Page 16 - AT

A16 LOCAL
Saturday 2 November 2019

Aruba acts to protect

endangered coral reefs

ORANJESTAD — Less than youth diving group Scubble
a year after announcing Bubbles, to help restore the
a total ban on the use of island’s coral reefs.
single-use plastic, Aruba
has intensified its mea- In its effort to save the cor-
sures to protect its endan- al reefs, the nursery will be
gered coral reefs. In what is used to rehabilitate frag-
claimed to be “the biggest mented reef until it be-
voluntarism project” on the comes sufficiently mature
island over a thousand vol- to be transplanted onto
unteers - locals and visitors the coral reef by Scubble
alike – will congregate on Bubble divers.
the beaches of the Dutch In 2017, the island’s author-
Caribbean Island for the ity banned the use of all
Aruba Reef Care Project. single-use plastic bags, a
measure that was extend-
The volunteers efforts to ed the following year to
clean both snorkel and include plastic cups, straws
dive sites, and beaches, is and Styrofoam boxes. The
now supplemented by a ban will be transitioned
coral nursery, funded by in until 2020. At the same
Aloe Aruba, which was time, sunscreens with oxy- Credits: Facebook & website Travel begins at 40
recently unveiled in Sava- benzone, which damage
neta. Historically, Savaneta the coral, will also be ban- its endangered coral reefs. the need to preserve the September date, an an-
was the island’s capital up ished from the island. Since 1995, the Aruba Reef sea environment. If you are nual National Coastal
to 1797. Aruba intends to be fossil- Care Project has been per- interested in volunteering Clean-Up Day is carried
free by the year 2020 in its haps the best known as well for the organization, email out each November, dur-
Aloe Aruba, which also continued efforts to pre- as largest volunteer envi- Castro Perez at castroper- ing which volunteers make
produces coral-safe sun- serve the island’s natural ronmental initiative on the ez@gmail.com. a clean sweep of Aruba
screen, is partnering local environment and preserve island, raising awareness of If you can’t make the beaches.q