Perhaps most of us are not aware, but mangrove forests are essential to us as humans and to marine life. Giancarlo Nunes is the head of research and conservation of the Aruba National Park Foundation and says that if humans are not aware that the mangroves are so valuable and important, they will not throw out garbage and leave dirt in them.
Not only humans but also animals depend on mangrove vegetation. According to Giancarlo Nunes of the Aruba National Park Foundation the mangroves are the breeding grounds for the sea animals, fish, crap, lobsters etc, all of these animals start their lives in the mangrove forests. Therefore, it is important to keep these parts clean and free of dirt and to avoid touching these important plants.
The message is very clear that companies who want maybe a piece of land to build, for them to know the petition remains to conserve these forests and to educate tourists about the importance of these forests and let them learn a little bit about what is ours and what is protecting us here in Aruba.
The reality is that mangrove forests are already very scarce in Aruba and therefore need extra protection. The mangrove forests have such great value to us as human beings that many of us are still unaware of it. They are also a protection for our coasts. The mangrove system does not stand on its own, the mangrove forest system must be connected to the seaweed and the coral. At the moment with these three, we have a healthy system.
According to Giancarlo Nunes when fish, Crab or lobsters begin their lives, they are born in the mangrove systems and because they are so small the mangrove forests protect them from the larger animals.
When the fish, Crab or lobster become teenagers they enter the mangrove swamp system that surrounds the mangrove forests. If the country has a healthy mangrove system where the fishes are born and if it has the grass system next to it when they become teenagers they go out into the grass and in the grass they are protected where they grow up a little bit bigger and when they become adults they go out into the coral system and so they find the cycle of fish, crab or lobster in the coral system where they are free and when they meet their mates they live and the cycle starts again where the babies are born in the mangroves then they become teenagers go into the grass and then they also grow, the cycle of coral production is so that we can have food for the year on the table, where the fish are cooked. If we don’t have the respect for nature we won’t be able to put as much food on the table as we want.
