The U.S. territory of Puerto Rico not too long ago gained a brand new marine protected space off the island’s central north coast.
The MPA, named Jardines Submarinos de Vega Baja y Manatí or the Vega Baja and Manatí Underwater Gardens, spans 202 sq. kilometers (77 sq. miles) and is the fruits of a 16-year effort by a coalition of native communities and NGOs.
It’s comprised of a number of critically necessary ecosystems, together with coral reefs, mangrove forests and seagrass beds, and is residence to greater than a dozen threatened species, together with the better Caribbean manatee (Trichechus manatus manatus) and several other species of sea turtles.
“Juvenile sea turtles foraging within the shallow coral reef and seagrass habitats will obtain added safety with zoning designed to cut back potential conflicts with leisure vessels,” Wildlife Conservation Society scientists advised Mongabay in an electronic mail. “This will even afford safety to numerous species of corals that develop there,” they added.
The brand new MPA can be a web site for native small-scale fishing and several other ecotourism initiatives. The coalition organized to determine the MPA so it could possibly proceed for use by locals and on the identical time shield the assets they depend on for sustenance and income.
“These ecosystems nourish us and maintain our high quality of life,” Ricardo Laureano, main member of Vegabajeños Impulsando Desarrollo Ambiental Sustentable (VIDAS), stated in a press launch. VIDAS is without doubt one of the native teams that organized to determine the MPA.
“It took 16 years of onerous work, beginning in 2007, to get right here. Over time, we rallied neighbors, knocked on doorways, and engaged native and nationwide leaders to spotlight the important want to guard this Reserve,” Laureano stated.
Vega Baja y Manatí joins greater than 30 different marine protected areas in Puerto Rican waters. Greater than 27% of the island’s territorial waters are protected, inserting Puerto Rico properly on the trail of reaching the worldwide objective of defending 30% of the Earth’s land and water by the yr 2030.
Puerto Rico’s MPAs, together with this latest one, are a part of the Caribbean Organic Hall that stretches from Puerto Rico to Cuba. The area is a biodiversity hotspot stuffed with endemic and threatened species, together with a number of species of sea turtles, manta rays, whales and sharks. By establishing a organic hall of protected areas, native conservation advocates say they hope to attach habitats in a method that enables for secure migration between them.
The coalition that established Vega Baja y Manatí is now engaged on a co-management plan, which is able to decide what the MPA can obtain when it comes to safety.
“The imaginative and prescient of the plan is to zone areas throughout the MPA to cut back conflicting makes use of that have an effect on the wildlife in addition to their important habitats (coral reefs, seagrasses, and mangroves) within the coastal areas,” the Wildlife Conservation Society scientists stated.
This article by Bobby Bascomb was first revealed by Mongabay.com on 12 November 2024. Lead picture by Ron Watkins through Ocean Picture Financial institution.
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