WILLEMSTAD – The World Wide Fund for Nature the Netherlands (WWF-NL) supports international nature conservation by making financial resources available for innovative projects in and outside the Netherlands. WWF-NL’s INNO-Fund is also available for projects on the Dutch Caribbean islands and in Suriname. The maximum subsidy is 10.000 euros per project.

The INNO-Fund aims to support small organizations in nature conservation projects. The fund is intended as start-up money for all kinds of projects, for example for education, research, capacity building etc. Applications can be submitted no later than 30 June 2023 via the webpage https://www.wwf.nl/wat-we-doen/actueel/inno-fonds/aanvraag.

An example of a project that previously received a subsidy from the INNO-Fund is the RoffaReefs pilot project. RoffaReefs has designed a system to breed marine fish larvae, both in aquariums and in the wild. This start-up, founded in Diergaarde Blijdorp, is testing this fish breeding system in Bonaire’s waters. It is interesting to explore the role that fish can play in maintaining or improving the ecosystem. Reef fish are important for the health of coral reefs because they eat algae that is growing on the coral reef.  Excessive algae growth can suffocate corals and can cause them to die.