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Eco Destination

By Greg Tasker

Resorts operate in the green to protect reefs, beaches and bays

Long known for pristine dive sites, Curaçao well understands that its tourism business will only endure in an eco-friendly environment. So several island resorts strive to operate in the green. Among the best known of these environmentalists are Sunset Waters Beach Resort, Lions Dive & Beach Resort, and Papagayo Beach Resort, each doing its part to reduce visitors' impact on the land and water. Sunset Waters Beach Resort is home to Lee's Reef Project, an environmental and educational effort to preserve Curaçao's vibrant coral reefs and shorelines, especially around Saint Martha Bay. The project is named for the late Lee Harris, one of the resort's owners, who promoted greenness and ecotourism long before it became fashionable. Harris created ecoadventures for his guests and developed a snorkel trail through nearby waters.

The goal of Lee's Reef Project is to preserve the mouth of Saint Martha Bay, and to demonstrate how protecting its delicate breeding grounds will benefit Curaçao in many ways, including economically. Educational programs help to teach children the importance of the island's treasures. One recent conservation project was to create a low-cost, state-of-the-art, tertiary water treatment system, allowing Sunset Waters to reuse wastewater for landscaping, to prevent pollution from spilling into the bay, and to avoid harming the fragile ecosystem.

Lions Dive & Beach Resort calls itself "the natural place to stay," not only because of its fortuitous setting alongside Curaçao Underwater Park but also because of its practices to save water and energy and to monitor waste and wastewater. Papagayo Beach Resort, at Jan Thiel Bay, follows similar policies: saving water and energy by reducing and processing waste and wastewater.