Managing the spread of pretty pink coralita in the Dutch Caribbean

What do you do when an invasive but very pretty plant with pink flowers takes over a Caribbean island, and what we see as a problem is not regarded in the same way by the local residents? 

In this interview Jetske Vaas reflects back on her PhD at the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development at Utrecht University, where she looked into appropriate ways of combating the invasive coralita plant, and tells us about her experiences working with local stakeholders on the Dutch Caribbean island of Saba.

Photo: Elizabeth Haber

You’ve just handed in your PhD, well done! Could you tell us about your research?

“I focused on the management of ‘coralita’ (Antigonon leptopus), an alien invasive species found on the islands of Saba and St. Eustatius in the Dutch Caribbean.” 

What is an alien invasive species?

“It’s the thing ecologists worry about! The alien part implies it comes from somewhere else, and the invasive part that it has some kind of advantage over other plants. In practice it means it spreads really quickly. With its pretty pink flower, coralita was introduced as an attractive garden plant. It now smothers whole vegetations.”

Photo: Jetske Vaas

But managing coralita is a little different from usual, right?

“Yes. Residents dislike it because it overgrows their gardens and gets everywhere, but because agriculture on the island is limited it’s only seen as a vague annoyance. In my research I investigated why people don’t act on this dislike, and through this find appropriate ways to manage its spread”.

What were the main insights you drew from working with the island’s residents?

“That we shouldn't focus on the fact that it’s an invasive plant as a reason for why they need to remove it. Absolutely nothing will get done with this approach. Its periodic removal should instead be a means towards an end that’s worthwhile to the island’s residents.

This could be through developing small-scale agriculture, which the government is trying to encourage to reduce the island’s dependence on imports. But it could also be through gardening, or building and maintaining children’s playgrounds”. 

Photo: Tessa Posthuma de Boer for Faces of Science

What are the major challenges of your research?

“It was hard to make my research both scientifically interesting and relevant and valuable for the day to day reality of the people living on Saba and St. Eustatius. The methods we use are not always suited to differences in the way people live across the world. Although they always produce results, they may not capture the way people view and interact with nature. I struggled with this”.

How was it working so closely with societal stakeholders?

“The residents of Saba and St. Eustatius are so used to foreigners coming and starting projects which don’t achieve what they set out to do. Yet they still engage and participate. I found this really cool.

Photo: Jens Odinga

What was challenging was the island is really small. My role as a scientist - an objective outsider - in a community of only a few thousand could sometimes offend people. I had to get to know the island’s residents; birthday parties, going to church, and visiting schools. This said, it’s what I most enjoyed in the end!”

Jetske will defend her PhD thesis on 5th December from 14:30 to 15:15 at Utrecht University Hall.

Further reading

Vaas, J., Driessen, P.P.J., Giezen, M., van Laerhoven, F. S. J & Wassen, M. J. (2019). Let me tell you your problems” - Using Q methodology to elicit latent problem perceptions about invasive alien species. Geoforum 99, 120-131.

Vaas, J., Driessen, P.P.J., Giezen, M., van Laerhoven, F. S. J. & Wassen, M.J. (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).