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Internship opportunity: Erosion control on Saba

Published on
December 22, 2016

Saba in the Caribbean Netherlands is a 13km2 island, basically consisting of one dormant stratovolcano that towers out above the sea at 872 m. It is known as the Unspoiled Queen given its pristine nature and limited built development.

Saba is the northernmost island of the volcanic inner arc of the Lesser Antilles and was formed about 500,000 years ago, making her relatively young compared to other islands in this region. There is still a lot of geothermal activity, and given the steep rocky coastlines erosion is in many places an issue. For example, a beach was created close to the airport, but rocks keep washing down from the hill side, posing a threat to people and the recently planted palm trees. On a larger scale the slopes up from the recycling plant are almost bare and habitat to free-roaming goats, and the same goes for the Wells bay road. The Agricultural station of the Island Government is seeking advice on which plants would be suitable to slow down or contain erosion on those sites. Being a small island, care is needed not to disturb the delicate balance for example by using an invasive species. An additional dimension is how to deal with the goats that tend to eat young sprouts; would plants they avoid be suitable, possibly in a rotation system? In this project the student will make a map of Saba in terms of erosion-risk, give recommendations on suitable plants per area and assess the costs involved.

Organisation

The SCF, a private non-profit foundation, dates back to 1987 when the first protected area, the Saba Marine Park, was established. Over time, the organization has expanded the scope of its responsibilities and has grown as an organization. The SCF has a ten-member board, consisting of members of the local community, and seven full time employees, plus a regular influx of interns. It is structured to manage a number of functions, including the Saba National Marine Park, the Saba Trail network, the Saba Trail and Information Centre. In developing policy and legislation for nature conservation and management, the SCF fulfils an important role as advisory body for the Island Government and works closely together with the Agriculture Station and Public Works departments.

Expected outcomes

The expected outcome is a report with recommendations aimed at the island government and the SCF. This report should contain a map of erosion risks on Saba, recommendations per area and an indication of the required resources. To enhance the uptake of such a report, we will decide on outreach activities together with the student. For example, a field trip with government employees or a presentation to the government could be considered.

SCF plays an important advisory role to the government in terms of nature management, so we aim to use this report to help them in taking investment decisions. Next to that, the manager of the Agriculture station cn within his budgetary mandate follow up on the recommendations made.

Supervision and facilities provided

The SCF regularly hosts interns and can offer work space, as well as connecting you to relevant people and assisting in arranging materials for the experiments. They offer housing free from cost, but travel to Saba and costs of living on the island have to be covered by the intern.

The duration of the project is flexible, dependent on whether the student wants to run experiments or not. When opting for desk research, 2-3 months should be sufficient. When experiments are run, the project could last up to a year. Working hours are flexible and usually full time.

 

Relevant literature

Buurt, G. van and A.O. Debrot (2012) Exotic and invasive terrestrial and freshwater animal species in the Dutch Caribbean

Cado van der Lely, J.A.; A.E. Warning, S.W. Schep, P. van Beukering, E. Wolfs (2014) The Total economic value of nature on Saba. Report R-14/11, 14 March 2014

Coblentz, B. E. (1980) Goat problems in the national parks of the Netherlands Antilles

Debrot, A. O. and Bugter, R. 2010. Climate change effects on the biodiversity of the BES islands. Assessment of the possible consequences for the marine and terrestrial ecosystems of the Dutch Antilles and the options for adaptation measures. Alterra-report 2081; IMARES-report C118/10.

De Freitas, J.A., A.C. Rojer, B.S.J. Nijhof & A.O. Debrot (2016) A landscape ecological vegetation map of Saba (Lesser Antilles). Wageningen IMARES. Report C195/15

Rijkers, R. and R. Hack (2000) Geomechanical analysis of volcanic rock on the islands of Saba (Netherlands Antilles). Geo conference 2000

This movie gives a good impression of Saba’s geological characteristics.