For decades, streetlights along Statia’s Bay Road have posed a quiet threat to one of the island’s most important nesting beaches. Now, thanks to a new partnership between STENAPA and STUCO, that’s changing. One lightbulb at a time.
St. Eustatius’s shores are a critical nesting ground for Green, Hawksbill (Critically Endangered), and Leatherback (Vulnerable) sea turtles. Standard streetlighting can disrupt nesting females and disorient hatchlings, pulling them away from the sea and toward the road instead of the waves.
The fix: warm-toned, sea turtle-friendly lightbulbs in amber, orange, and red tones, installed along the Bay Road adjacent to the nesting beach. These lights still keep the road safe for drivers, but no longer compete with the moonlight and the sound of the waves that hatchlings rely on to find the open sea.
Through the WWF-NL-funded STRAP project, STENAPA collaborated with STUCO and the Statia Government to replace the bright white streetlights beside a key sea-turtle nesting beach on Bay Road with warm, turtle-friendly lighting to reduce disturbance and disorientation.
WWF Dutch Caribbean is proud to have funded this project through the Sea Turtle Recovery Action Plan (STRAP) for the Dutch Caribbean, and applauds STENAPA, STUCO, and the Government of St. Eustatius for making it happen.
What you can do
- Encounter a nesting turtle or hatchlings on Bay Road, St. Eustatius? Turn off bright lights, keep your distance, and stay behind the turtle at all times.
- Call STENAPA for assistance: +599 319 5180 or +599 319 4266.
- Follow @stenapa / @wwfdutchcaribbean for updates.