Terrestrial park map of Aruba
Submitted by Peter Verweij on Wed, 11/29/2017 - 11:16Aruba National Parks, created from coastline and traced from image files.
Central repository for biodiversity related research and monitoring data from the Dutch Caribbean
Aruba National Parks, created from coastline and traced from image files.
Raw data of terrestrial bird observation on St.Eustatius by STENAPA. Observation include habitat, observer, plot, transect/point observation, species, number of individuals, heard/seen the bird, distance, etc.
Please contact STENAPA for more information.
Map (GIS) showing the economic values of terrestrial ecosystems on Saba for:
See this report for more information
For illustration, the excerpt below shows the carbon sequestration:
Terrestrial park map of Saba (GIS) digitized on google Earth by Kai Wulf for printing purposes. Exact borders might be slighltly different.
The document also contains an older versoin of the park boundaries by Huggins, R., Haberkorn, D. and Nijhof, B from the nineteen nineties. Exact date old version unknown.
Map (GIS) showing the economic values of terrestrial ecosystems on St. Eustatius for:
See this report for more info.
For illustration, the excerpt below shows the total economic value
St. Eustatius National Parks, created from coastline and traced from image files.
Terrestial protected area map of Bonaire (GIS). Bonaire Washington Slagbaai Terrestrial Protected Area is traced using coastline and plantation boundaries with image file as reference.
About 210 resident and migratory bird species are found on the island of Bonaire. More than half of these species are landbirds. Some of the landbirds are endemic subspecies. Despite its small area, Birdlife International designated five Important Bird Areas (IBAs) on Bonaire. This manual is a working tool for STINAPA employees and volunteers doing landbird surveys on Bonaire.
1) The monitoring program covers the areas considered potential habitat for feeding, nesting, and roosting of the selected species of landbirds on Bonaire. 2) Surveys are conducted at least twice per year (February-March and September-October). About 10 days are needed per sampling period. 3) Morning counts start after sunrise and stop at 10:00 hours. Afternoon counts start at 16:00 hours and stop before sunset. 4) At least two observers are needed for the collection of count and supplementary data related to habitat, food, disturbance, and other factors that may affect species detection and abundance at sampling units (fixed on-road and off-road points). 5) Additional information are collected about uncommon observations, such as large flocks in roosting areas, nesting activity, the presence of predators, and any other observation that may be of interest for research, monitoring, and management purposes. The location of these observations is recorded using GPS units. Date, time, and additional comments are also recorded. When possible photos are taken to provide complete documentation for future reference and consultation as needed. 6) Weather conditions are recorded as part of standard data collection. 7) Just like any other activity conducted by STINAPA Bonaire, human safety is always considered a priority over the completion of survey activities.
There are 330 parrot species worldwide, of which a third is threatened with extinction. The Yellow-shouldered Amazon (Amazona Barbadensis) is a parrot species found in northern Venezuela and on the Caribbean islands Margarita, La Blanquilla and Bonaire. The total population size is estimated at 3.000-10.000 parrots, which has led the IUCN to classify its global condition as vulnerable. The population size on Bonaire is estimated at 800 parrots.
The goal of this study was to examine both the threats A. Barbadensis is facing on Bonaire and the opportunities to resolve them. Three methods were used during this process. First a literature study was conducted regarding the population dynamics of A. Barbadensis on Bonaire, resulting in a quantification of the different population parameters and environmental factors, affecting the parrot population. Secondly, a population dynamics simulation model was used to determine the sensitivity to changes in these environmental factors and population parameters. The model was finally used to analyze the impact of several scenarios on the population size over a period of 200 years.
The most important factor constraining the growth of the parrot population on Bonaire, is the limited number of nest sites in both trees and cliffs. Nest site limitation is inferred from the fact that only 21.5% of the population breeds annually. The low supply of tree cavities is caused by the exotic and invasive goats and donkeys who are responsible for the degraded state of the vegetation since their introduction in the 16th century. An eradication program would allow the ecosystem to restore to its natural balance. A. Barbadensis would benefit by increased survival in all life stages due to a substantial increase in food resources, which will prevent the parrots from having to visit the hazardous urban areas, and by an increase in the number of nest sites. The scenario exploring the effects of this drastic measure reveals a population growth to several thousands of parrots.
It must be noted however that this scenario does not include any density dependant factors that would eventually limit the growth rate.
The population is most sensitive to changes in juvenile and adult survival, which corresponds with the r/K selection theory and another theoretical viability study regarding A. Barbadensis. Conservation initiatives should therefore focus on increasing their survival as it will be more beneficial to the persistence of the species than improving upon chick survival and female reproductivity.
The exact effects of climatic stochasticity on parrots are not well known. This study assumed the climate affected both survival in all life stages as well as reproduction. Changes in the impact of the climatic stochasticity showed a high sensitivity, which emphasizes the need for a better understanding of the impact the climate has on the survival and reproductive parameters of A. Barbadensis. The parrot population on Bonaire can be considered as viable as the current conditions will not lead to extinction, nor will any of the other scenarios examined in this study. However, the reality might consist of a combination of these scenarios, affecting the parrot population more severely. It is therefore recommended, as a bare minimum conservational approach, to maintain the annual count of the population size in order to readily notice a decline in population size, enabling counter measures to be taken accordingly.