Unted States p Forest Department a Service DRNA of Agriculture g P r o t e c t e d N a t u r a l A r e a s o f P u er to R i c o K E E P I NG C OM M O N S P E C I E S CO M M ON PRGAP ANALYSIS PROJECT William A. Gould, Maya Quiñones, Mariano Solórzano, Waldemar Alcobas, and Caryl Alarcón IITF GIS and Remote Sensing Lab A center for tropical landscape analysis U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, International Institute of Tropical Forestry . o c 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 i R o t rotection of natural areas is essential to conserving biodiversity and r e u P maintaining ecosystem services. Benefits and services provided by natural United , Protected areas by management 9 States A t l a n t i c O c e a n 1 areas are complex, interwoven, life-sustaining, and necessary for a healthy 1 1 - 6 environment and a sustainable future (Daily et al. 1997). They include 2 9 0 0 cPlean waterc cacnccdc cair, sustainable wildlife populations and habitats, stable slopes, The Bahamas R P productive soils, genetic reservoirs, recreational opportunities, and spiritual refugia. , s a These are benefits that cannot be replaced by existing technology (Cohen and Tilman r d e Cuba i 1996, Daily et al. 1997). To best use our natural heritage, natural lands management and 29 P o 22 Haiti Puerto Rico í protection designation should be based on sound scientific information provided by A t l a n t i c O c e a n R , a 49 b research and experience. Social and historical factors, sustainable uses, existing Jamaica i Dominican e C conditions, restoration potential, and future scenarios should be considered to assure Republic e C a r i b b e a n S e a l l continued benefits, a good quality of life, and economic stability for the communities that a C 1 N N " 0 depend on ecosystem services provided by natural areas. " 0 2 ' 0 ' Isabela 0 1 0 3 , 3 ° r ° 8 u 8 1 1 Hatillo S We portray the protected natural areas designated for natural resource conservation in Camuy 28 40 o c Quebradilla i Puerto Rico, as well as areas with government regulation that have the potential to n á San Juan t Arecibo 16 21 o enhance natural resource conservation. The designation of protected areas can be very Dorado B 48 82 n Barceloneta 108 Vega Baja í dynamic as it is a product of ever-evolving social values. The information shown is a d r 64 a J Toa Baja Cataño compilation of available geospatial data from various local and federal government , 15 y Aguadilla 81 Loíza r 11 Manatí 96 t agencies and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). The primary map, "Protected areas s 55 e 11 r by management," shows Puerto Rico’s protected natural lands designated for 67 o 71 Vega Alta F 53 113 l 41 a conservation and managed by Puerto Rico Commonwealth agencies, U.S. federal c 31 i Moca 97 102 p Icacos Cay o agencies, and NGOs. The areas are identified by a numerical label that matches the 11 Carolina Canóvanas r 112 77 T 97 95 Bayamón Aguada 60 36 f area’s name on the list below. This map also shows Puerto Rico’s marine reserves and Desecheo Río Grande o 33 39 e Toa Alta 78 Luquillo La Cordillera Reef t marine extensions of terrestrial natural reserves, which are all managed or co-managed 63 u t Trujillo Alto i Guaynabo 101 t Florida s by the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER). Some or n 32 I 38 97 l parts of the protected areas are owned by a different agency than the one that manages 103 a n N N Palominos " " Rincón Corozal 98 56 o 61 i 0 0 ' San Sebastián Ciales t ' 12 30 0 0 it, so a supplemental map, "Protected areas by ownership," identifies the protected areas 38 a 2 2 110 n ° ° Fajardo r Morovis 8 8 99 e 1 1 as either parks, reserves, or state forests owned by the DNER or the Puerto Rico National t 45 n I 24 Parks Company, areas owned by other Commonwealth agencies, federally owned land, 46 e 19 c i Naranjito Dewey v land owned by NGOs, and unprotected lands. The second supplemental map, "Regulated r Lares 68 e Añasco S land," shows areas with some degree of government regulation, including the 2006 t 37 s e r Puerto Rico land use plan draft (Junta de Planificación 2006) and additional local and 75 o Culebra F Utuado federal laws that potentially provide protection of natural resources. It is important to A Aguas Buenas Ceiba D S note that there are areas not portrayed which were historically designated as part of the Las Marias U Caguas state forests of Boquerón (6), Ceiba (19), and Piñones (81). We were unable to 14 13 Gurabo 72 104 determine their current status. Additionally, there are areas not included in this map that Orocovis Juncos Comerío have been designated by the commonwealth government as special zoning areas, which Jayuya 2 Naguabo have some conservation objectives but little enforcement (e.g., a parcel adjacent to the 111 72 Tres Palmas Marine Reserve (110). 83 Mayagüez 69 Maricao Barranquitas 80 1 Cidra Las Piedras 107 San Lorenzo N N " " Summary. Currently 8 percent of Puerto Rico's land is designated for conservation. This 0 0 ' ' 0 0 65 Adjuntas 23 1 1 ° includes public and private properties classified as state forests, national federal forests, ° 8 8 1 1 100 wildlife refuges, natural reserves, natural protected areas, conservation easements, 107 Humacao 84 Isabel II Hormigueros Aibonito recently acquired lands for conservation, and other lands managed for conservation. 70 76 57 25 Villalba 116 109 54 Cayey Puerto Rico currently has 116 protected natural areas with 21 marine reserves, of which 76 52 114 94 34 16 are marine extensions of terrestrial reserves. Eight of the 95 protected land areas are 76 105 co-owned by various entities. The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico owns and manages the 62 17 Cabo Rojo 47 66 116 Vieques greatest area of protected lands (58 percent and 57 percent, respectively), followed by 4 Sábana Grande 20 Coamo 27 5 106 34 the federal government (28 percent in both categories) and NGOs (14 and 15 percent, San Germán respectively). However, NGOs manage more individual protected land areas than the Peñuelas Juana Díaz federal government (36 vs. 7). Protected areas are concentrated on the high peaks of the 89 Lajas 35 17 Yabucoa Central and Luquillo Mountains, the wetlands of the coastal plains, and the lesser islands 88 Yauco 79 Guayanilla 26 95 and cays of the Puerto Rican Archipelago. These areas are relatively well-protected. 8 50 115 Under protected areas include nonwetlands of the coastal plain, the karst limestone hills Ponce Maunabo N N " " 0 67°55'0"W 67°50'0"W ' 0 ' 0 in northwestern Puerto Rico, and the coastal hills and lower slopes. The coastal hills form 0 Patillas ° ° 8 8 18 1 an important hydrological and ecological link between the upper mountains, the coastal 1 Mona and Monito 58 Salinas Guayama 92 wetlands, and the near-shore marine areas. 86 N N " A t l a n t i c O c e a n Arroyo " Guánica 0 42 ' 0 Santa Isabel ' 9 0 0 1 42 1 ° ° 8 8 93 Mechanisms other than official designation as a protected area have been established to 1 Monito Island 1 6 87 42 51 promote natural resource conservation, including local and federal laws, zoning 74 85 90 3 regulation, planning, and permit processes for development. The Puerto Rico Land Use 43 44 Plan, an island-wide regulatory obligation of the Puerto Rico Planning Board (Junta de 42 Planificación 2006), has been in development for years although it is still unfinished and 91 unapproved. Local and federal laws and regulations often protect specific landcover N N " " 0 types, species habitats, and terrain not appropriate for development, e.g., flood plains, ' s 0 ' 5 10 73 5 ° s ° 8 8 cstcececp slopes, landslide-prone areas, and critical 1 59 a 1 7 Caja de Muertos habitat. However, these mechanisms and the Protected land P 8% Mona Island processes to enforce them do not always work a 0 2 4 8 12 16 20 n N N o " " M 0 (Fernández-Porto 1994, Lugo 1994, Lugo et al. 0 Miles ' ' 0 0 5 5 ° ° 0 4 8 16 24 32 40 2004, Molina 1994). Development pressure, the 7 7 1 1 politicizing of environmental agencies and 67°55'0"W 67°50'0"W Kilometers C a r i b b e a n S e a decisionmaking processes, and the lack of SCALE: 1:240,000 knowledge and appreciation of the services Lambert Comformal Conic Projection provided by natural areas have historically North American Datum of 1983 (NAD 83) impaired the ability of these processes to properly protect our land (Lugo 1994). 92% Unprotected land Protected Areas 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 of Dorado 95 Recently aquired land in Manatí and 106 Susúa State Forest 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 Maricao State Forest 83 Pterocarpus Forest Nature Reserve Guayama by IITF 107 Toro Negro State Forest Percentage of protected land by island region 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 DNER 108 Tortuguero Lagoon Natural Reserve 4 Belvedere Natural Reserve 18 Cartagena Lagoon National Wildlife Refuge 31 Desecheo Island Coastal Waters Natural