Washington Slagbaai

Salina Wayaca
Brown Pelican at Slagbaai
Historic buildings at Slagbaai
Fresh water stream Pos Amerikano at Washington-Slagbaai
Salina Goto at Washington-Slagbaai
Salina Goto at Washington-Slagbaai
Flamingo's at Salina Slagbaai, part of Washington Slagbaai

Washington Slagbaai

  • Country: 
    Netherlands (Kingdom of the)
  • Site number: 
    202
  • Area: 
    5,853 ha
  • Designation date: 
    23-05-1980
  • Coordinates: 
    12°16'N 68°22'W
Materials presented on this website, particularly maps and territorial information, are as-is and as-available based on available data and do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

Overview

Washington Slagbaai straddles almost one quarter of the island of Bonaire in the Dutch Caribbean. In 2021 the two Ramsar Sites De Slagbaai (Site no. 203) and Het Gotomeer (Site no. 202) were combined to form one new Site. It encompasses six salinas, several fresh water springs and ponds, beach and dune areas, small patches of mangroves and pristine coral reefs, and tropical dry forests leading up to Mount Brandaris, the highest point on Bonaire at 241 metres. Most of the island’s animal and plant species can be found in the Site’s diverse habitats; many are endemic to Bonaire. Washington Slagbaai is a stop-over point for migratory wetland birds, an important foraging site for Caribbean flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber), and a breeding site for terns and snowy plovers (Charadrius nivosus). In the coral reefs many globally threatened corals and groupers can be found. The small sandy beaches are nesting areas for small numbers of globally threatened hawksbill, loggerhead and green turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata, Caretta caretta, Chelonia mydas). Overgrazing by free-roaming goats is the most serious threat to the natural environment. The Site is rich in heritage: the Seru Bentana lighthouse and the ruins of the Malmok lighthouse are among the island’s most important historical landmarks. The original structures of early plantations now house the visitor centre.

Administrative region: 
Bonaire

  • National legal designation: 
    • Island Park - Brasil-Labra
    • National Park - Bonaire National Marien Park
    • National Park - Washington Slagbaai National Park
  • Last publication date: 
    30-09-2021

Downloads

Ramsar Information Sheet (RIS)

Additional reports and documents