Aruba Conservation Foundation is applying assisted natural regeneration at Aima Coa as part of a pilot effort to help damaged dry habitat recover with limited intervention.
Pilot covers about 3.6 hectares
The project covers approximately 3.6 hectares of dry savanna in Arikok National Park. ACF said clear signs of recovery may take at least five years to appear.
The method starts by identifying pressures that prevent natural recovery. In Aruba these can include free-roaming goats, donkeys and horses, invasive plants, erosion, disturbed soil, drought and reduced seed sources.
Protection comes before planting
Assisted natural regeneration reduces those pressures, protects vegetation already growing and uses ongoing monitoring to determine whether the habitat is recovering. The approach does not assume that planting more trees is always the first or best step.
ACF presented the work through its Naturalesa ta Papia knowledge programme and encouraged residents to choose native plants, limit invasive species and keep grazing animals controlled.
Source: NoticiaCla — ACF habitat restoration and assisted natural regeneration
