Page 10 - AHATA

Monday 31 July 2023 locAl
A10

Episode 30
Insular Echo Alert

a small island will soon
reach its tipping point. A
sign of overpopulation, na-
ture destruction and stress
will also raise the cost of
healthcare, doing business,
safety and security in gen-
eral.

Bats navigate by echolo-
cation and they are noc-
turnal. These flying mam-
mals bring many benefits to
our ecosystems. More than
eight species live in our na-
tional park and elsewhere
and different species pro- farmers don’t have to in- bird and delicious cactus
vide different benefits. vest as much in pesticides. dates, say thank you to the
Some pollinate plants, oth- Imagine a teenage boy bats.
Our fragile local biosphere dustry we depend upon? ers eat insects, many serve eating 200 quarter-pound
is about the tiny regions of Irony is that since 1987 a as prey to other animals, burgers — that’s how much Just as some bats rely on
the surface of our planet rough estimate of 72% of and they all inspire scientific a bat eats in insects on an thousands of insects each
that sustains life of species what was left of a forest discoveries. Some species average night! night for survival, other ani-
not found elsewhere. covered Oranjestad in the live in batholite formations mals in the ecosystem rely
17th century (beginning for and in many islands caves, Several species of bats of on bats for their calories.
Life can only handle as Cumaná area, close to the abandoned houses, mines Aruba eat nectar. Many Hawks, falcons, and owls
much stress which eco- Airport, stretching North and in cavities that form types of our endemic eat bats, and mammals
nomic progress demands East to Ponton hill , than within mature Breba cac- plants of our ecosystem like cats, and rats and intru-
of it. Revenue seekers in South to the bay). Imagine tuses. Caves are complex rely on bats for pollination sive reptiles like boas some-
most of the time do not big old 300 year Kwihi trees and unique ecosystems and seed dispersal, such times attack bats while
consider a green ap- ( Prosopis Juliflora) whit that provide homes for a as quedebexii, huliba the they roost. Technological
proach. Consequences thickness of 4 to 5 feet in diversity of creatures from agave species, candela- advances in engineering
are in our face, results of a diameter. insects to amphibians and bra cacti’s etc., All around has incorporated some of
free for all attitude ignoring fish as well as mammals like the island and in our na- bats’ special features like of
irreparable damage to the Etnia Nativa’s point of view wood rats and bats. Many tional park, long-nose and their wing membranes and
island as whole as our sus- is decimation of natural of these creatures can only long-tongue bats are per- echolocation have inspired
tainable economic asset habitat is desertification. survive within the cave, fectly adapted to pollinate Drones that have thin and
as top tourist destination. Thankful that we are out of and they rely on nutrients these plants, and they pro- flexible bat-like wings are.
Lessons learned here and the so called hurricane belt carried into the cave by vide extensive value to the The wingsuits used by base
elsewhere must be put in however to bulldoze one water or other animals. Bats agricultural industry. So next jumpers take more than a
action. Isn’t it exactly our football pitch size of land benefit caves by providing time you see our agave few tips from bats’ aerody-
nature, plants and animals after another for Aruba is important nutrients in their in bloom, happy mocking namic feacher.q
that really take care of our worse than all-natural di- guano (better fertilizer than birds, a zooming humming
ecosystem and life on this sasters, just to build houses cow manure!) that support
rock? Isn`t this the only in- for sale. The effect on such the growth of communities
of cave organisms.

Bats eat insects, ” are so-
called ‘insectivorous’.
They feast on insects each
night, adding up to more
than 3 million AWG worth
of pest control each year
on the island. When bats
are around to eat insects,
there are fewer insect pests
causing damage to crops
and gardens. If agriculture
is to become the next call,