WILLEMSTAD – Curaçao is rapidly losing control over its land and coastal areas, while the local population is becoming increasingly powerless in the face of large-scale investment projects. That warning comes from journalist Erwin Raphaëla, who says the absence of formal neighborhood and regional governance structures leaves communities with little say in decisions that directly affect their living environment.
According to Raphaëla, Curaçao’s limited size—just 444 square kilometers—makes the island especially vulnerable. He estimates that roughly half of the coastline is now in private hands, a development that has steadily reduced public access to beaches. Without mechanisms for local participation at the neighborhood or regional level, he argues, decisions about land use risk becoming arbitrary and disconnected from community interests.
Raphaëla observes that land is increasingly being sold or issued under long-term lease to investors from Europe, the United States, and Canada. He says this trend is coming at the direct expense of Curaçaoans. “There will come a time when you can no longer use beaches or land where your grandparents once worked,” he warns. He notes that this shift is particularly visible along the island’s southern and western coasts.
As an example, Raphaëla points to the situation at Marie Pampoen, where only a small stretch of beach remains accessible to local residents, while neighboring tourist developments enjoy extensive private beachfronts. He describes the contrast as stark and deeply felt within the community. Although people talk about it, he says, meaningful resistance has failed to materialize.
He attributes this largely to demographic changes. Many young people, whom he sees as key to civic engagement and activism, have left the island, while the remaining population is aging. “The people who could still make a difference are the youth—and they are no longer here,” Raphaëla says.
The journalist also criticizes the way decisions on land allocation and construction projects are made. According to him, these decisions are often taken centrally, with little to no involvement of the neighborhoods affected. Residents sometimes only discover what has been decided once construction is already underway. Raphaëla cites cases where multiple apartment buildings suddenly rise in front of existing homes, permanently altering views and living conditions. “You can no longer see the sea, and no one ever spoke to you about it,” he says.
Raphaëla fears that this approach increases the risk of opaque decision-making and weakens public trust. Without transparent processes and meaningful local input, he warns, Curaçao risks losing not only physical access to its land and coast, but also democratic control over its own development.