Welcome to the website of the department of Environment and Nature
(MINA) of the Netherlands Antilles. MINA is part of the Ministry of
Public Health and Social Development of the Netherlands Antilles.
As a department of the central (or federal) government encompassing
all five islands of the Netherlands Antilles, MINA’s tasks are
set out in the Netherlands Antilles Island Regulation (ERNA, 1998,
art. 2.e.10) as follows: “environmental and nature management
and conservation as they derive from treaties”. In other words,
MINA translates the requirements and obligations flowing from multilateral
environmental agreements to the local Antillean situation, specifying
them in national legislation and policy that provides the framework
by which the islands are bound, but within which they are free to
set their own regulations and policy. MINA of course, also represents
the Netherlands Antilles at the meetings of these treaties
and conventions to ensure that Antillean interests are taken into
account when international agreements are made. In addition—MINA
being part of the Directorate of Public Health (and humans being part
of biodiversity)—it also sets environmental standards and criteria
relevant to human health.
MINA’s tasks then, are to bring an Antillean perspective
to international fora, set general guidelines for the islands, and
see to it that the islands correctly implement them and indeed protect
their biodiversity and environment. To this end MINA works with
the islands to support, facilitate and stimulate the islands’
implementation of the internationally agreed standards for biodiversity
conservation and environmental care, and their sustainable development.
 As
part of this support for the islands, MINA has long been working
to help the nature conservation organizations on the islands find
sustainable financing for their indispensible work. It has supported
the establishment of the Dutch
Caribbean Nature Alliance or DCNA, which is now working on a
trust fund for nature conservation to ensure long term financial
sustainablility, as well as capacity and resource building for its
member organizations and promoting Dutch Caribbean nature in the
Netherlands.
This website tries to provide comprehensive information about nature and the environment in the Netherlands Antilles, as a tool for the islands in their executive responsibilities. It also serves as a platform for communication and information sharing.
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