[{"bbox": [96, 166, 1163, 246], "category": "Text", "text": "production technologies, to address certain constraints such as poor soil quality and limited water supply, is strongly being promoted. Water security can be improved with the application of the 'consumer & polluter pays' principle in a tariff policy and with the reuse of treated wastewater."}, {"bbox": [96, 246, 1163, 352], "category": "Text", "text": "The six Dutch Caribbean OCTs have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to promote cooperation in the fields of agriculture, livestock and fisheries. Saint Barthelemy has agreed with its intention. A conference on fisheries took place in December 2023 with the professionals of these OCTs. This provides a practical and useable framework for collaboration in facilitating the enhancement of agriculture, fisheries and food security."}, {"bbox": [96, 377, 1163, 564], "category": "Text", "text": "Sargassum is of high interest for the wider Caribbean, including the OCTs, as it was identified as one of the main priorities for the Caribbean region in the context of the Global Gateway Investment Agenda and the Declaration of the EU-CELAC Summit in 2023³. The EU already organised a Conference⁴ on sargassum in the region, to which one Caribbean OCT representative participated on behalf of all, in the Dominican Republic in June 2023. A second conference on sargassum will be organised in Grenada in October 2024. The message delivered by the European Commission was the need to pool together efforts to find viable solutions to this challenge, to make sargassum an economic opportunity (such as biofuel, water purification and agriculture)."}, {"bbox": [96, 575, 1163, 842], "category": "Text", "text": "Some Caribbean OCTs are currently⁵ affected by large strandings of sargassum, a large alga drifting with the currents, causing a reduction in light and oxygen in nearshore waters. Sargassum accumulations have caused the mortality of seagrasses and corals, which provide the basis for biodiversity of the OCT coastal waters. Apart from its effect on fauna, decomposing sargassum gives off a foul smell which has public health impacts and is a deterrent for beach tourism. With such challenge, by joining the broader EU initiative in the region, where relevant, those interested Caribbean OCTs will be able to benefit from regional research, data sharing, early detection, and analysis of economic impacts of sargassum and its valorisation. This Action will therefore contribute to join the Global Gateway Investment Agenda regional initiative to turn Sargassum algae from a threat to an economic opportunity, through which the EU works with partner countries in the Caribbean region to reinforce monitoring and research, to reduce the damage caused by these algae and to integrate them into the circular economy."}, {"bbox": [96, 867, 1163, 1001], "category": "Text", "text": "Given the small size of the OCTs, the Action can only be effective and efficient if implemented as part of the Global Gateway Investment Agenda's flagship project 'EU investment strategies for sargassum utilisation in the Caribbean', in cooperation with other entities in the region. Synergies with ongoing initiatives on similar objectives (Euroclima, Caribbean Interreg, Horizon Europe, the Copernicus centre in Chile on marine observation/sargassum, EU4OceanObs) will be developed."}, {"bbox": [96, 1026, 1163, 1239], "category": "Text", "text": "On biodiversity and water, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba share a Nature and Environment Policy Plan (NEPP 2020-2030)⁶, which gives the framework for nature and environment policy in the Caribbean Netherlands for ten years. It aims to create a resilient and healthy natural environment in which the precious species and ecosystems are conserved. At the same time the socioeconomic development should be supported, and the cultural identity of the islands maintained. Each island has developed an implementation agenda for the NEPP in which they present the inventory of all necessary activities to reach the targets. The Action will complement the implementation of these strategic goals of the NEPP, mainly on coral restoration, habitat conservation, sustainable land and water use and sustainable food production."}, {"bbox": [96, 1264, 1163, 1398], "category": "Text", "text": "Synergy with on-going EU programmes is crucial. The 11th EDF regional Caribbean OCTs Resilience, Sustainable Energy and Marine Biodiversity (RESEMBID) programme has produced food security analyses for Aruba and Curaçao and introduced/updated information systems for the protection of the marine biodiversity. Disaster Risks Diagnostics made for all Caribbean OCTs are still considered relevant (Saint Barthelemy has a territorial 2021-2027 programme - Budget Support - on Disaster Risk Reduction). To build on the lesson-learned from this programme, it is"}, {"bbox": [86, 1475, 732, 1502], "category": "Footnote", "text": "³ https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/statement_23_3924"}, {"bbox": [86, 1501, 1142, 1550], "category": "Footnote", "text": "⁴ The \"Wider Caribbean-EU Regional Conference on Sargassum: Converting sargassum into an opportunity\", Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, June 2023."}, {"bbox": [86, 1549, 560, 1573], "category": "Footnote", "text": "⁵ Potentially all of them could be affected in the future."}, {"bbox": [86, 1573, 1142, 1645], "category": "Footnote", "text": "⁶ https://open.overheid.nl/documenten/ronl-cc70ea56-f90a-4a0a-be1a-09fbfb7db7b0/pdf (in Dutch)\nhttps://parks-work.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Nature_and_environment_policy_plan_Caribbean_Netherlands_2020-2030.pdf"}, {"bbox": [1027, 1654, 1143, 1680], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 6 of 25"}]