Greater Antilles mangroves

The Greater Antilles mangroves is a mangrove ecoregion that includes the coastal mangrove forests of the Greater AntillesCuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico.[1]

American flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber) feeding in a saltwater lagoon surrounded by a mangrove forest in Cuba.
Ecoregion territory (in red)
Ecology
RealmNeotropical
Biomemangroves
Borders
Geography
Area10,600 km2 (4,100 sq mi)
Countries
Conservation
Conservation statusCritical/endangered[1]
Protected30.5%(2007)[2]

Geography edit

Mangroves are estimated to cover 5,569 km2 in Cuba (or 4.8% of the country); 134 km2 in Haiti; 325 km2 in the Dominican Republic; and 106 km2 in Jamaica.[1]

Some ecoregion systems include the Greater Antilles mangroves, Bahamian mangroves, and Lesser Antilles mangroves within a single Bahamian-Antillean mangroves ecoregion.[3]

Protected areas edit

30.5% of the ecoregion is in protected areas.[2] These include the Zapata Swamp in Cuba,[4] La Cahouane and Three Bays Protected Area in Haiti,[5][6] Los Haitises National Park in the Dominican Republic, and the Piñones State Forest[7] and Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Puerto Rico.[8]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "Greater Antilles mangroves". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
  2. ^ a b Hoekstra JM, Molnar JL, Jennings M, Revenga C, Spalding MD, Boucher TM, Robertson JC, Heibel TJ, Ellison K (2010) The Atlas of Global Conservation: Changes, Challenges, and Opportunities to Make a Difference (ed. Molnar JL). Berkeley: University of California Press.
  3. ^ "Bahamian-Antillean mangroves". DOPA Explorer. Accessed 28 December 2020. [1]
  4. ^ Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "Ciénaga de Zapata National Park". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  5. ^ "Three Bays Protected Area | Urban Nature Atlas". una.city. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  6. ^ "OAS :: SEDI :: News". www.oas.org. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  7. ^ "The Institute for Regional Conservation". www.regionalconservation.org. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  8. ^ "National Estuarine Research Reserve System". coast.noaa.gov. Retrieved 2023-04-13.

External links edit