Dear Editor,
Over the past decade, the Caribbean has been increasingly affected by the recurring influx of sargassum along our shores. Sint Maarten is no exception. Already, satellite imagery and forecasting models are predicting that 2025 will be among the worst years on record, with massive blooms of sargassum drifting westward from the Atlantic. The time to act is now—before the health, environmental, and economic consequences once again overwhelm us.
Large quantities of sargassum washing ashore bring with them a host of cascading challenges. Decomposing sargassum emits hydrogen sulfide, which causes respiratory distress and poses serious health risks to vulnerable populations, including children and the elderly. For our tourism-dependent economy, the presence of rotting sargassum on popular beaches is not only unsightly but deters visitors, affects local businesses, and adds significant costs for cleanup. The marine ecosystem is not spared either—sargassum smothers seagrass beds, coral reefs, and nearshore habitats that are critical for fisheries and coastal resilience.
What is urgently needed is a coordinated, proactive response that goes beyond short-term cleanup and reactive measures. Managing the sargassum issue effectively requires integrated planning, sustainable financing, and regional cooperation. On Sint Maarten, this means formalizing collaboration between the Dutch and French sides of the island, aligning monitoring systems, sharing response strategies, and jointly engaging with regional institutions and technical experts.
At the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CBF), we have been actively supporting the development of coordinated regional responses to the sargassum influx, particularly through our work with the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS). With funding mechanisms and partnerships in place, CBF has helped facilitate workshops, technical exchanges, and support for early warning systems and sargassum management plans. These efforts are geared toward building the long-term capacity of governments and civil society to prepare for and mitigate the impacts of future sargassum events.
Sint Maarten has a valuable opportunity to link into these regional efforts and learn from what has already been piloted and tested across the OECS. This includes not only monitoring and forecasting but also developing effective removal and disposal protocols, investing in research to understand sargassum’s origin and movement, and supporting innovative uses of collected biomass.
The reality is that this issue is not going away. Climate change, changing ocean currents, and nutrient runoff from major river systems in South America are contributing to the expansion of the Atlantic sargassum belt. Our island—like so many others in the Caribbean—must treat sargassum as a long-term challenge that demands serious cross-border coordination and dedicated planning.
It is my hope that our leaders on both sides of the island, together with regional and international partners, can come together to formulate a joint sargassum response plan for Sint Maarten. Waiting until the next wave hits our coastlines is not an option. The health of our people, the sustainability of our tourism product, and the resilience of our marine ecosystems depend on the actions we take today.
Sincerely,
Tadzio Bervoets
Belair, Sint Maarten
