Fauna of Puerto Rico

The fauna of Puerto Rico is similar to other island archipelago faunas, with high endemism, and low, skewed taxonomic diversity. [] This program was fundamental in raising ecological awareness in Puerto Rico.

The Puerto Rico Breeding Bird Survey (PRBBS), established in 1997, is a program with the purpose of monitoring the status and trends of Puerto Rican breeding bird populations. [cite web|url=http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/BBS/Puerto_Rico/|title=BBS - Puerto Rico |accessdate = 2006-09-09|format= |work= |publisher=] The information gathered by these surveys is used by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to assess bird conservation priorities. Other conservation programs by the USFWS include the Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands Migratory Bird Conservation and the maintenance of 5 wildlife refuges at Cabo Rojo, Laguna Cartagena, Vieques, Culebra and Desecheo. Other institutions supporting bird conservation in Puerto Rico are the Puerto Rican Ornithological Society and the Puerto Rico National History Association.

Marine conservation has recently garnered support in Puerto Rico. The archipelago has an estimated 700 miles (1,126.5 km) of coastline and 1,300 mi² (3,370 km²) of coral reef communities. [Wilkinson, p.435.] The Department of Natural Resources of Puerto Rico maintains 25 areas with marine components but only two of these (11 km²) are designated as no-take zones. All turtle species occurring in Puerto Rico's waters are classified as either endangered or threatened. Earthwatch-supported turtle conservation programs and U.S. federal programs have raised local awareness and have contributed to the decline of egg-poaching and turtle meat consumption.

See also

* List of endemic fauna of Puerto Rico
* List of Vieques birds

Footnotes and references

----

*cite web|url=http://web.archive.org/web/www.faculty.biol.ttu.edu/willig/MRWilligpage/Research/Interest%20Pages/prmammals.html |title=The Bats of Puerto Rico |accessmonthday= July 27|accessyear= 2006|author= M.R. Gannon, M. Rogriguez-Duran, A. Kurta, and M.R Willig |date= |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher= |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate=
*cite journal | author = Placer, José | year = 1998 | month = Summer | title = The Bats of Puerto Rico - Bats have few friends on the island of Puerto Rico, but the dedicated few are working hard for their survival . . .| journal = | volume =16 | issue = 2 | pages = 13–15 | doi = | id = | url = http://www.batcon.org/batsmag/v16n2-4.html | format = | accessdate = 2006-07-27
*cite book|last=Oberle|first=Mark|year=2003|title=Las aves de Puerto Rico en fotografías|publisher=Editorial Humanitas|id = ISBN 0-9650104-2-2|pages= es icon
*cite web|url= http://cgsc.biology.yale.edu/prgeolog.html |title= The Geology of Puerto Rico|accessdate= |accessmonthday=July 31 |accessyear=2006 |author= |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |date= |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher= |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate=

Further reading

*
*
*

External links

* [http://www.drna.gobierno.pr Department of Natural Resources of Puerto Rico] es