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local Wednesday 14 december 2022

1822 – 2022
200 years of the Protestant Church in Aruba

The purpose behind these
December meetings is to
thank God for 200 years
of the Protestant Church in
Aruba, to wonder afresh at
the love that God has giv-
en us in the coming of His
Son and to invite people to
deepen their faith and/or
reconnect with God.

Saturday 17 December
Christmas sing-along ‘Les-
sons and Carols 2022’ Sing-
ing carols with each other,
hearing the important many carols will be sung mas stollen and mulled Pearl Peters, piano Nora Ritter, violin
biblical texts and prepar- together. An evening with wine in the candlelit church Father Jairo Maduro, trum- Oranjestad church, Satur-
ing for a wonderful, soul- worship, music, poems and garden. pet day 17 December, 7 PM,
stirring Christmas. Various Christmas singing. After the Musicians: Ruth Bonevalle, violin church open from 6.30
musicians will perform, and Christmas concert: Christ- Bert Rodenburg, organ Viola Heutger, violin PM.q

More than 20 new plant species discovered in Aruba

ORANJESTAD – Aruba Na- cies of new plants were the vegetation report for Aruba.
tional Park Foundation, an discovered in Aruba. Aruba.
independent foundation The vegetation study will
in charge of conservation During a period of two As part of the vegeta- provide data that can be
and management of land weeks, Dr. Andre van tion study, the team of used for a preliminary anal-
and marine protected ar- Proosdij and Dr. John Jans- international experts cur- ysis to see how Aruba’s
eas in Aruba, together sen from WUR together with rently in Aruba also did a vegetation has changed
with Wageningen Univer- Erik Houtepen, Head of survey of the areas where in the past 25 years. What
sity & Research (WUR) and Consultancy Department the vegetation study was can be confirmed is that
Carmabi announced that at Carmabi, Giancarlo done in the 1990s, and more than 20 different new
more than 20 different spe- Nunes, Research and also mapped protected plant species were discov-
Conservation Manager at areas that were not part ered for Aruba, and some
FPNA, local partners and of the vegetation study of these species are new
volunteers visited different done previously, and reg- for the ABC islands and and were intentionally or
areas in Aruba like Saliña istered plant species found some are even new for the accidentally introduced
Malmok, Saliña Cerca, in Aruba in the database Dutch Caribbean. About in Aruba. Some of these
Ser’i Teishi and Sero Colo- of plant distribution which half of the new plant spe- plants are invasive and
rado to study more of Aru- was launched last week. cies discovered are native present a threat to Aru-
ba’s vegetation. And finally, the team to the Caribbean region ba’s natural ecosystem.
came to create capacity and can be considered Examples of these are Cyl-
The last vegetation study in our local partners and natural for Aruba’s flora. indropuntia tunicata and
done in Aruba was in the volunteers at organizations Some examples are the Scaevola taccada.
1990s, and it was carried like DNM, StimAruba, Ban Melochia parvifolia and
out by John de Freitas of Lanta y Planta and Santa the Cienfuegosia cf. affinis The data that was collect-
Carmabi. This report was Rosa to equip other orga- (pictured) which were dis- ed about plant and veg-
not published, however, nizations with knowledge covered by local experts. etation species will con-
last year Dutch Caribbean and ability in order to have tribute to improve knowl-
Nature Alliance (DCNA) more people with the ca- The other half of newly dis- edge, understanding and
and WUR allocated funds pacity of carrying out flora covered plants come from conservation of Aruba’s
to complete and publish and vegetation studies for other parts of the world natural patrimony.q