Towards a positive future for people and nature on St. Eustatius: Progress 2024, results from scoping interviews and the workshop on exploring images of the future

Nature is the source of all life and the foundation of local culture. On small tropical islands like St.Eustatius, nature is particularly vulnerable to pressures including climate change and overexploitation. Preserving the island’s unique landscapes and culture will become more difficult as pressures intensify. The people of St.Eustatius recognize that vital role that nature plays in shaping resilient and sustainable communities. Through interviews and workshops, local stakeholders listed societal challenges and identified around forty measures to address those while simultaneously strengthening nature. Then logical groups of measures targeted at specific landscapes on St.Eustatius were formed. Finally the stakeholders estimated the feasibility for the implementation of these measures, based on environmental impact, financial feasibility, social and cultural acceptability and ethical considerations.