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Spatial analysis of 's terrestrial protected areas [1:240000]. USDA, US Forest Service-IITF Research map.

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of Agriculture gap Spatial Analysis of Puerto Rico's Terrestrial Protected Areas KEEPING COMMON SPECIES COMMON PRGAP ANALYSIS PROJECT IITF GIS and Remote Sensing Lab Maya Quiñones1, William A. Gould1, Jessica Castro-Prieto2, and Sebastián Martinuzzi3 A center for tropical landscape analysis 1 U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, International Institute of Tropical Forestry. 2 University of Puerto Rico-Río Piedras Campus, Department of Environmental Sciences. 3 University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology.

67°30'0"W 67°20'0"W 67°10'0"W 67°0'0"W 66°50'0"W 66°40'0"W 66°30'0"W 66°20'0"W 66°10'0"W 66°0'0"W 65°50'0"W 65°40'0"W 65°30'0"W 65°20'0"W n 2010, almost 13 percent of the Earth’s surface was designated as protected areas—areas legally reserved for the conservation of their natural resources and biodiversity (WDPA 2011). For developed countries, this United Distribution and classification of the protected areas and the 2000 simplified States I ratio was 11.6 percent, and for Latin America and the Caribbean 20.3 Atlantic Ocean percent (WDPAccccccc 2011). Puerto Rico, with a total extent of 893 000 ha, is part of the land cover of Puerto Rico The Bahamas Greater Antilles in the Caribbean region. The country includes one main island, three smaller islands, and numerous cays characterized by great geologic and topographic complexity. The extraordinary variety of ecosystems found in the islands 29 22 Cuba contribute to its rich biodiversity, which includes over 26,000 species of plants, Puerto Rico 49 Haiti fungi, and vertebrate and invertebrate animals, many of them endemic to the country Atlantic Ocean Jamaica a, RíoPiedras, PR00926-1119, Puerto Rico. or to the Caribbean (Joglar 2005). As of May 2011, 8 percent of Puerto Rico’s land Dominican Republic was designated for conservation within 95 terrestrial protected areas (Gould et al. Caribbean Sea 2011), ranging from less than 1 ha to 11 429 ha, and totaling over 72 000 ha. About

56 percent of this territory was managed by the Puerto Rico Department of Natural 18°30'0"N 18°30'0"N 28 40 and Environmental Resources, 16 percent by the U.S. Forest Service, 13 percent by the Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico, and 15 percent by other governmental and 16 21 48 nongovernmental entities (Gould et al. 2011). Understanding the natural resources 108 82 64 and distribution of this network is essential for identifying gaps in conservation and 15 assisting with management decisions and planning. Furthermore, protecting a wide 11 81 96 11 55 range of ecosystems that represent Puerto Rico’s diverse landscape is important to 53 71 67 41 113 ensure the conservation of the country’s biodiversity and ecosystem services. 31 97 102 Icacos Cay

11 icalForestry, JardínBotánico Sur,1201 CalleCeib 97 36 95 112 77 This research map describes Puerto Rico’s terrestrial protected areas based on natural Desecheo 60 78 33 39 63 La Cordillera Reef and anthropogenic elements of the landscape. We used geospatial data, i.e., land 101 cover (Gould et al. 2007); urban, suburban, and rural settlements (Martinuzzi et al. 32 38 97 103 2008); and physiography to illustrate landscape elements and analyze what and how 61 98 Palominos 56 30 110 12 38 much is protected in Puerto Rico. Pie and bar charts convey statistics about each 99 18°20'0"N 18°20'0"N 45 landscape element’s distribution and level of protection. We also analyzed the 46 24 landscape context of the protected areas by classifying each one as coastal, forested, 19 herbaceous, or urban based on the dominant land cover that surrounds each area in a 68 37 1 km buffer and tabulated the land cover within and other statistics for each 75 classification. Additionally, we mapped the linear distance from the protected areas Culebra providing a visual reference of the distribution and connectivity between the

protected areas and charted how the land cover distribution changes from within the 14 13 72 USDA ForestService InternationalInstitute of Trop protected areas across distance groups. 104 2 The protected areas in this publication were last updated in May 2011 using available 111 72 data obtained from local and federal government agencies and nongovernmental 83 69 80 organizations. The amount and distribution of protected land is very dynamic, 1 107 changing as new areas are set aside or as designations and management change. For 65 23 the purpose of this analysis, we excluded marine protected areas as well as the marine 18°10'0"N

18°10'0"N 100 portion of some coastal protected areas. Additional lands may be protected by laws 107 84 and zoning regulations, e.g., steep slopes, wetlands, riparian zones, or the coastal 70 57 76 25 116 zone, but were not included in this study. 109 54 76 52 114 94 34 105 62 76 17 47 66 116 Vieques 4 20 27 Findings 5 106 34 Land cover: 89 35 17 The protected natural areas network of Puerto Rico mainly shelters forest 88 26 79 ecosystems (60 percent) with patches of woodland and shrubland (14 95 percent), grasslands (8 percent), forested (7 percent) and herbaceous 67°55'0"W 67°50'0"W 8 50 115 wetlands (6 percent), inland water (4 percent), and natural barrens (1 Mona and Monito 18 18°0'0"N percent). 18°0'0"N Atlantic Ocean 58 92 86 9 42

The most protected land cover type is forested wetlands (primarily 18°10'0"N 18°10'0"N 42 6 93 mangroves) with 60 percent found inside protected areas, and followed by 87 42 51 90 inland water bodies (33 percent), natural barrens (i.e., salt/mud flats, rocky 74 85 3 cliffs, and beaches; 32 percent), herbaceous wetlands (15 percent), forest (13 43 44 percent); woodland and shrublands (8 percent), and grasslands (2 percent). 42 91

Based on the landscape context classification, where we identified the s

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18°5'0"N 10 18°5'0"N 02 4 8 12 16 20 dominant land cover in a buffer zone of 1 km around each , we 73 a P 59 7 Miles found that the areas predominantly bordered by forest enclose mostly forest a Mona Island n 04 8 16 24 32 40 (93 percent), while areas surrounded by coastal ecosystems, grasslands, or M o urban protect a wider range of land cover types. Caribbean Sea Kilometers

67°55'0"W 67°50'0"W SCALE: 1:240,000 17°50'0"N Nine terrestrial protected areas were classified as urban—areas mainly 17°50'0"N Lambert Comformal Conic Projection bordered by built-up surface. Although these amount to 9.5 percent of the 95 North American Datum of 1983 (NAD 83) protected areas analyzed here, their average size is significantly smaller than those found outside urban spaces. Hence, urban protected areas constitute Administrative Hydrography only 1 percent of Puerto Rico’s protected land. boundaries Protected Areas (black) and Marine Reserves (blue)

Municipalities Lakes and reservoirs 1 Adjuntas People's Forest 15 Caño Martín Peña Natural Reserve 28 Cueva del Indio Natural Reserve 42 Guánica State Forest 56 La Cordillera Reef Natural Reserve 69 Maricao River Natural Protected Area 82 Pterocarpus Forest Natural Protected Area (Dorado) 95 Recently aquired land in Manatí and Guayama 104 Shapiro property Distance from protected areas: Protected areas (classification 2 Aguas Buenas Caverns and Cave Systems Natural Reserve 16 Caño Tiburones Natural Reserve 29 Cueva del Indio Natural Reserve Marine Extent 43 Guánica State Forest Marine Extent 57 La Olimpia Forest 70 83 Pterocarpus Forest Nature Reserve by the International Institute of Tropical Forestry 105 Sun Bay National Park Marine reserves Rivers and based on landscape context) The distribution of the protected areas across the main island of Puerto Rico 3 Aguirre State Forest 17 Carite State Forest 30 Culebra National Wildlife Refuge 44 Guayama Reef Natural Reserve 58 La Parguera Natural Reserve 71 Mata de Plátano Field Station Natural Reserve 84 Pterocarpus Swamp Forest and Mandry and 96 Recently aquired land in Piñones by the Puerto 106 Susúa State Forest 4 Belvedere Natural Reserve 18 Cartagena Lagoon National Wildlife Refuge 31 Coastal Waters Natural Marine Reserve 45 Guaynabo River Natural Protected Area 59 La Parguera Natural Reserve Marine Extent 72 Medio Mundo y Daguao Natural Protected Area Santa Teresa Lakes Natural Reserve Rico Department of Natural and Environmental 107 Bathymetry (km below sea surface) Coastal Herbaceous shows that there are three large regions with no protected areas in a radius of 5 Belvedere Natural Reserve Marine Extent 19 Ceiba State Forest 32 Desecheo National Wildlife Refuge 46 Guillermeti property 60 Lago Guajataca Wildlife Refuge 73 Mona Island and Monito Natural Reserve 85 Punta Ballenas Natural Reserve Resources (DNER) 108 Tortuguero Lagoon Natural Reserve at least 5 km. Connectivity among the protected areas can also be observed 6 Boquerón State Forest 20 33 Doña Inés Mendoza Urban Forest 47 Natural Protected Area 61 Lago La Plata Wildlife Refuge 74 Mona Island and Monito Natural Reserve 86 Punta Cucharas Natural Reserve 97 Recently aquired land in the Northern Karst 109 Tourmaline Reef Natural Reserve 6–2 2–1 1–0.5 0.5–0.02 0.02–0 Forest Urban where areas conglomerate presenting potential ecological corridors. 7 Boquerón State Forest Marine Extent 21 Cibuco Swamp Natural Reserve 34 El Buey National Wildlife Refuge 48 Hacienda La Esperanza Natural Reserve 62 Lago Luchetti Wildlife Refuge Marine Extent 87 Punta Cucharas Natural Reserve Marine Extent region by DNER 110 Tres Palmas Natural Marine Reserve Land cover 8 Boquerón Wildlife Refuge 22 Cibuco Swamp Natural Reserve Marine Extent 35 El Convento Caves Natural Protected Area 49 Hacienda La Esperanza Natural Reserve Marine Extent 63 Las Cabezas de San Juan Natural Reserve 75 Monte Choca State Forest 88 Punta Guaniquilla Natural Reserve 98 Recently aquired land in the Northeast 111 Tres Picachos State Forest 9 Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge 23 Conservation Easement El Rabanal 36 El Tallonal Natural Reserve 50 Inés María Mendoza (Punta Yeguas) Nature Reserve 64 Las Cabezas de San Juan Natural Reserve 76 Monte Guilarte State Forest 89 Punta Guaniquilla Natural Reserve Marine Extent Ecological Corridor by DNER 112 University of Puerto Rico Botanical Garden Forest Forested wetlands Natural barrens The percentage of forest, wetlands, and inland water decreases the farther 10 Island Natural Reserve 24 Conservation Easement El Tambor 37 El Yunque National Forest 51 Jobos Bay Estuary National Research Reserve Marine Extent 77 Nuevo Milenio Urban Forest 90 Punta Petrona Natural Reserve 99 Río Abajo State Forest 113 Vega State Forest 17°40'0"N away from a protected area, while the percentage of grasslands and, less 17°40'0"N Woodland and shrubland Herbaceous wetlands Built-up surface 11 Cambalache State Forest 25 Conservation Easement Foreman 38 Encantado River Natural Protected Area 52 Jorge Sotomayor del Toro Natural Protected Area 65 Las Mesas Peak 78 Old San Juan Aqueduct 91 Punta Petrona Natural Reserve Marine Extent 100 San Cristóbal Canyon Natural Protected Area 114 Vieques Bioluminescent Bay Natural Reserve notably, built-up surface increases. 12 Camuy River Caves Park 26 Conservation Easement Montes Oscuros 39 Espíritu Santo River Natural Reserve 53 José Santiago property 66 Las Piedras del Collado Natural Reserve 79 Pandura Range Natural Protected Area 92 Punta Tuna Natural Mangrove Reserve 101 San Juan Ecological Corridor 115 Vieques Bioluminescent Bay Natural Reserve Grasslands Inland water 13 Caño La Boquilla Natural Reserve 27 Conservation Easement Palmas del Mar 40 Espíritu Santo River Natural Reserve Marine Extent 54 Joyuda Lagoon Natural Reserve 67 Los Frailes property 80 Paraíso de las Lunas Natural Protected Area 93 Punta Yeguas Natural Reserve Marine Extent 102 San Patricio Urban Forest Marine Extent Urban, suburban, and rural settlements: 14 Caño La Boquilla Natural Reserve Marine Extent Tropical Forest 41 Guajataca State Forest 55 La Ciénaga Las Cucharillas Natural Reserve 68 Luis Peña Channel Natural Reserve 81 Piñones State Forest 94 Ratones Cay Natural Reserve 103 Seven Seas Natural Reserve 116 Vieques National Wildlife Refuge The great majority of the protected land is located in rural lands (85 67°30'0"W 67°20'0"W 67°10'0"W 67°0'0"W 66°50'0"W 66°40'0"W 66°30'0"W 66°20'0"W 66°10'0"W 66°0'0"W 65°50'0"W 65°40'0"W 65°30'0"W 65°20'0"W percent), followed by the suburban (13 percent) and urban (2 percent) regions. Simplified land cover of Puerto Rico in 2000

Physiography: The Puerto Rico land cover of 2000 describes the dominant land cover type based on The protected areas are found across all physiographic regions of Puerto Rico the classification of Landsat 7 ETM+ satellite imagery from 1999 to 2003 and with 38 percent of the protected land located in the mountains, 28 percent in information on climate, geology, topography, hydrology, and land use history. The land the plains, 27 percent in the hills, and 7 percent in the plateau region. The cover was simplified from the Puerto Rico Gap Analysis Project land cover (Gould et al. three predominant physiographic regions (i.e., mountains, hills, and plains) 2007) with a spatial resolution of 15 m. have a similar level of protection from 7 to 9 percent, while the plateau region, found solely in the Natural Reserve of Mona Island and Monito, is Land cover distribution Land cover distribution fully protected. in Puerto Rico in the protected areas 1% <1% 1% <1% 4% 3% 11% 6% 1% References 7% 0 10 20 0 10 20 0 10 20 Gould, W.A.; Alarcón, C.; Fevold, B.; Jiménez, M.E.; Martinuzzi, S.; Potts, G.; Solórzano, M.; 39% Ventosa, E. 2007. 8% Miles Miles Miles V Puerto Rico Gap Analysis Project–final report. Moscow, ID: U.S. Geological Survey, 0 30 60 0 30 60 0 30 60 and Río Piedras, PR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, International Institute of Tropical 60% Protected areas Protected areas 32% 14% Kilometers Kilometers Kilometers Forestry. 159 p. and 8 appendices. 13% Gould,G W.A.; Quiñones, M.; Solórzano, M.; Alcobas, W.; Alarcón, C. 2011. Protected Natural Areas Distance from protected areas Urban, suburban, and rural settlements Physiography of Puerto Rico. [1:240,000]. IITF-RMAP-02. Río Piedras, PR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest This supplemental map presents distance zones from the protected areas in Puerto unprotected through this conservation mechanism. The linear graph below shows an The urban, suburban, and rural settlement of Puerto Rico integrates “patterns of through remote sensing analysis using Landsat 7 ETM+ satellite images from 1999 to Physiography describes the land’s surface as defined by geological processes over time. Physiography distribution Service, International Institute of Tropical Forestry. Where is the protected land? The percentage of each land cover type inside Rico. The distances were calculated using the Euclidean distance algorithm tool in analysis of the general land cover types inside each distance zone, where a general development in the landscape with population census data” to describe population 2003, aerial photos, and population data from the 2000 United States Census. This supplemental map was developed through Geographical Information Systems in Puerto Rico Joglar, R.L., ed. 2005. J Biodiversidad de Puerto Rico: Vertebrados Terrestres y Ecosistemas. San Juan, Puerto Rico's protected areas ArcGIS 9.3, which computes the linear distance between multiple areas. These pattern can be observed; the percentage of forest, wetlands, and inland water distribution across the country (Martinuzzi et al. 2007). The regions were classified (GIS) analysis using elevation, geology, and land forms data at the International <1% Puerto Rico. Editorial del Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña. 563p. 100% distances do not take topography into account. The distribution of protected areas decreases the farther away from a protected area, while the percentage of grasslands Institute of Tropical Forestry GIS and Remote Sensing Lab. 7% 60% Urban Martinuzzi,M S.; Gould, W.A.; Ramos González, O.M. 2 007. Land development, land use, and urban across the main island of Puerto Rico is not uniform, leaving large regions and, less notably, built-up surface increases. 33% 32% Protected 27% sprawl in Puerto Rico integrating remote sensing and population census data. Landscape and Urban Places where built-up surface per square kilometer is more than The percentage of each settlement Settlement regions distribution 28% 13% 8% 15% Planning. 79: 288-297. 2% 0 region inside Puerto Rico's in Puerto Rico 43% 0 20 percent. protected areas 38% 40% Protected areas Plains Martinuzzi,M S.; Gould, W.A.; Ramos González, O.M.; Quiñones, M.; Jiménez, M.E. 2008. Urban Not Suburban 67% 68% protected Land cover transition by distance from protected areas 30% 27% and rural land use in Puerto Rico. [1:260,000]. IITF-RMAP-01. Río Piedras, PR: U.S. Department of 100% Relatively flat land with low elevations and slopes under 6 degrees. 87% 92% 85% Places where built-up surface per square kilometer is lower 16% Agriculture, Forest Service, International Institute of Tropical Forestry. 98% 100% than 20 percent and core census block groups have a 100% 60 Forest Woodland Grasslands Forested Herbaceous Inland Natural Built-up < 1 km Protected population density higher than 1000 people per square mile WorldW Database of Protected Areas. 2011. The World Database of Protected Areas (WDPA). A and shrubland wetlands wetlands water barrens surface 14% 48% Land distribution by 1% 3% Hills project of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) – World Conservation Monitoring Distancefrom protected areas Land cover type plus surrounding census blocks with overall density of at least distance from protected 50 0 36% Centre (WCMC) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Cambridge, United 500 people per square mile. Forest Elevated land, smaller than a mountain, with slopes higher than 6 degrees. Kingdom. (http://www.wdpa.org/). (date accessed 12 December 2012). Protected areas landscape context classification analysis 1–2 km areas in Puerto Rico Not The percentage of each physiographic zone inside Rural 40 Woodland protected Puerto Rico's protected areas Coastal Forest Herbaceous Urban Total 86% GeospatialG data: All geospatial data was created or modified at the International Institute of Tropical 5% and shrubland Places where built-up surface per square kilometer is lower 99% 97% Forestry (IITF) Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing Laboratory. Number of protected areas 37 35 14 9 95 100% Mountains 100% 8% Grasslands than 20 percent and core census block groups have a Urban Suburban Rural 100% Protected land area (ha) 30 196 33 309 7786 1007 72 299 2–3 km 30 population density lower than suburban areas. Where is the protected land? Generally higher than the hills, mountains are also high in elevation with SuggestedS citation: Quiñones, Maya; Gould, William A.; Castro-Prieto, Jessica; Martinuzzi, Sebastián. Forested wetlands Protected land (%) 42 46 11 1 100 25% 14% slopes higher than 6 degrees. In Puerto Rico, a mix of geology and Protected 2013. Spatial analysis of Puerto Rico's terrestrial protected areas. [1:240,000]. IITF-RMAP-03. Río Percentage 2% Average size of protected areas (ha) 816 952 556 112 761 20 Piedras, PR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, International Institute of Tropical Forestry. Herbaceous wetlands elevation separates the hills from the mountains, which are primarily 9% 8% 7% 3–5 km 0 Land cover distribution within the protected areas (%) Island wide 14% Disclaimer: The United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service has developed this information for the guidance of its employees, its contractors, and its cooperating federal and made of igneous and metamorphic rock formations. Inland water 13% 0 Forest 36 93 19 28 60 state agencies. It is not responsible for the interpretation or use of this information by anyone except its own employees. The use of trade, firm, corporation, or association names in this Acknowledgments 21% 10 publication is for the information and convenience of the reader and does not constitute an endorsement by the Department of any product or service. This product is reproduced from 13% Not This research was supported by the U.S. Geological Survey Biological Resources Division National Gap Woodland and shrubland 24 4 18 7 14 Natural barrens geospatial information prepared by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. Geographic Information System (GIS) data and product accuracy may vary. They may be developed Plateau protected Program cooperative agreement 01HQPG0031 (01-IA-111201-002). Special thanks to the Grasslands 8 2 33 9 8 5–10 km from sources of differing accuracy, accurate only at certain scales, based on modeling or interpretation, or incomplete while being created or revised. Using GIS products for purposes other 91% 92% 93% Built-up surface than those or for which they were created may yield inaccurate or misleading results. This information was released on the indicated date. The data in this research map reflect data Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico, Coastal Zone Management Program and the Puerto Rico 0 Elevated flat land above sea level. In Puerto Rico, the plateau 100% Forested wetland 16 <1 5 11 7 available at the moment of publication. The Forest Service reserves the right to correct, update, modify, or replace GIS products without notification. 85% Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, the U.S. and Wildlife Service, Luis Jorge Protected < 1 1–2 2–3 3–5 5–10 > 10 physiography is found only in Mona island and Monito. Plains HillsMountains Plateau Herbaceous wetland 10 <1 11 27 6 Herrera and Ciudadanos del Karso, Tim Wallace and Bostonography, and reviewers for their valuable areas The Forest Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture is dedicated to the principle of multiple use management of the Nation’s forest resources for sustained yields of wood, water, forage, time and critical reviews of this map. This research was conducted in collaboration with the University Inland water 5 1 13 7 4 > 10 km Distance from protected areas (km) wildlife, and recreation. Through forestry research, cooperation with the States and private forest owners, and management of the national forests and national grasslands, it strives—as directed by Congress—to provide increasingly greater service to a growing Nation. USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. of Puerto Rico. Natural barrens 1 <1 <1 <1 1 Publication date: 2013

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