Spaans Lagoen, which translates to "Spanish lagoon", is a coastal

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a ''gulf'', ''sea'', ''sound'', or ''bight''. A ''cove'' is a small, ci ...

and

wetland A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...

area of

Aruba Aruba, officially the Country of Aruba, is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, in the southern Caribbean Sea north of the Venezuelan peninsula of Paraguaná Peninsula, Paraguaná and northwest of Curaçao. In 19 ...

. Designated as a Ramsar site since 1980, and in February 2017, it was included within the boundary of the

Arikok National Park Arikok National Park, covering in the northeastern region of Aruba, was officially established in 2000. Approximately 20% of Aruba's total land area is designated as a National Park, dedicated to safeguarding the park's biodiversity, geological ...

. It is the only inner bay of Aruba and was formed during the last ice age. This ecosystem features tidal

mudflats Mudflats or mud flats, also known as tidal flats or, in Ireland, slob or slobs, are coastal wetlands that form in intertidal areas where sediments have been deposited by tides or rivers. A global analysis published in 2019 suggested that tidal ...

and

mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows mainly in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. Mangroves grow in an equatorial climate, typically along coastlines and tidal rivers. They have particular adaptations to take in extra oxygen a ...

swamps, serving as a vital feeding and breeding ground for birds. Spaans Lagoen is one of the highest biodiversity areas on Aruba. It is also adjacent to

Overview

Spaans Lagoen stretches approximately in length and ranges in width from wide, covering an area of . Its distinctive tidal influence has given rise to a rare ecosystem, with its shores covered by mangroves. This area plays a crucial role as a feeding and breeding ground for birds and a nursery for

reef fish Coral reef fish are fish which live amongst or in close relation to coral reefs. Coral reefs form complex ecosystems with tremendous biodiversity. Among the myriad inhabitants, the fish stand out as colourful and interesting to watch. Hundreds ...

and

crustacean Crustaceans (from Latin meaning: "those with shells" or "crusted ones") are invertebrate animals that constitute one group of arthropods that are traditionally a part of the subphylum Crustacea (), a large, diverse group of mainly aquatic arthrop ...

s. Palm Island is located at the mouth of Spaans Lagoen, with

Frenchman's Pass (in Dutch) or (in Papiamento) (literally: Frenchman's Pass) is a narrow passage on the island of Aruba, nestled between coral cliffs in Balashi. Frenchman's pass is located north of the area known as Spanish Lagoon and near the remnants of the ...

located to the north.

History

Settlement archaeology

Around 4500 BP, the ABC islands were frequented by fishermen and gatherers from the Venezuelan or possibly Colombian coast, drawn to the islands for their abundant shellfish, particularly

Lobatus gigas ''Aliger gigas'', originally known as ''Strombus gigas'' or more recently as ''Lobatus gigas'', commonly known as the queen conch, is a species of large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family of true conches, the Strombidae. This s ...

. They set up temporary camps near mangrove areas and

lagoons A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into '' coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') a ...

on Aruba, notably Spaans Lagoen. Evidence of human activity, including

charcoal Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood (or other animal and plant materials) in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents. In the traditional version of this pyrolysis process, ca ...

deposits, has been found in

sediment Sediment is a solid material that is transported to a new location where it is deposited. It occurs naturally and, through the processes of weathering and erosion, is broken down and subsequently sediment transport, transported by the action of ...

layers at Frenchman's Pass (Spaans Lagoen) dating to around 1000 BC.

Ecological environment

Habitats

Spaans Lagoen Bay

Spaans Lagoen has two main bodies of water: the channel and the lagoon. It serves as a vital area for recruiting and raising, supporting adult populations from surrounding ecosystems. Water birds, including birds of prey like

Ospreys The osprey (; ''Pandion haliaetus''), historically known as sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor, reaching more than in length and a wingspan of . It is ...

, use the bay as a feeding ground, often seen catching fish.

Mangrove forest

The shores of Spaans Lagoen Bay, lined with mangroves, play a crucial role in preserving the region's biological diversity. Within this mangrove forest, four different mangrove species can be found: Red Mangrove (''

Rhizophora mangle ''Rhizophora mangle'', also known as the red mangrove, is a salt-tolerant, small-to-medium sized evergreen tree restricted to coastal, estuarine ecosystems along the southern portions of North America, the Caribbean as well as Central America ...

''), Black Mangrove (''

Avicennia germinans ''Avicennia germinans'', the black mangrove, is a shrub or small tree growing up to 12 meters (39 feet) in the acanthus family, Acanthaceae. It grows in tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas, on both the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts ...

''), White Mangrove (''

Laguncularia racemosa ''Laguncularia'' is a genus of plants in the family Combretaceae. The only species in the genus is ''Laguncularia racemosa'', the white mangrove. It is native to the coasts of western Africa from Senegal to Cameroon, the Atlantic Coast of the Am ...

''), and Buttonwood (''

Conocarpus erectus ''Conocarpus erectus'', commonly called buttonwood or button mangrove, is a hardy species of mangrove shrub in the family Combretaceae. Taxonomy These two varieties are not accepted as distinct by all authorities: *''C. e.'' var. ''erectus' ...

''). These mangroves serve as vital nurseries and sanctuaries for numerous reef fish and crustaceans. Additionally, the mangroves act as breeding and roosting sites for a variety of migratory and

non-migratory Bird migration is a seasonal movement of birds between breeding and wintering grounds that occurs twice a year. It is typically from north to south or from south to north. Animal migration, Migration is inherently risky, due to predation and ...

bird species, providing support for wintering and

foraging Foraging is searching for wild food resources. It affects an animal's fitness because it plays an important role in an animal's ability to survive and reproduce. Foraging theory is a branch of behavioral ecology that studies the foraging behavi ...

wetland birds, including various

Sandpipers Scolopacidae is a large family of shorebirds, or waders, which mainly includes many species known as sandpipers, but also others such as woodcocks, curlews and snipes. Most of these species eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or soi ...

Egrets Egrets ( ) are herons, generally long-legged wading birds, that have white or buff plumage, developing fine plumes (usually milky white) during the breeding season. Egrets are not a biologically distinct group from herons and have the same build ...

, and

Herons Herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 75 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genus '' Botaurus'' are referred to as ...

Mudflats

The mudflats in the inland section of the Spaans Lagoen border the mangrove forest and experience daily tidal

inundation A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant concern in agriculture, civi ...

. Numerous bird species come here during the day to search for food. The drier sections of the mudflats serve as ideal habitats for Aruban Burrowing Owls ('' Athene cunicularia arubensis''), which create their burrows. Additionally, during the rainy season,

land crabs A number of lineages of crabs have evolved to live predominantly on land. Examples of terrestrial crabs are found in the families Gecarcinidae and Gecarcinucidae, as well as in selected genera from other families, such as '' Sesarma'', althou ...

can be observed crossing the mudflats in search of water to lay their eggs.

Rooi

The mudflats are connected to three dry river creeks or Arroyo, known as ''rooi'' in

Papiamento Papiamento () or Papiamentu (; ) is a Portuguese-based creole language spoken in the Dutch Caribbean. It is the most widely spoken language on Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao ( ABC Islands). The language, spelled in Aruba and in Bonaire and ...

. These roois only have water after heavy rainfall. Two of them, ''Rooi Bringamosa'' and ''Rooi Taki'', are part of the Arikok National Park, extending from the northeastern to the southwestern coast of Aruba. The third rooi is ''Rooi Frances'' (Frenchman's Pass). Roois often feature fertile soil and a high water table, making them ideal for fruit trees like Sweet Tamarind and Spanish Lime. Shaded areas within roois can retain water for longer periods, serving as

oasis In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environmentEastern Cottontail Rabbits and supporting diverse aquatic life, including various species of

Dragonflies A dragonfly is a flying insect belonging to the infraorder Anisoptera below the order Odonata. About 3,000 extant species of dragonflies are known. Most are tropical, with fewer species in temperate regions. Loss of wetland habitat threate ...

and the Colombian Four-eyed Frog.

Aruba Lava Formation

The northeastern border of the Spaans Lagoen extends from the volcanic rock and sediment typical of Arikok National Park. Similar habitats are found here, featuring various types of cacti and iconic endemic species like the Aruban Rattlesnake ('' Crotalus unicolor'') and

Brown-throated Parakeet The brown-throated parakeet (''Eupsittula pertinax''), also known as the St. Thomas conure or brown-throated conure in aviculture, is a species of bird in the subfamily Arinae of the family Psittacidae, the African and New World parrots. It is ...

(''Eupsittula pertinax'').

Limestone cliffs and terraces

Limestone cliffs and terraces encircle the Spaans Lagoen from nearly all directions. These areas exhibit low vegetation and a

xeric Deserts and xeric shrublands are a biome defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. Deserts and xeric (Ancient Greek 'dry') shrublands form the largest terrestrial biome, covering 19% of Earth's land surface area. Ecoregions in this habita ...

landscape, creating a distinct contrast within the site. They are dominated by different species of

Aloe ''Aloe'' (; also written ''Aloë'') is a genus containing over 650 species of flowering plant, flowering succulent plant, succulent plants.WFO (2022): Aloe L. Published on the Internet;http://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-4000001341. Acc ...

, remnants of the former Aloe plantations. Crested Caracaras are often spotted perched on the cliffs, keeping watch for their next meal. Trail Spaans Lagoen 15 35 21 394000

Environmental impact

The lagoon is located halfway between the

Queen Beatrix International Airport Queen Beatrix International Airport (; ) Is an international airport located in the Dutch Caribbean island of Aruba. It has flight services to the United States, Canada, several countries in the Caribbean, the northern coastal countries of Sout ...

and the town of

San Nicolaas San Nicolaas () is southeast of Oranjestad, and is Aruba's second largest city. it has a population of 15,283, many of whom originate from the British Caribbean and the rest of the Caribbean. History According to oral tradition, San Nicolaas ...

. In 2016, the Green Corridor was constructed to provide better access to San Nicolas, including the construction of a bridge over Spaans Lagoen. During the bridge construction, a section of the mangrove forest was damaged. To address this, an S-shaped canal was created to compensate for the damage and facilitate mangrove regeneration.

Sources

References

{{reflist Geography of Aruba Ramsar sites in Aruba