The island has no permanent inhabitants, only a few palm-frond-covered sheds for day trippers from Curaçao, and apart from some coconut palms has little vegetation.

A small tanker, the Maria Bianca Guidesman, is gradually being demolished by the constant pounding of the waves since 1988.

The Dutch West India Company were also given licenses to hunt the now extinct Caribbean monk seals on Klein Curaçao.

Once the phosphate was mined out, the level of the island dropped,[clarification needed] and seabird populations plummeted.

[1] It has also been identified as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International as a nesting site for least terns, while its shores are used seasonally by large numbers of migratory waders.

With the elimination of the goats and cats, the island has the potential to become an important seabird nesting location.