Aruba is one of the last if not the last Caribbean island that still doesn’t have a marine park or any official designated marine protected areas or MP’s.

While human and industrial activities negatively impact the marine environment, this environment provides the resources for Aruba's only economic pillar, which is tourism. 

An estimated 500 to 650 thousand stay over tourist make use of the beaches and water sports activities while another 500 thousand cruise or transient tourists are day users but impact the marine live just the same.

Since the development of the first hotels in the early 1960’s Aruba has known an exponential growth in tourism and coastal development, which has impacted not only the coast line but also the mangrove filtration systems and the coral reefs of Aruba.

These marine ecosystems are not only damaged but are also home to a few thousand species including corals, sea grass beds, hundreds of types of fish, sharks, rays, dolphins and about five types of sea turtles that nests on the beaches in Aruba every year.

Since May of 2010 a concept law, (LBHAM Aruba Marine Park) was presented to the council of ministers for approval.

Unfortunately we're now in January 2017 and Aruba still has no marine mark or any designated marine protected areas as proposed in 2010.

There is an environmental law in the making since 2010 however this also has not been approved by the government.  

Other Caribbean islands such as Bonaire already have marine parks for nearly 50 years but Aruba is lacking behind with marine environmental protection.

Aruba’s only economic pillar will lose thousands of jobs in the water sport industry in the very near future because of this lack of protection.

Conservation and in this case marine environmental protection IS what provides the resources for a possible sustainable tourism and future in Aruba.

This is not just about the marine environment but it’s also about the sustainability of the livelihood of the local fishermen, tourism jobs, the future of Aruba and the next generations.

The survival of these jobs and livelihoods depends on the Aruban government to create and pass the laws and actual implementation of marine conservation.

Without implementation and ways to enforce the laws everything will be just talk, promises and nothing else.

While Aruba is promoted internationally as an island nation for sustainable development, at the local level no actual conservation efforts are really made.

If we want to change things at the world and international level, we must first be able to make a change locally through the government of Aruba. Change starts here.

Please support this petition both locally and internationally and show your support.

We will take all these signatures to both the Prime Minister of Aruba and the parliament commission on the environment.

THANK YOU…!!!