A Greener Bonaire Begins With the Trees We Already Have

Think planting trees is the first step to a greener planet? On Bonaire, the truth is more urgent: protecting the trees we already have comes first. Mature trees provide shade, stabilize soil, and support life — benefits that seedlings can’t replace for decades.

A Mature Tree Is Not Replaceable

A mature tree is not just wood and leaves. It is living infrastructure.

It cools streets and homes.
It provides shade in a hot, dry climate.
It stabilizes soil.
It shelters birds and insects.
It stores years — sometimes decades — of carbon.

When a grown tree is removed for a development site, a road expansion, or new construction, we lose all of that immediately.

Planting a seedling does not replace that loss. Not this year. Not in five years. Maybe not even in decades. On an island where growth is slow and conditions are harsh, time matters.

This Is Not Only About Forests

When we speak about conservation, we often imagine distant rainforests. But the destruction of grown trees also happens quietly, right before our eyes:

• A tree cleared for a new home
• Several removed for a parking lot
• Shade trees lost during infrastructure upgrades

A mature tree down the street is not a detail. It is protection. On Bonaire, shade reduces heat stress, and vegetation is one of the few natural defenses we have against erosion and desertification.

If we celebrate planting while continuing to remove grown trees, we are not progressing. We are reversing our own efforts.

Without Mature Trees, There Are No Seedlings

There is something we rarely acknowledge: seedlings come from mature trees.

A seedling does not magically appear from good intentions. It comes from a tree that has reached reproductive maturity. On Bonaire, where conditions are dry and harsh, that process takes years. Sometimes many years.

A tree must survive wind, drought, heat, and grazing before it can produce seeds. It must establish deep roots before it can give life to the next generation.

If we remove mature trees faster than they can reproduce, we are not just losing shade and carbon storage — we are cutting off the future supply of life.

Reforestation depends on existing trees.
Nature depends on continuity.
A generation cannot grow from nothing.

When organizations such as Tera Barra speak about “making Bonaire green again in one generation,” the vision is inspiring. But that vision can only succeed if the mature trees that still stand today are protected first.

Because without seed-bearing trees, what exactly are we planning to reforest with?

Protect First. Then Plant

Reforestation is valuable. Restoration is necessary. Planting trees on degraded land is important work.

But priorities matter.

If we truly want to make Bonaire green again in one generation, the strategy must begin with protection:

1. Preserve existing mature trees wherever possible
2. Integrate tree protection into development planning
3. Avoid unnecessary clearing
4. Educate the community about the ecological value of grown trees
5. Restore degraded areas thoughtfully and scientifically

Planting trees is an act of hope.
Protecting trees is an act of responsibility — and our (green) future depends on it.