Planting Is Easy. Protecting Is a Choice.

In my previous blog, I argued that a greener future begins with protecting the trees we already have — not just planting new ones. On Bonaire, where growth is slow and conditions are harsh, every mature tree matters.

But that raises a deeper question:

If protecting nature is so important, why do we so often choose not to do it?

Why do we plant trees, restore reefs, and launch new projects — while, at the same time, allowing what already exists to disappear?

The Appeal of Starting Fresh

Planting a tree feels good.

It is visible. Immediate. Hopeful.
You can take a photo, share it, and say: I did something good today.

Protecting a tree is different.

It is often invisible.
Nothing changes. Nothing grows in front of your eyes.
You are simply preventing loss.

And that is harder to celebrate.

Control vs. Responsibility

When we plant something, we are in control.

We choose the place. The species. The moment.
It is an action that begins with us.

Protection is different.

It requires restraint. It requires saying no.
No to cutting. No to clearing. No to “development at any cost.”

That kind of responsibility is less attractive — because it limits us.

The Discomfort of Inconvenience

Protecting existing nature often gets in the way.

A mature tree might stand exactly where someone wants to build.
Cacti might be cleared to make land easier to use.
Green spaces are often seen as obstacles rather than assets.

So we remove them — and later try to compensate by planting something new.

It feels like a solution.
But replacing a mature tree with a seedling is not a delay — it is a reset.

Looking Away Is Easier

Not protecting nature is not always a conscious decision.

Often, it is something more passive.

We see a tree being removed.
We notice land being cleared.
We recognize that something valuable is being lost.

And we look away.

Not because we agree — but because intervening feels uncomfortable. It may require questioning someone’s actions, raising a concern, or stepping into conflict.

Looking away becomes the easier option.

But when enough people choose not to act, silence becomes permission.

And what could have been protected quietly disappears.

On Bonaire, this is not an abstract idea — it is a daily reality.

When Protection Becomes Optional

Recently, I filed a complaint about land being cleared, the removal of trees and cacti — including photos and a clear location — with the government on Bonaire ( Directie Toezicht en Handhaving).

The complaint was submitted on January 16.

More than two months later, I received a response: they could not find the location.

After more than two months, the conclusion was not that the damage had been investigated — but that it could not be located.

No follow-up. No urgency. No visible effort to verify what had been reported.

And that raises another uncomfortable question:

What happens when reporting leads to no visible action?

Over time, it risks discouraging people from speaking up at all.
It becomes easier to assume that nothing will change.
And slowly, the effort to report is replaced by silence.

In that way, inaction does not just fail to protect nature — it can quietly reinforce the habit of looking away.

A System That Prioritizes Visible Action Over Prevention

Planting projects are visible. They can be counted. Funded. Promoted.

Prevention is quieter.

It requires enforcement, attention, and sometimes difficult decisions.
And when it works, nothing happens — which makes it easy to overlook.

But that “nothing” is everything.

It means a tree is still standing.
It means shade still exists.
It means life continues uninterrupted.

Rethinking What Progress Means

Maybe we need to rethink what we call progress.

Is progress planting 1,000 trees?
Or is it ensuring that the 1,000 trees we already have are still there tomorrow?

Real progress is not only about what we add.
It is also about what we choose not to destroy.

A Different Starting Point

If we truly want a greener future, the mindset must change:

Protect what exists.
Respect what has grown over time.
Recognize that prevention is the first and most important form of action.

Because once something is lost, we don’t start from where we were.

We start from zero.

Planting trees shows what we hope for. Protecting them shows what we are willing to defend.

HELP US TO SAVE PLANTATION BOLIVIA FROM DESTRUCTION