Protected area highlights for Puerto Rico (January 31, 2008):
| # of | Area |
|
Total Area of nationally recognized protected areas (% of Puerto Rico's Territorial Area) | 52 | 2,652 | 9.9% |
- Terrestrial (% of Puerto Rico's Terrestrial Territorial Area) | 50 | 603 | 6.8% |
- Marine and Littoral Protected Area | 19 | 2,048 |
|
Note that some protected areas include both terrestrial area and marine area |
|
|
|
UNESCO-MAB Biosphere Reserves | 2 | 75 |
|
Guanica Biosphere Reserve and Luquillo Experimental Forest (Caribbean NF) are recognized under the UNESCO-MAB Biosphere Reserves program.
The latest World Database on Protected Areas reports 56 nationally recognized protected areas in Puerto Rico (4 more than in the summary above):
| Site Name | IUCN Designation | Marine or Terrestrial | Total Area (hectares) | Total Marine Area (hectares) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aguirre (Commonwealth Forest) | - | Both | 938 | 69 |
| Arrecife de Cord (Nature Reserve) | - | Both | ||
| Arrecife De La C (Nature Reserve) | - | Both | ||
| Bahia Biol (Nature Reserve) | - | Both | ||
| Boqueron (Wildlife Refuge) | IV | Both | 237 | |
| Boquerón (Commonwealth Forest) | - | Both | 15,484 | 15,481 |
| C L Pena (Nature Reserve) | - | Marine | ||
| Cabezas de San Juan (Natural Area) | - | Both | 30,847 | 30,669 |
| Cabo Rojo (National Wildlife Refuge) | IV | Terrestrial | 743 | |
| Caja de Muertos (Natural Reserve) | - | Both | 12,735 | 12,550 |
| Cambalache (Commonwealth Forest) | - | Terrestrial | 597 | |
| Cano mertin Pena (Nature Reserve) | - | Terrestrial | ||
| Caño Tiburones (Natural Reserve) | - | Both | 2,266 | |
| Caribbean (National Forest) | VI | Terrestrial | 11,263 | |
| Caribbean National Forest/Luquillo | - | Terrestrial | ||
| Carite (Commonwealth Forest) | - | Terrestrial | 2,705 | |
| Ceiba (Commonwealth Forest) | - | Both | 334 | 6 |
| Cerrillos (Commonwealth Forest) | - | Terrestrial | ||
| Cueva Del Indio (Nature Reserve) | - | Both | ||
| Desecheo (National Wildlife Refuge) | - | Both | 146 | |
| Embalse de Guajataca (Wildlife Refuge) | IV | Terrestrial | 340 | |
| Embalse de Luchetti (Wildlife Refuge) | IV | Terrestrial | 550 | |
| Guajataca (Commonwealth Forest) | - | Terrestrial | 927 | |
| Guaníca (Commonwealth Forest) | - | Both | 5,402 | 1,785 |
| Guilarte (Commonwealth Forest) | - | Terrestrial | 1,418 | |
| Hacienda La Esperanza (Natural Area) | IV | Both | 922 | |
| Humacao (Wildlife Refuge) | IV | Both | 1,026 | |
| Isla de Mona (Nature Reserve) | - | Both | 157,575 | 151,995 |
| Jobos Bay Reserve (National Estuarine Research Reserve) | IV | Both | 1,168 | 2 |
| La Cordillera (Natural Reserve) | IV | Marine | 10,083 | 10,083 |
| La Parguera (Natural Reserve) | - | Both | 32,724 | 32,642 |
| Lago Guajatava (Nature Reserve) | - | Terrestrial | ||
| Lago Luchetti (Nature Reserve) | - | Terrestrial | ||
| Laguna Cartagena (National Wildlife Refuge) | - | Terrestrial | 429 | |
| Laguna De Joy (Nature Reserve) | - | Both | ||
| Laguna Tortuguero (Nature Reserve) | IV | Both | 1,000 | |
| Maricao (Commonwealth Forest) | - | Terrestrial | 4,159 | |
| Navassa Island (National Wildlife Refuge) | IV | Both | 147,690 | 147,226 |
| Pantano de Cibuc (Nature Reserve) | - | Both | ||
| Pico del Este | - | Both | ||
| Pinones (Commonwealth Forest) | - | Both | 1,047 | 197 |
| Pueblo (Commonwealth Forest) | - | Terrestrial | ||
| Puerto Mosquito (Vieques) (Nature Reserve) | IV | Terrestrial | 440 | |
| Punta Petrona (Natural Reserve) | - | Both | 3,282 | 3,117 |
| Punta Yegua (Natural Area) | IV | Both | 32 | |
| Rio Abajo (Commonwealth Forest) | - | Terrestrial | 2,274 | |
| Río Espíritu Santo (Natural Reserve) | - | Both | 9,668 | 8,578 |
| San Patricio (Commonwealth Forest) | - | Terrestrial | ||
| Susua (Commonwealth Forest) | - | Terrestrial | 1,315 | |
| Toro Negro (Commonwealth Forest) | - | Terrestrial | 2,733 | |
| Toro Negro | - | Terrestrial | ||
| Tres Picachos (Commonwealth Forest) | - | Terrestrial | ||
| Urbanodel Nuevo Milenio (Commonwealth Forest) | - | Terrestrial | ||
| Vega (Commonwealth Forest) | - | Terrestrial | 594 | |
| Vieques (Natural Area) | - | Both | ||
| Vieques (National Wildlife Refuge) | - | Both | 7,325 | 146 |
Map of Puerto Rico (Source: CIA World Factbook)
Return to Protected Area Collection for Latin America and the Caribbean
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Further Reading:
- World Resources Institute(accessed May 26, 2009)
- World Database on Protected Areas (accessed May 26, 2009)
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