The potential Outstanding Universal Value and natural heritage values of Bonaire National Marine Park: an ecological perspective I.J.M. van Beek, J.S.M. Cremer, H.W.G. Meesters, L.E. Becking, J. M. Langley (consultant) Report number C145/14 IMARES Wageningen UR (IMARES - Institute for Marine Resources & Ecosystem Studies) Client: Ministry of Economic Affairs Postbus 20401 2500 EK Den Haag BAS code: BO-11-011.05-037 Publication date: October 2014 IMARES vision: ‘To explore the potential of marine nature to improve the quality of life’. IMARES mission: To conduct research with the aim of acquiring knowledge and offering advice on the sustainable management and use of marine and coastal areas. IMARES is: An independent, leading scientific research institute. P.O. Box 68 P.O. Box 77 P.O. Box 57 P.O. 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A_4_3_2-V13.3 2 of 51 Report number C145/14 Table of contents Summary ................................................................................................................. 5 1 Introduction ..................................................................................................... 7 2 Identification of the property .............................................................................. 8 2.1 Country, Region and Name of the property .................................................. 8 2.2 Definition of the property .......................................................................... 8 3 Boundaries and buffer zone of the property .......................................................... 9 3.1 Boundaries of Bonaire National Marine Park ................................................. 9 3.2 Buffer zone of Bonaire National Marine Park ................................................. 9 4 Criteria vii ...................................................................................................... 10 4.1 Background .......................................................................................... 10 4.2 Statement of values ............................................................................... 10 4.3 Justification .......................................................................................... 10 5 Criteria ix ...................................................................................................... 13 5.1 Background .......................................................................................... 13 5.2 Statement of values ............................................................................... 13 5.3 Justification .......................................................................................... 13 6 Statement of integrity ..................................................................................... 16 7 Comparative analysis ...................................................................................... 19 7.1 Biogeographic Gaps ............................................................................... 19 7.2 Global Conservation Priorities .................................................................. 19 7.3 Marine World Heritage context ................................................................. 20 7.4 Biodiversity context................................................................................ 21 7.5 Regional comparison .............................................................................. 21 7.6 Criteria vii............................................................................................. 22 7.7 Criteria ix ............................................................................................. 22 7.8 Conclusions .......................................................................................... 23 8 Recommendations and conclusions .................................................................... 25 9 Quality Assurance ........................................................................................... 27 10 References ..................................................................................................... 28 11 Justification .................................................................................................... 35 Report number C145/14 3 of 51 Appendix A: Boundaries of Bonaire National Marine Park................................................ 36 Appendix B: Boundaries and buffer zones of Ramsar sites .............................................. 37 Appendix C: Protected area and nature zones adjacent to Bonaire National Marine Park ..... 38 Appendix D: Biogeographic context ............................................................................ 39 Appendix E: Global conservation priorities context ........................................................ 40 Appendix F: Marine World Heritage context .................................................................. 41 Appendix G: Biodiversity context ................................................................................ 43 Appendix H: Regional comparison .............................................................................. 47 Appendix I: Comparative analysis criteria vii ................................................................ 48 Appendix J: Comparative analysis criteria ix ................................................................. 49 4 of 51 Report number C145/14 Summary This report describes the potential Outstanding Universal Value of the Bonaire National Marine Park from an ecological perspective, that is, according to World Heritage natural criteria vii and ix as defined by the Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention (UNESCO, 2013). The Bonaire National Marine Park is an outstanding example of a fringing coral reef that has evolved to one of the most diverse reef in the Caribbean. The Bonaire Marine Park, protected since 1979 and declared a National Park in 1999, includes one of the healthiest coral reef in the Caribbean and two Ramsar sites which include mangrove forests and seagrass meadows, globally important for 4 species of endangered species of marine turtles and at least 29 species of migratory waterbirds and a nursery habitat for many reef fish species. The coral reef is characterized by one of the highest cover of living corals in the Caribbean, large schools of grazing fish for biological control of macroalgae and the reef has an important function as a source of larvae for tropical ecosystems downstream. The seascape of Bonaire Marine Park offers spectacular seaviews of crystal clear water in different shades of blue, contrasted by green coastal vegetation, white sandy beaches, hypersaline saliñas in different shades of pink in the south and steep limestone cliffs in the north. The high visibility of the crystal clear water and colourful underwater scenery offer spectacular and diverse views of large Montastrea coral mounds in the north, a unique double reef parallel to the fringing reef in the south and waving gorgonian fields on the exposed east coast reef. The fringing reef supports large schools of reef fish and over 500 species, including globally threatened species of sharks and rays and a resident population of impressive tarpons. The proposed property encompasses all the biophysical and ecological processes that characterise a natural and sustainable ecosystem: the highest carbonate production rate in the Caribbean, large coral colonies and high parrotfish grazing rate. These components of a resilient reef, combined with the location of Bonaire outside of the Caribbean hurricane belt, result in the highest hard coral cover and one of the lowest macro algae cover in the Caribbean. Well established standards of protection, management and monitoring ensure that the coral reef and associated mangrove and seagrass ecosystems of the Bonaire Marine Park will continue to evolve naturally and to support human uses for the foreseeable future in a sustainable way for generations to come. Bonaire is a volcanic oceanic island with steep reef slopes and lies is a small but unique southern Caribbean arid zone outside the principal hurricane belt. This means that the reefs are relatively little- stressed by sediment, freshwater and hurricane disturbance. The island is structurally fortuitous with conditions essential for the long-term support of healthy coral reefs. As reefs in the region continue to rapidly decline, the arid southern Caribbean represents the last best hope for regional coral reefs and the relative importance of Bonaire’s