This Earth Day, the Aruba Conservation Foundation (ACF) invites the communtiy of Aruba and beyond to pause and reflecto n a simple but urgent message: nature is speaking. The question is, is it being heard?

With the launch of Naturalesa ta Papia (Nature is Speaking), ACF presents a short video that brings viewers closer to Aruba’s natural world to be admired and as something to be understood and be protected.

The story unfolds in three acts. It begins with immersing viewers up close in the island’s landscapes and species, revealing the beauty and details often overlooked. It then shifts to the growing pressures facing these environments including human impacts on its fragile ecosystem. In its final act, the message offers hope, highlighting the collective efforts of a community needing to work together to protect, preserve, and restore Nature.

Filmed entirely in Aruba over the course of two months, the production was carried out with a profound commitment to respecting Nature. All footage was captured from a respectful distance and under guidance of conservation experts, ensuring minimal disturbance to wildlife and natural habitats.

“This story is a vehicle to speak about something much larger,” says Tyson Lopez, CEO, Aruba Conservation Foundation. “Nature has always been speaking to us, through its beauty, its changes, and even through it’s growing pressures. But now it time we move beyond just listening. We need to commit to taking collective action.”

Aruba’s  natural areas are more and more under profound pressure. From our terrestrial areas, our coastal area, and our waters, the humans behave in nature affects its future and ours directly. Nature is Speaking and calls for a shift from passive support and appreciation to taking active responsibility.

Listening to Nature is not just a feeling. It needs to be reflected in everyday choices like moving with care, respecting boundaries, protecting habitats and making conscious descisions that reduce harm on this place called home.

ACF emphasizes that conservation cannot be achieved alone. Conserving Aruba’s natural heritage requires collective action from locals, residents, visitors, partners, policymakers, and the entire community.

This Earth Day, Naturalesa ta Papia is a call to listen with intention, and to truly commit to nature’s protection.

Nature is already speaking, what happens next is how Aruba, as a community decides to respond.

To learn more about the campaign Naturalesa ta Papia, visit www.acf.aw/naturalesa-ta-papia

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I applauded the minister on his decision to take ALL Personal Mobility Devices, PMDs, e-bikes, e-steps, e-scooters, off the road. Perhaps it is a strategy. Let us wipe our streets clean, then over time change the law and start reintroducing SOME PMDs, legally.

My source says, the minister acted hastily. Our traffic has been plagued by these pests for five or six or seven years, yet it is true, recently with the introduction of e-scooters, the situation became unbearable.

I found out that NONE of these businesses have a license to rent out e-bikes, e-steps, or e-scooters.

They are all ILLEGAL businesses.

Locals just imported some and started renting them out.

Because the law only defines vehicles for cargo and transportation but has NO definition for PMDs.

The law must be changed to specify types of mobility devises which are legal on Aruba and qualify for a business license.

Moreover, if these were legal businesses, they would have been required to have license plates, inspected by DTI, they would have to pay insurance, issue helmets, limit the speed to under 25km/h, limit the number of riders per PMD, and limit access to certain roads/areas such as highways. Off course pay taxes.

But the law does not say anything specific, thus the door was left wide open for all opportunists to make a bundle at the cost of our quality of life.

And while I have you here with me, the law does not say anything specific about ATVs and UTVs.

Legally, they are categorized as motorcycles because they have no body, they are NOT cars, and as such they would require an A driver’s license.

The companies renting ATVs and UTVs out, just ask to see a driver’s license and usually get the B kind that qualifies us to drive a car, NOT an ATV/UTV

ANYONE DRIVING A UTV/ATV WITH A B LICENSE, IS VIOLATING THE LAW.

So the minister’s move was a quick fix, from today to tomorrow, and I fear the Police does not have enough eyes and hands to enforce that fix.

It would have been more prudent to amend the law, then no lawsuits, no whining.

What we consider the law today, is a version from year 2000. It left out key details and the individuals who put the law together, did not look into the future to see that PMDs, or Micromobility Devices, will be the next BIG thing. They left out what was then called bicycles with auxiliary motors, and as such contributed to the chaotic situation.

In most organized countries bicycles also require registration and a fee paid to the government for a small license plate, besides insurance, and they must have light reflectors back & front and a bell as a safety precaution — helmets for minors. In Aruba non-motorized bicycles do not require registration, and lately we have seen that almost nothing is licensed properly, the list is long.

ADD TO LIST: The cars parked with 4sale signs across the Ritz Carlton on public land, and at every roundabout. The A-plates rented to tourists.

I have been commenting for a while in view of the graveyard of abandoned personal mobility devices, scooters and steps everywhere, not to mention the real danger operating any of those on public roads.

Apparently the free for all is now over, the Minister of Justice made a courageous announcement. Now it is in the hands of the police to reinforce the decree.

IT’s ALL ABOUT ENFORCEMENT.

(ATVs and UTVs next….)

The Minister of Justice and Public Transportation, Mr. Arthur Dowers, made an announcement today regarding micro-transport, such as e-scooters/steps:

I saw a lot of finger-pointing in parliament during last week’s the cost of living, three-hour, debate. Heated tempers and raised voices created the illusion that our parliamentarians really care about the cost-of-living increases, but no one came with a plan.

Incidentally, the Dutch minority government just came out with a detailed plan, a €967 Million Energy Relief Package + Oil Crisis Plan Phase 1, in response to rising energy prices. The plan applies to households & commuters, businesses & transport, investments in home energy efficiency, and green investment. Nothing is guaranteed, because the government will have to seek support for the plan on the opposition benches, but they are trying to mitigate hardship.

In Aruba, unfortunately, the speakers were those who sit back and see how our hard earns florins evaporate instead of investing them in the economy.

So far, the only measure taken, and taken way too fast, because the more painful blow is still to come, was the reduction in gas. This is an extremely expensive, cheap shot at short-term political gain.

That was not the best move GOA could take.

It benefits those who do not need it, and it costs us all. The person with three cars gains most. Meanwhile, we all must pay for the energy we consume. Artificially lowering the price by taking out part of the gas tax does not lower the costs, and most importantly, it does not encourage lower demand.

Many countries are doing the right thing, which is to reduce the demand side.

Simple and highly effective.

Target support to those who really need it, for a brief time.

AND

GOA could start lowering demand inhouse. No airplane tickets. Raise the air conditioner settings in parliament. Create a public, transparent project about energy savings within GOA so we can all see it is serious and respectful of our tax florins. And we can model that behavior and bring consumption down.

The only way to lower costs is to consume less energy. Everything else is a show, cosmetic fixes.

And by the way, I noticed plenty of cosmetic, and surgical fixes on faces in parliament, which is a costly expense, which we are paying for, indirectly.

In general, lowering the cost of living is not about one thing, it is about many things.

Reducing the cost of running this country requires political courage, because poorly planned cuts may backfire, but countries have been known to become more efficient, by prioritizing and thinking long term, rather than just cut spending.

GOA should encourage us to save, by consuming less water, less electricity, cooking at home more often, buying store generic brands instead of premium, shopping for what we need not what we want, car-pooling to work.

GOA should encourage investment in house insulation. How about a subsidy for solar panels, etc.?

The extra income generated by more gas tax revenues could go in a public energy fund, with very transparent accounting for all to see, used for energy-saving projects for those who really need it.

Do not brag about an enormous surplus, make investments.

We recently saw an interview with the director of Censo/Civil Registry, on Magic 96.5FM. It was long and painful. Apparently Censo is dysfunctional, unable to handle the avalanche of applicants, especially the ones who are first registrants.

And you know what it means.

If you are registered at Censo, you may start the process of legal living on the island, you may register at the tax office, buy a car, receive health insurance, open a bank account, establish water, electricity, and phone connections.

No Censo registration, no life.

We used to think of Censo as the poster child of efficient government department. It performed like a Swiss clock. Alas, the director reported in her interview she is short of personnel, and in case of first registrants all documents must be examined closely, which takes time.

(Can you pay your people overtime?)

She reported that instead of handling 2-3,00 applications, that number doubled, and the minister of justice, has not approve additional manpower.

I totally believe her version, until that last comment. I detected some political resistance. We have had a government change, and perhaps the star public officials of the MEP government, are less willing to over-extend themselves for the AVP-FUTURO coalition.

This week, as reported by AHATA, the DIMAS director gave an update on the permit application progress.

As you recall, because of the severe labor shortage, all political parties agreed, Aruba must help document individuals who entered here legally, and provide them with the permits they need to work and contribute officially to our economy.

It was agreed across the board, and it was successful.

In 2025, there were 25,000 applications.

97% have received a response (positive or negative).

3% are pending finalization.

In 2026, there have been 6,662 applications so far, of which 77% have received a response.

The director also reminded applicants to make sure all correct documents are submitted with the application including a correct email address.

Which points at the difficulties expressed by the director of Censo.

Documents are handed in incomplete; they must be checked for authenticity, it takes time.

GOA keeps promising to modernize, yet we are still very dependent on CENSO & DIMAS and DIMP, since nothing can be done online, except appointments, and those are no longer available at Censo.

One of the parliamentarians raised the issues this week stating that people could not pay car taxes at the tax department, due to a lack of available appointments, forcing them into illegal or costly solutions. (The online option exists for those with online banking and receipts are provided digitally).

He also pointed out that Censo/Civil Registry, cannot handled those who have already paid for residence and work permits and that appointments in the digital system, cannot be booked. As a result, MANY are left without access to basic services such as health insurance.

The director of the Censo suggested private health insurance in the meanwhile, which is an outlandish suggestion to a cash strapped immigrant, at the end of his legal via dolorosa, as he/she is trying to finalize his status so he/she can work.

Aruba’s economy makes tons of money, hands it to GOA so it can make the country better, so we all get to enjoy our life here, grow, and develop further. Every florin that comes in must be used to improve services, not to stage conferences, nor trips overseas. Does anyone in government care??