Aruban Unite for the Shoco.

4 min readJun 24, 2019

Dear fellow Arubans.

Recently, the Central Bank of Aruba has put beautiful banknotes into circulation on the island. On all banknotes the special Shoco can be seen in the background.

Aruba has a list of protected flora and fauna in accordance with the National Decree of 2017, issued on 8 August 2017 by the Minister of Justice, A.L. Dowers (AB van Aruba 2017 no. 48), containing general measures to protect native flora and fauna. The Athens cunicularia arubensis, or Shoco is one of these protected animals.

Despite the utmost efforts of various organizations and individuals, the Shoco really needs our help. The estimated number of pairs varies between 30 and 200. The national bird count shows an observation of 259 Shocos in total. According to a conservative estimate of Aruba Birdlife Conservation there are probably a maximum of 150 pairs. These estimated numbers show that the biological rule of 50/500 does not apply to the Shoco anymore. The 50/500 rule means that a minimum of 50 adults and 500 extra animals are needed to prevent the genetic basis from becoming too narrow to survive.

Apart from the fact that the population of the Shoco is genetically too small, the Shoco is also severely affected by the activities around its nests, whether through destruction, construction, traffic, tourism or other human activities.

Although the adults are good at dealing with these stressors, it is mainly the chicks who suffer from too much activity around them. Unnecessary chick mortality hinders the growth of the population in order to survive.

Given that Aruba is committed to the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, elaborated in the report The Aruba Baseline Measurement (2018), the Shoco deserves it that everyone in Aruba is going to do his utmost to protect this bird, for the following reasons:

- National symbol: They form the face of Aruba and characterize the Aruban landscape.
- Fauna: The Aruban Shoco is unique and every inhabitant of Aruba should be proud of their Shoco.
- Economy: In order to counteract the negative effect of excessive tourism and its effect on the Shoco, we, the islanders, need to make an extra effort to assist, help and support the organizations and individuals who work with the Shoco, by setting the right example. Setting a good example makes people follow. The more respect and efforts we show as islanders to protect our national bird, the more tourists will do the same. The turtle protection is a great example of how negative effects of over-tourism can be turned into a positive effect.
- Protecting flora and fauna in word and DEED is the starting point to make our tourist industry more sustainable.

On the basis of the above arguments, I respectfully request everyone who has a warm heart for the Shoco, to make an active effort to protect the bird, but above all, protect their nesting sites with all your abilities , to prevent that in the future we will only be able to admire the animal on an Aruban bank note.

Please contact Aruba Birdlife Conservation, Arikok Park, Directie Natuur en Milieu when you spot a new nest. Use barriers (pallets or rope) to mark the nest. Place an artificial borrow when possible. Monitor the nest.