Kralendijk – Over the past few decades, Bonaire’s dry forest has been devastated. Unsustainable deforestation and non-native animal predation of flora have caused mass degradation to the Yellow-shouldered amazon parrot’s habitat.

In 2015, Echo Bonaire started their first exclusion reforestation area in Washington-Slagbaii national park. The fenced areas keep invasive donkeys, goats, and pigs out to protect the land from further degradation.

The zone was planted in two phases over 2015 & 2016 with highlighted achievements being:

As one of their long term conservation projects, Echo Bonaire continuously revisit all eleven of the reforestation zones on a regular basis for monitoring, data collection and the occasional removal of a goat or two.

The team recently revisited this zone to carry out vital maintenance work to the fence after it was damaged from a fallen tree. If left unattended, the trees would have been predated by the non-native herbivores on the island, turning the growing forest back into desert-like shrubland.

Luckily, the team got there before any plants could be supper!  Although these trees were planted over five years ago, they still require care and attention on a regular basis. This commitment ensures the forests on Bonaire can once again be returned to its diverse and beautiful ecosystem for future generations of people and parrots to enjoy.