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.