Abstract
Vaas, J., P. P. J. Driessen, M. Giezen, F. van Laerhoven, and M. J. Wassen. 2017. Who's in charge here anyway? Polycentric governance configurations and the development of policy on invasive alien species in the semisovereign Caribbean. Ecology and Society 22(4):1. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-09487-220401
Highlights
The Caribbean islands make up one of the world’s 25 global biodiversity hotspots, with about 60% of the region’s 12,000 plant species being endemic (Mittermeier et al 1998, Kairo et al 2003)
We address the development of policy by polycentric governance configurations, taking Caribbean overseas territories and their advancements on invasive alien species (IAS) policy as an example
In the literature on subnational island jurisdictions, multiple factors mediating the coherence between a territory and metropolis are mentioned, which we group together under “stability” and “tightness.” Regarding stability, we look at the continuity of the constitutional configuration, which comprises both the changes made through time and the disputes accompanying those changes (Oostindie and Klinkers 2012, Veenendaal 2014)
Summary
The Caribbean islands make up one of the world’s 25 global biodiversity hotspots, with about 60% of the region’s 12,000 plant species being endemic (Mittermeier et al 1998, Kairo et al 2003). Invasive species pose a major threat to biodiversity in island systems (Baillie et al 2004). On Dutch islands, much research has been conducted on invasive alien species (IAS), such as Coral vine (Antigonon leptopus) (see Coblentz 1980, Jongman et al 2010, Smith et al 2014). This rapidly growing vine smothers native vegetation, threatening biodiversity, which is a major tourist attraction, and overgrows nesting sites of the already threatened native Iguana delicatissima (van der Burg et al 2012). Eustatius is transitioning toward tighter nestedness within Dutch legislature, while at the same time striving for more leeway in decision making
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