup><\/a>source: https:\/\/stinapabonaire.org\/bonaire-national-marine-park\/klein-bonaire\/<\/span> <\/span><\/span>