Page 12 - AHATA
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                                                                                                           local Wednesday 23 april 2025


















            ACF and Ban Lanta y Planta give back to nature on Earth Day!



            (Oranjestad)—The     Aruba                                                             peared in the past decade.
            Conservation    Foundation                                                             Since  2017,  all  mangrove
            (ACF),   an   independent                                                              species  in  Aruba  are  pro-
            conservation      manage-                                                              tected by law (AB 2017 no.
            ment  organization,  and                                                               48) and also internationally
            Ban  Lanta  y  Planta  (BLyP),                                                         under  the  SPAW  Protocol
            an organization dedicated                                                              Annex III.
            to  planting  native  trees  to
            restore Aruba’s ecosystem,                                                             It is crucial for the commu-
            joined  forces  to  contribute                                                         nity  to  understand  the  vi-
            to the improvement of Aru-                                                             tal role mangroves play as
            ba’s  nature  in  celebration                                                          habitats  for  small  animals
            of Earth Day. As part of this                                                          like crabs and juvenile fish,
            collaboration,  employees    native plant biodiversity.   ture.  They  were  fortunate   and  as  areas  where  fish
            and  volunteers  from  ACF                                to  have  suitable  weather   and shrimp feed. They also
            and  BLyP  came  together     What types of mangroves     conditions,  and  the  young   provide nesting grounds for
            for a small activity to share   were planted and why?     mangroves  were  ready  to   birds  and  other  animals.
            knowledge and give back      A  total  of  28  mangrove  be  planted  on  Earth  Day,   Mangrove  roots  are  es-
            to Mother Earth by planting   trees  were  planted,  con-  marking the start of this col-  sential  breeding  areas  for
            28  mangrove  trees  grown   sisting of two different spe-  laboration.                creatures  like  crabs  and
            by  ACF  and  BLyP  them-    cies: Avicennia germinans,                                oysters,  and  in  turn,  they  For  more  information,  you
            selves.                      commonly known as Black       Location: Spaans Lagoen     support  millions  of  people.  can contact Aruba Conser-
                                         Mangrove,  and  Conocar-     These  28  mangroves  were   Mangroves also filter runoff  vation Foundation at info@
            This  meaningful  occasion   pus  erectus,  better  known  planted  in  the  protected   water  from  land  before  it  acf.aw, visit their social me-
            began with the active par-   locally as Fofoti.           area of Spaans Lagoen, in    enters the ocean, prevent-   dia pages on Facebook or
            ticipation  of  Prime  Minister   The  Black  Mangrove  typi-  locations  identified  as  suit-  ing  sea  grass  and  coral  Instagram,  or  contact  Ban
            Mike  Eman,  together  with   cally grows on the edges of  able  for  the  species  and   reefs from being smothered  Lanta  y  Planta  at  banlan-
            the  Director  of  the  Direc-  salt flats and near brackish  currently being restored as   by  sediment.  Finally,  man-  tayplanta@gmail.com.q
            torate of Nature & Environ-  water, but it prefers slightly  part of the European Union-  groves provide coastal pro-
            ment,  Gisbert  Boekhoudt.   drier  habitats  because  it  funded RESEMBID program     tection during storms.
            The  team  demonstrated      sometimes struggles to get  project, "Turning the Tide."
            the full process of germinat-  oxygen  when  soil  is  clay-                           It's  important  to  respect
            ing  mangrove  seedlings.    heavy  or  underwater.  The  The planted mangroves will   mangrove  forests.  Do  not
            Next, they will evaluate the   solution  is  that  it  grows  be  monitored  in  the  com-  cut or remove mangroves,
            survival of the plants in na-  special  aerial  roots  called  ing months for growth and   and do not throw trash into
            ture to continue improving   pneumatophores,      which  survival.  It’s  important  to   them.  Keep  a  respectful
            the process of propagation   allow  the  tree  to  breathe  note  that  restoring  man-  distance  and  allow  man-
            and nurturing both types of   – like snorkels. You can rec-  groves  doesn’t  just  mean   groves  space  to  fulfill  their
            trees  in  designated  areas,   ognize  Black  Mangroves  planting  new  ones.  Under   essential role in nature.
            and  later  replant  them  in   by  the  salt  residue  found  the  "Turning  the  Tide"  pilot
            nature.  This  is  to  begin  re-  on  the  underside  of  their  project,  analysis  showed   ACF and BLyP’s
            storing  degraded  areas  of   leaves.                    that  environmental  condi-         Commitment
                                                                      tions – like water flow – also   ACF and BLyP remain com-
                                         The Fofoti is Aruba’s iconic  need  to  be  restored.  At   mitted to restoring Aruba’s
                                         tree that tolerates high sa-  Spaans Lagoen, canals are   nature with native trees to
                                         linity  but  prefers  to  grow  currently being restored to   support  biodiversity  and
                                         near the edges of salt flats  allow the mangroves in the   climate resilience. With the
                                         or  slightly  higher  and  drier  area to grow healthily. The   planting  of  these  young
                                         areas  compared  to  the  ultimate goal is for the eco-   mangroves  on  Earth  Day,
                                         Black Mangrove.              system  to  one  day  restore   they hope to learn how to
                                                                      itself  naturally,  without  the   plant more in the future to
                                            Why these mangrove        need  to  plant  new  man-   enhance  natural  restora-
                                                  species?            groves.                      tion.
                                         ACF and Ban Lanta y Plan-
                                         ta  are  experimenting  with   What can individuals do to   To  get  to  know  the  man-
                                         germination  and  optimal     help the health of Aruba’s   grove  species  better,  you
                                         growth  conditions  for  all     mangrove forests?        can  visit  the  ACF  green-
                                         mangrove species found in  Globally,  mangroves  are      house  located  at  San
                                         Aruba. The goal is to maxi-  under threat, and in Aruba,   Fuego 70, or the Ban Lanta
                                         mize the potential to plant  almost  90%  of  the  island’s   y  Planta  nursery  in  Para-
                                         more mangroves in the fu-    mangroves  have  disap-      guana, Noord.
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