PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS ABOUT PLANTATION BOLIVIA
Partij voor de Dieren ‘Give Plantation Bolivia the destination of Nature’ (Antiliaans Dagblad, May 19, 2022)
Members of Parliament Lammert van Raan, Eva van Esch and Leonie Vestering from Partij voor de Dieren (PvdD) have asked no fewer than 24 questions to three ministers about the possible construction of 1,900 homes on Plantation Bolivia.
They want to know whether the ministers are aware of the developments, what the consequences will be for nature and how to prevent nature from being irreparably damaged.
Last week Joop, the online opinion page of BNNVARA, discussed the plans of the owner of the three-thousand-hectare Plantation, Meindert Breemhaar. This opinion piece even opened with the title ‘Neocolonial Quote-millionaire wants to destroy nature Bonaire’. Possibly shaken awake by the reports, the MPs wanted to know if the ministers of Housing and Spatial Planning, Infrastructure and Water Management and the Minister for Nature and Nitrogen are familiar with the Bolivia plantation area, which covers ten percent of Bonaire, and whether they know that nature and the environment in that area represent supra-local importance. It is the responsibility of the ministers to ensure that when the spatial development plan is drawn up, sufficient nature and recreational space is safeguarded in accordance with future housing needs. The MPs want to know from the ministers whether and how they are going to achieve this. They wonder whether the ministries are aware that Bonaire Properties NV intends to build almost two thousand homes and the necessary infrastructure in the vulnerable nature reserve in the coming decades. “What is your opinion on this intention and are you prepared to prevent damage to nature or loss of nature in consultation with the Public Entity Bonaire?” ask the three members of the PvdD.
They believe that building on the locations, as prescribed in the spatial development plan, is preferable because the infrastructure is present and this has the least impact on nature. They want to know from the ministers whether this opinion is shared and whether they are prepared, if necessary, to use their power on the basis of the law to issue an instruction (with instructions) regarding the content of the spatial development plan to be adopted? “If so, what might the instructions look like to protect Plantation Bolivia? If not, why not?”
On January 26, 2022, the OLB signed a letter of intent with Bonaire Properties NV about the development of the Plantation Bolivia and the three questions followed. Whether the letter of intent can be shared with the House. They also want to know what the sequel looks like now. “Can you indicate what the process and timeline after the letter of intent looks like? Has a project plan already been submitted and/or is there already clarity about possible permits, such as a felling permit for (part of) the tropical dry forest? What will be the consequences of the construction of two thousand homes on the natural values and function of the corridor and how has this been included in the letter of intent?”
Plantation Bolivia has an adjacent coastline, consisting of 15 kilometers of pristine coral reef, of which the MPs wonder to what extent this coral reef will be affected by the implementation of the plans. They also ask questions about possible archaeological heritage on Plantation Bolivia and they wonder whether the ministers think it is justified for one owner to control such a large part of an (is)land at this time. They are of the opinion that the owner cannot assume that the zoning will simply be changed to ‘residential’ at the expense of ‘open landscape’ and that it is important to have a good spatial plan and procedural matters clear before (if) any implementation is started. They ask the ministers whether they share this view.
In view of the urgency, they want to receive an answer to the questions asked as soon as possible and at least within the formal period.
HELP US TO SAVE PLANTATION BOLIVIA FROM DESTRUCTION!
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