Page 8 - aruba-today-20240423

a8 local
Tuesday 23 april 2024

FPNA changes to its new identity "Aruba Conservation Foundation"

Yesterday, the indepen- foundation underwent a
dent nature conservation comprehensive strategic
organization known as process from 2020 to 2022
Fundacion Parke Nacio- to determine its new direc-
nal Aruba (FPNA) took the tion for the coming years.
opportunity of Earth Day to
reveal its transformation, In June of last year, they
now becoming the Aruba launched the strategy for
Conservation Foundation the next 10 years, part of
(ACF). which involved transition-
ing from a park manage-
In an interview with Ede- ment organization to a
line Berg, who serves as the conservation and nature
communications & market- organization. At that time,
ing manager, Tyson Lopez, they introduced the Multi
CEO of the foundation, Annual Corporate Strategy
and Natasha Silva, who is 2023–2032, which marks
the conservation director, the organization's first stra-
they revealed that since tegic map responding to
June of last year, they have new ecological, social,
been discussing the organi- and economic challenges,
zation's transition from be- emphasizing conservation,
ing a park management sustainability, biodiversity,
organization to a conserva- ecological system improve-
tion organization. ment, and restoration initia-
Over the past 7 years, the tives.
foundation has expanded
its role and responsibilities For this reason, they de-
beyond managing Arikok cided to rebrand because
National Park, being ap- many people in the com-
pointed to manage several munity recognized them
additional protected areas as "Arikok Park", to make
around Aruba. their work more under-
standable, to align with
In 2017, they began to un- the new strategic direction
dertake more conserva- and conservation actions
tion actions, where some- of ACF to change the per-
times the community didn't ception and image of a
fully understand what they traditional park manage-
were doing, such as clos- ment organization that
ing an illegal entrance to impact on nature," Lopez added to the foundation's management. only operates within park
the park at Shete, an unau- explained. responsibilities, and in 2019, boundaries and focuses
thorized entry in the park's the Marine Park, consisting In 2020, 11 additional terres- solely on recreation. Thus,
design. "That was to try to This year, the mangrove of four protected marine trial areas were added to they adopted their new
minimize pathways to have and saline RAMSAR site areas, was officially placed the management, includ- direction as a modern con-
fewer cars running with less #198 Spaans Lagoon was under the organization's ing areas like Duinen Sa- servation management or-
sarawichi, Saliña Malmok, ganization.
Rooi Lamunchi, and Costa
Sero Colorado, among oth- Today, ACF reaffirms its po-
ers. sition as Aruba's steward for
nature, with the organiza-
Additionally, the founda- tion acting and advocat-
tion actively participates ing for the protection, pres-
in conservation efforts, in- ervation, and restoration
cluding collaboration with of the island's ecological
various local and interna- system and biodiversity, re-
tional NGOs for programs minding locals and visitors
such as conservation of of their connection to na-
the Shoco (owl), mangrove ture.
and coral restoration, rein- "The idea is that we priori-
troduction of the endemic tize nature and recreation
and extinct Lora (parrot) comes after because we
in Aruba, management of also understand that recre-
invasive species, and edu- ation is important because
cation within the Aruban people need to connect
community, especially for with nature to appreci-
school children. ate it. But nature comes
first, and that's what we've
For better management of been doing in recent years
the expanding tasks and as well, even with, for ex-
to mitigate the increas- ample, wanting to install
ing pressure on nature, the the wind turbine at q