Coolen, Q.

Washington Slagbaai National Park management plan 2022-2028

The Washington Slagbaai National Park (WSNP), officially inaugurated in 1969, is the largest terrestrial protected area of Bonaire. In this management plan, we summarize the available scientific knowledge on the geology, ecology and history of the area, identify the main threats, incorporate the advice from stakeholders, and propose actions to safeguard the natural and cultural heritage in the national park.

 

Date
2022
Data type
Research report
Theme
Research and monitoring
Geographic location
Bonaire

Feral goats shape the Caribbean drylands

Goats were introduced to the Caribbean islands almost five centuries ago resulting in direct and indirect changes in terrestrial and surrounding marine ecosystems. We conducted remote sensing, field surveys and field experiments to quantify the top-down effects of feral goats on the vegetation structure and composition of semiarid Aruba and Bonaire. Goats have shaped the vegetation dramatically. Temporal comparisons of vegetation maps indicate an increasing dominance of thorny shrubs. Long-term (8 year) goat exclosures reveal strong limitation of tree recruitment by goat browsing as no seedlings and saplings of late successional hardwood tree species grow outside the exclosures. Feral goats also browse on the three columnar cacti species limiting the establishment of new individuals and reducing adult fecundity thereby shifting population structure towards the dominance of adult cacti. Positive interactions between cacti and other thorny plant species seem unable to significantly reduce the negative effects of current levels of herbivore pressure. On the other hand, goats seem to facilitate the dispersal of small stem-succulent Opuntia cacti in the understory of current thorny shrublands. Our results suggest that the vegetation of these islands may be shifting from dry forests and columnar cacti towards an increasing dominance of thorny shrublands. These strong top-down effects of a novel herbivore on the terrestrial plant communities may exacerbate water runoff and soil erosion with deleterious impacts to the marine ecosystems.

Date
2016
Data type
Other resources
Theme
Research and monitoring
Geographic location
Aruba
Bonaire

Sabal lougheediana (Arecaceae), a critically endangered, endemic palm species from Bonaire

A new palm species, Sabal lougheediana , is described and illustrated. This critically endangered island endemic, native solely to Bonaire, is characterized by a compact crown of leaves, erect leaf segments, distinctive leaf scars, and frequently vascularized fiber bundles in leaflet transection. Detail on history, morphology, range, habitat, and conservation status is presented, along with a diagnostic key.

Key words:  anatomy, Coryphoideae, critically endangered, single-island endemic, Palmae, palms, Southern Caribbean

Date
2019
Data type
Scientific article
Theme
Research and monitoring
Journal
Geographic location
Bonaire