Bonaire National Marine Park

About

The Bonaire National Marine Park (BNMP) is one of the oldest marine reserves in the world. It includes the sea around Bonaire and Klein Bonaire from the high water line to a depth of sixty meters (approximately 200 feet). The park was established in 1979 and covers 2700 hectares (6700 acres) and includes a coral reef, seagrass, and mangrove vegetation. The Lac Bay lagoon is also part of the underwater park. In 1999, the underwater park received the status of national park from the Netherlands Antilles. The uninhabited island Klein Bonaire was added to the underwater park as a legally protected nature reserve in 2001. The west side of Bonaire teems with diving sites that are easily accessible from the shore. The dive sites around Klein Bonaire are accessible by boat for divers. With the exception of a small area, the BNMP is completely open to divers with a total of 86 public dive sites. Due to an infiltration of stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD), scuba diving is currently prohibited at the dive sites located off the shores of Bonaire's Washington Slagbaai National Park. SCTLD has also resulted in Klein Bonaire being closed to visitors in the afternoon. Signs posted at the island's dive sites and dive shops instruct divers and snorkelers on how to sanitize their gear to help prevent the spread of SCTLD, with most dive shops offering sanitizing rinse bins. Snorkelers heading to Washington Slagbaai Park are required to stop at the ranger-run sanitizing stations just inside the park. Dive sites can close without warning, so check with your dive shop or STINAPA prior to heading out to dive.

The national park covers the waters around Bonaire from the high water mark to a depth of 60 meters. Also some coastal stretches with mangrove forests, for example in the lagoon Lac. Part of the park is also the uninhabited island of Klein Bonaire. The national park also contains several important wetlands, which are particularly protected under the Ramsar Convention. In general Bonaire reef ecosystem has fewer macroalgae, a higher coral cover and more young corals per square metre than comparable reefs on UNESCO List of World Heritage in Danger such as Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System.

The flora and fauna of the open water off the coast of Bonaire are not well researched. The water, as typical of the region, is quite warm and contains few natural nutrients, but large quantities of phytoplankton live in this area. Large fish occasionally observed in this area include tuna, wahoo, marlin and swordfish. Also whale sharks have already been spotted in the waters.

At the bottom of the Bonaire National Marine Park are extensive seagrass beds, which are of the seagrass species Thalassia testudinum and Syringodium filiforme and green algae, dominantly of the genus Halimeda. In the seagrass beds, one can find a nursery for reef fish and a foraging ground for endangered queen conch and green turtles as well. They are important for the egg-laying and rearing of the young for many species of fish. In addition, large populations of marine snails, such as flamingo tongue snails (Cyphoma gibbosum), live here.

Bonaire is surrounded by fringing reefs. These consist of about 60 different coral species, including brain corals, elkhorn corals, fire corals and gorgonians. The reefs offer a variety of marine life. Some of the most common fish species are surgeonfish, parrotfish, reefperch and wrasses. In addition, countless invertebrates such as shrimp, crayfish and squid live here. Bonaire's coral reefs were seriously damaged in 1999 by hurricane Lenny. Furthermore, they are threatened by the effects of pollutants and the warming of the sea.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.