Maho, Sint Maarten — The Nature Foundation Sint Maarten is pleased to announce the installation of a new awareness sign in the arrival area of Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA) as part of the Keep the Reef Off the Runway campaign, funded by the CITES Secretariat.
The campaign aims to raise awareness about the importance of leaving marine life and natural materials where they belong and discouraging visitors from collecting shells, corals, and other marine species as souvenirs.
In 2025 alone, more than 6,000 kilograms of marine materials — including shells, corals, and rocks — were confiscated at the airport. This staggering amount highlights the importance of raising awareness among visitors about the impacts and legal implications of removing marine materials from Sint Maarten.
The newly installed sign delivers a simple but important message to visitors from the moment they arrive on Sint Maarten: “Our beaches are not souvenir shops.”
By placing the message in the airport’s arrival area, the Nature Foundation hopes to encourage visitors to make responsible choices before they even visit the island’s beaches and coastal areas. Visitors are encouraged to enjoy Sint Maarten’s natural beauty, take photographs, and create memories, while leaving shells and other marine life in their natural environment.
Removing shells and other marine organisms from beaches can have consequences for coastal ecosystems. Shells can provide shelter for marine organisms, contribute to the natural processes of beaches, and play an important role within coastal ecosystems.
There is also an important legal aspect to consider. Many of the marine species confiscated at the airport are listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and are therefore subject to international trade regulations. Other species and marine organisms may also be protected under local legislation. This means that taking marine life home as a souvenir can have legal consequences, in addition to contributing to the removal of wildlife from its natural environment.
“We hope that the sign will serve as an early reminder that protecting Sint Maarten’s natural environment is a shared responsibility,” said a Nature Foundation Representative. “We want visitors to understand that our beaches and reefs are living ecosystems, not places to collect souvenirs. By reaching people when they first arrive on the island, we have an opportunity to set that message from the beginning of their visit.”
The Nature Foundation Sint Maarten thanks Princess Juliana International Airport and the CITES Secretariat for their support in making this initiative possible.
