Stichting KibraHacha heeft in samenwerking met STINAPA en CIEE twee lezingen georganiseerd over herbebossing en geiten. Dr. Dolfi Debrot van Carmabi op Curaçao vertelde over zijn jarenlange ervaring met herbebossing op Curaçao en Bonaire.Zie hieronder het Engelstalige persbericht over de lezing.Een Papiamentstalig artikel uit de Extra is te vinden onder het kopje In de pers aan de rechterkant van deze pagina.
Een verontrustende constatering: door voedselgebrek wordt de schors van de kadushi-cactussen gegeten door de geiten. Dit betekent de dood van de tientallen jaren oude cactus-bomen. De bloemen en vruchten van deze cactus zijn belangrijke voedselbronnen voor de vleermuizen, leguanen en vogels zoals de lora.Restoration through Reforestation: Washington Slagbaai National Park
The urgent need for reforestation on Bonaire is evident upon entering our national park, Washington-Slagbaai, where in the first 100 meter you will have already seen almost the
entire variety of vegetation you can expect to find throughout the rest of the park. This is the consequence of human impacts on our environment. In the past, wood cutting was a common and intensive practice, and at present we are experiencing uncontrolled and widespread goat grazing. In the early days, Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao were islands populated with large evergreen trees, more than 300 different species. What can be done to bring our national parks and protected areas back to their former semblances was the subject of the second installation of CIEE’s annual lecture series.
On Friday, February 5th CIEE welcomed CARMABI Director, Dr. Dolfi Debrot. Dr. Debrot presented to a full house about the initiation and progress of his decade-long reforestation work on the islands of Curacao and Bonaire, a project made possible by a donation from the Prins Bernhard Cultuur Fonds.
Dr. Debrot demonstrated the success of his long-term efforts by showing before and after pictures from different sites which he has been restoring and protecting. He explained that by planting in areas which are already relatively protected, such as Klein Curacao and Klein Bonaire and the national parks of both islands, seedlings are less likely to be preyed upon, trampled, or out-competed. One of the main inhibitors to plant success and diversity has been introduced goats. Dr. Debrot discovered that around 6000 goats live in the Washington-Slagbaai national park. These opportunistic grazers have reduced the vegetation to only those plants which are well-defended or
unpalatable. Due to this shortage even the bark of the kadushi cactus is considered food and this leads to their demise. The flowers and fruits of this cactus are an important food source for bats, Iguana and the Lora. To reduce the intrusive and destructive nature of goat migration a fence is being installed around the park which is expected to prevent these animals from entering.
Once goats and other non-native herbivores, such as donkeys and cows, have been excluded reforestation efforts will have a better chance of success.
With reforestation it’s important to use different trees. A diversity of trees means that there will be diversity in their seasons and thus the potential for food sources to be present throughout the year for the birds, animals and insects which depend on them for survival.
Links op de foto een stuk dat sinds 2007 niet meer toegankelijk is voor geiten: de regeneratie van bomen en kruiden is hier mogelijk.In the past ten years Dr. Debrot has gained knowledge about reforestation on our semiarid islands, and has the following recommendations about planting indigenous trees:
• Plant small trees (20-30 cm high) in the shade of another tree or cactus.• Place large stones around it, this way more rainwater will seep into the soil in concentrated places.• Only water in the wet season if really necessary, like this year.• Don't water the trees in the dry season (from March till October), the plants are in their natural resting period. If the trees would get water in the dry season, they would get fresh leaves and attract ants, iguanas and soldachis.Last but not least: Protecting an area against goats is a good way to stimulate naturalregeneration of trees and herbs.
In an atmosphere of increased environmental awareness, it seems there is no better time than now to begin taking steps towards restoring the diverse ecosystems which once characterized the islands of Bonaire and Curacao. Dr. Debrot has done much to initiate this effort and in learning from his experiences, we are now empowered to continue to carry out his work by making choices which are in the best interest of our natural environment. We should try to reduce the impact that goats, donkeys and pigs have on their surroundings; plant natives in our home gardens; and, try to preserve and protect the vegetation already present on our property.
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Een verontrustende constatering: door voedselgebrek wordt de schors van de kadushi-cactussen gegeten door de geiten. Dit betekent de dood van de tientallen jaren oude cactus-bomen. De bloemen en vruchten van deze cactus zijn belangrijke voedselbronnen voor de vleermuizen, leguanen en vogels zoals de lora.
Links op de foto een stuk dat sinds 2007 niet meer toegankelijk is voor geiten: de regeneratie van bomen en kruiden is hier mogelijk.
