Forests on the semi-arid ABC islands (12) – Forests, natural areas in danger (A)

Forests worldwide are under threat. This includes forests on our islands. Television and newspapers regularly report that forests are being cut down, burned, bulldozed, plundered, and so on. Terms like biodiversity, habitat destruction, impoverishment, and erosion are all used to illustrate the threats to forests. But what exactly does all this mean? What actually happens when a piece of forest is removed while many others remain? And what about this process on our islands?

Forests on the semi-arid ABC islands (11) – Cacti; special trees

The most picturesque plant on our islands is simply the cactus, and especially the columnar cactus. On the islands there are three different native columnar cacti that each have their own name on each of the islands. Learn how to differentiate between them.

Forests on the semi-arid ABC islands (10) – Trees in our local history

Our history is full of trees. Used as building materials, as a food supply for humans and livestock, to tan leather of to make quicklime, the stories are ample.

Forests on the semi-arid ABC islands (9) – Sick; swallow a tree!

The active fight of plants against natural attacks, such as predation by insects and other animals, fungi that want to invade and fauna that use parts of the plants, has resulted in a variety of defence mechanisms. Some of these are highly beneficial to human kind.

Forests on the semi-arid ABC islands (8) – Trees under the magnifying glass

If you want a forest, you need trees. Trees are special organisms that are more complex than we often think. The ease with which trees are cut down would be a lot less if we realized how much a tree has had to go through to become as big and wide as we see it.

Forests on the semi-arid ABC islands (7) – Local forests under the magnifying glass

Biologically, a distinction is made between different types of vegetation on our islands, and therefore different types of forests. The distinction is closely related to the geological composition of the soil on our small islands.

Forests on the semi-arid ABC islands (6) – Microclimates on a tree

One tree can have a variety of microclimates suitable to a wide array of species of animals, other plants, fungi, lichen and more.

Forests on the semi-arid ABC islands (5) – Undergrowth and Canopy

Forests have layers, called the undergrowth, middle layer and canopy. Even with the semi-arid environment of Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao the mondi also has layers, only not as impressive and pronounced.

Forests on the semi-arid ABC islands (4) – ‘Sexy’ forest: the Amazon

There is no tropical rainforest in the world as famous as the Amazon rainforest, an area of approximately 7 million square kilometres where more than half of all the rainforest in the world is located. This tropical jungle is spread over nine different countries.

Forests on the semi-arid ABC islands (3) – Forests and climate

Forests worldwide have more than just the function of a habitat (place to live) for plants and animals. The large numbers of trees and other plants in forests together provide a large part of the oxygen that humans and other animals so desperately need to survive.

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