Tadzio bervoets was born and raised on St. Maarten, where nature was his playground. From his first swimming and snorkeling lessons at age 7, Bervoets was entranced by coral reefs, fish and especially sharks. But as he grew up, became a professional diver and noticed negative changes along the reef, "the ocean became something more than recreation," he says. "It became my passion." Now one of the leading conservationists in the Caribbean, Bervoets' passion is his life's work. He's the managing director of the St. Maarten Nature Foundation, which spearheaded the creation of the Man of War Shoal Marine Park, St. Maarten's first protected marine area. He is also director of the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance, where he coordinates regional and international efforts to protect the Caribbean's fragile ecosystems. The DCNA drove the establishment of the Yarari Marine Mammal and Shark Sanctuary around Saba and Bonaire. In 2020, Bervoets co-founded the Caribbean Shark Coalition to increase and streamline the collection of data on sharks by organizations throughout the islands.
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