The mangroves of Bonaire is one of the best preserved mangrove area in the Caribbean.

The area of Lac, almost 4 kilometers long and from east to west 3 km, is bordered by a barrier reef across most of the its connection to open sea and by mangroves around the bay.

Stinapa, is the organization in Bonaire that protects mangrove forest and also the large areas of sea grass in Lac Bay, which a very important food source for the juvenile green turtles often seen in the area.

The mangrove forest of Bonaire is almost 850 years old and it has some very important roles such as:

Bonaire Mangroves

Protection of the Coral Reef

The mangrove forest has positive effect on the health of coral reefs around Bonaire.

This protection begins with the rainfalls, when there is a big rain shower, the rainwater flows down from the hills, out to the sea snd takes sand and sediment along with it.

If there is nothing to stop these mudflows, they will sink to the bottom and cover the corals. When the corals are covered with these heavy particles they will not get the amount of sunlight needed for their photosynthesis.

If corals are covered for a long time, they will get damaged and unfortunately will die. The dense root system of the mangrove trees slows te water down to such an extent that the sand and sediment will settle at the bottom between the roots and clean water will flow out of the mangroves to the sea.

So just because of this mangroves are very positive for our coral reefs.

Nursery Area

Lots of small fish grow up between the roots of the red mangrove. The area is rich in nutrition and provides shelter agains the bigger predators.

When the juvenile fish grow up and their diet is changing, the fish will leave the mangroves and migrate back onto the coral reef.

Outside the mangroves there are big predators lurking, such as snappers groupers and barracudas; 1 in every 10000 fish will survive to adulthood and will reproduce. The others are food in the food chain.

Natural Coastal Protection

The red mangroves have a very dense root system. The system is so dense that, for example when a big tidal wave or tsunami pushes onto the coast where mangroves live, the wave loses its energy in trying to pass through the roots and will cause little to no damage.

Unfortunately, a lot of the mangroves are cut down world wide because of coastal development, tourism and shrimp farming.

Although throughout the world you will find over 70 species of mangroves, on Bonaire we have 3 species of mangroves. The White, Red and Black mangroves.

White Mangrove
Red Mangrove
Black Mangroves

The White Mangrove (left image) is almost never submerged in water. They are low shrubs. The leaves have salt glands that you can see with the naked eye. On the leaf salt crystals may be visible.

The Red Mangrove (center image) stands in the water and is easy recognizable by its drop roots hanging down from the branches.

The red mangroves grow these drop roots because the underwater roots are not able to supply enough oxygen. Red mangroves can reach up to 24 meters high in ideal conditions. Most red mangroves you will see are around 6 meters. The bark is thick and grey to brownish.

The red mangrove produces pale pinkish to yellowish to whitish flowers. The seeds (rocket like) will already start growing while they are still attached to the tree. When they drop down, the water will carry them to new places where they can start growing.

You will find the Black Mangrove (right picture) in the tidal zone.

The black mangrove looks more like a normal tree and you will find them behind the red mangroves along the edges of the inner bays. To provide itself with enough oxygen the black mangrove found his own solution by growing aerial roots that grow upward from the soil. Like the red mangrove, the black mangrove has also white to pinkish to yellowish flowers and the seeds will grow on the branches. The seeds remain viable for at least one year after they fall from the tree.

Although the mangroves grow in salt or brackish environments, they still need fresh water to survive. The red mangroves convert salt water into fresh water with the help of a semi-permeable membrane. This process is called reversed osmosis, which is a complex system.

Water passes through the membranes and salt remains on the outside. The white and the black mangrove trees absorb the salt water, but are equipped with special salt glands near the leaves. The salt glands extract the salt from the water and transport highly concentrated salt water to the top of the leaves.

Sun and wind evaporate the water from the leaves and the salt crystals remain behind on the leaves. When it is raining, the salt from the leaves will return to the environment.