SINT MAARTEN/SOUTH AFRICA – Dutch Caribbean Conservationist Tadzio Bervoets recently participated in a rhinoceros conservation project in the Waterberg region of South Africa. Bervoets, invited as a part of an exchange program for conservation practitioners that are involved with the protection of highly endangered species, participated in a ten-day conservation and anti-poaching program with the Dabchick Conservancy in the Limpopo district.
“Due to my work with endangered species in the Caribbean, specifically with Sharks and Sea Turtles, I have had the opportunity to spend time on the frontline of species conservation globally. The pressures experienced by sharks and rhinos are similar; the sale of rhino horn and shark fin to the Asian market is both driven by greed and has elements of the criminal underworld involved. It was interesting to see how local communities and international organizations come together to protect the last existing members of the species on the planet while in South Africa. And how a concerted effort across all stakeholders can bring a critically endangered species back from the brink of extinction,” mentioned Bervoets.
“It was a challenging trip, especially considering the on-going Covid19 pandemic and the various testing and quarantine requirements, but I am grateful for the opportunity to get hands-on experience on one of the most significant threats to any species on the planet,” concluded Bervoets.
Tadzio started his career in coral reef and marine conservation projects in Bermuda, Tanzania, and as the marine park manager in St. Eustatius. He was the Director of the St Maarten Nature Foundation from 2010 to 2019 where he was instrumental in establishing the Man of War Shoal Marine Protected Area, St. Maarten’s first National Park. He was also on the Executive Committee of the National Development Plan responsible for Environment, on the St. Maarten Millennium Development Goal Action Group and former Acting Chair of the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance. He was previously focal point for Sint Maarten for the CITES treaty, SPAW protocols of the Cartagena Convention and the Inter-American Sea Turtle Convention.
He is the current director of the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance and the 2016 recipient of the Euan P. McFarlane award for Conservation Leadership in the Insular Caribbean.
