Coastal forests and mangroves protect the coast from wind damage, salt spray, coastal erosion, typhoons, and can even save human lives during a tsunami. It is stressed that these coastal bioshields cannot provide complete protection; they must be part of a regional plan to reduce the risk of loss of life, property and infrastructure to an acceptable level. Coastal forests and mangroves need to be restored and even created to enhance the capacity of estuaries and coastal waters to provide ecological services to the human population living on their shores.
Environmental degradation can only be remedied by restoring some of the working of the ecosystem, helping the partially restored system improve itself naturally, and improving the robustness of the ecosystem and its ability to absorb human stress. Ecohydrology provides technology for mitigating the impact on the coastal zone of human activities, using or enhancing the natural capacity of the water bodies to absorb or process nutrients and pollutants from human activities.
Fragments of Hope is a community-based organization in Placencia, Belize focusing primarily on the challenge of coral reef restoration and sustainable management of associated habitats including lagoon and mangrove ecosystems. Our members include local fishers and tour guides collectively working with the Belize Fisheries Department, local conservation organization, international researchers and the local community.
There are 236 registered species of birds in Aruba. More than three quarters of these are migratory. Aruba has two endemic subspecies :
the Shoco and the Prikichi as locals know them; our Burrowing Owl and Brown-throated Parakeet. Aruba Birdlife Conservation is dedicated to protection and conservation of native habitat that makes Aruba unique in the world.
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