ORANJESTAD – St. Eustatius National Parks Foundation (STENAPA) congratulates AROSSTA (Artificial reefs on Saba and Statia) on their 2nd prize at the RAAK 2018 award. Researchers and students of Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences collaborated with local organisations on Saba and Statia: STENAPA, SCF, Wageningen Marine Research, CNSI and Golden Rock Dive Centre. RAAK acknowledges this effort and ‘appreciates the great interconnectedness and commitment of all parties, and the way they respond to specific local requirements and simultaneously contribute towards the broad knowledge base in this area’.

AROSSTA aims to preserve and restore coral reefs at St Eustatius and Saba. Various artificial reefs, such as a hollow ball with holes and a layered ‘cake’ made from concrete, were placed on the sea floor and studied over a two-year period. The deteriorating reefs of these Dutch Caribbean islands require such restorative efforts. These reefs are crucial for marine life and social well-being of both islands.