Puerto Rico Critical Wildlife Areas - Puerto DRNA - Gobierno de ...

Mammals
The seagrass beds in the western side of the Mosquito Pier are prime habitat for the West
Indian manatee Trichechus manatus.
Threats:
Within the lands transferred to the USFWS there are three sites that the US NAVY
identified as contaminated and are under investigation. The US NAVY is the main entity
responsible for the clean up of these sites, under the guidance of the US Environmental
Protection Agency and the Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Board, in compliance with
Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA)
(Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico Conservation Trust and the United States
Department of the Interior, 2002).
Conservation Recommendations:
The three sites identified by the US NAVY as contaminated, should be cleaned and
restored. These areas of concern are:
1) Waste Explosive Open Burn/Open Detonation Range – the contaminated area
is probably not larger than 20 ha, but approximately 162 ha have been fenced
and signed for the public safety.
2) Mangrove Disposal Site – located north side of the road nearby Laguna
Kiani. The area has been estimated to be 1.2 ha and have been fenced and
posted as closed to the public.
3) Operation Area Disposal Site – located adjacent to a stream that drains into
Vieques Sound along its northeastern border. The area covers approximately
0.5 ha and appears to be 2-4 feet deep.
Wildlife monitoring should be implemented to detect population trends and to provide
insights into their causes, if any. Channels to the lagoons should be kept operational to prevent
degradation of the mangrove systems.
Kiani Lagoon Complex
Area Description:
Located in the northwest part of Vieques Island, this complex includes three lagoons: El
Pobre, Boca Quebrada and Arenas Lagoons. It is probably the most remote and best-protected
tract of swamp anywhere in Puerto Rico and consequently species rare elsewhere can survive
here. Around these lagoons, there are very dense strands of red mangrove making it very
difficult to penetrate them. There are also saltflats and mudflats and in the driest areas there is a
black mangrove forest and a coastal dry forest. A very dense population of Land crab
Cardisoma guanhhumi is noticeable in the area.
The west side of Mosquito Pier in the northwestern area of Vieques is a prime locality
for the endangered West Indian Manatee. The whole area contains marine, aquatic and upland
forest systems supporting a great variety of wildlife making it a primary wildlife area.
Ownership/Protection:
The west coast of Vieques is part of the Vieques National Wildlife Refuge, and is
administered by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Caribbean Island National Wildlife
Refuges.
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