Sierra de Bahoruco National Park

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Sierra de Bahoruco National Park
Brunellia comocladifolia 3.JPG
A stand of Brunellia trees in the park
Location Pedernales Province, Independencia Province and Barahona Province in Dominican Republic
Coordinates 18°10′N71°30′W / 18.16°N 71.5°W / 18.16; -71.5
Area278,240 acres (1,126.0 km2)
Established1983

The Sierra de Bahoruco National Park is an environmentally protected national park located in the South-western region of Dominican Republic. It was created in 1983 by Presidential Decree (No. 1315/83) during the presidency of Salvador Jorge Blanco. [1]

Contents

Geography

The park is bordered by Lake Enriquillo and Jaragua National Park. Together with the two parks, it constitutes the Jaragua-Bahoruco-Enriquillo biosphere reserve, created on November 6, 2002. [2]

The park is located within the provinces of Pedernales Province, Independencia Province and Barahona Province and borders Haiti. It has an area of approximately 1126 km2. Part of the park includes the Bahoruco Mountain Range.

Also located South-west of the Bahoruco Peninsula is Bahía de las Águilas (Bay of Eagle's), a bay which stretches out 8.5 km in length, 5.4 km of which constitutes beach area in its central region, and is a highly protected part of the Biosphere-reserve for its concentration of endemic and endangered species like The Hispaniolan Solenodon, The Hutia (Hutia Conga), and Rhino Iguanas. [3] [4]

Climate

There are a variety of biomes in the park, ranging from tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests at sea level, to temperate rainforest in the center of the park. In the mountains, the average temperature is 18 °C, and the average annual rainfall is between 1000mm and 2500mm.

Geology

The geological formation of the Bahoruco Mountain Range rests atop sedimentary limestone and marl-stone from the Eocene and Pliocene eras, which contain various species of algae, and is at its base supported by volcanic rock from the caribbean plateau.

Sierra de Bahoruco is home to one of the most emblematic sites on the Bahoruco Peninsula, El Hoyo del Pelempito (Pelempito's Hole), located 361 meters below sea level, Pelempito is the product of a collapsing of cave systems below its surface millions of years ago, due to pressure from underlying tectonic plates.

El Hoyo del Pelempito has a width of 2.5 kilometers and length of 7 kilometers, forming a triangular shaped depression with an oscillating temperature of 15 to 25 degrees Celsius, while the surrounding border mountains can reach up to and surpass 1,800 meters in height. [5] [6]

Vegetation and fauna

Hispaniolan trogon Hispaniolan Trogon (Priotelus roseigaster) (8082799519).jpg
Hispaniolan trogon

The park contains vast areas of pine forest and large broad-leaved trees, mixed forest and a wide variety of orchids.

There are 32 species of endemic birds that inhabit the island, of which 30 can be found in the park. The park is home to several threatened species, including bay-breasted cuckoos, Hispaniolan amazons, the least poorwill, white-necked crows, western chat-tanagers and La Selle thrushes. The park also has populations of Stygian owls and sharp-shinned hawks. [7]

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The Dominican Republic is a country in the West Indies that occupies the eastern five-eighths of Hispaniola. It has an area of 48,670 km2, including offshore islands. The land border shared with Haiti, which occupies the western three-eighths of the island, is 376 km long. The maximum length, east to west, is 390 km from Punta de Agua to Las Lajas, on the border with Haiti. The maximum width, north to south, is 265 km from Cape Isabela to Cape Beata. The capital, Santo Domingo, is located on the south coast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baoruco Province</span> Province of the Dominican Republic

Baoruco, alternatively spelt Bahoruco, is a province of the Dominican Republic located in the southwest of the country, part of the Enriquillo Region, along with the provinces of Barahona, Independencia and Pedernales. Before 1952 it included what is now Independencia Province.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barahona Province</span> Province of the Dominican Republic

Barahona is a province of the Dominican Republic. Located in the country's southwestern region, it is dividing into 11 municipalities and its capital bears the city of the same name. Barahona borders the provinces of Pedernales to the southwest, Baoruco and Independencia to the north, and Azua to the east along with coastline to the south with the Caribbean Sea. The province has an approximately three hours drive from Santo Domingo the capital of the Dominican Republic. In 2019, volunteers from Amigos de las Americas visited to facilitate projects within the various municipalities of Barahona.

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Pedernales is the southernmost province of the Dominican Republic, including the offshore island of Isla Beata. It was split from Barahona in 1957. Of its 2,074.53 km2, 1,374 km2 belongs to the Jaragua National Park. A third of its population is of Haitian origin, the highest ratio within the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pico Duarte</span> Mountain in the Dominican Republic

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Enriquillo</span> Taíno cacique who rebelled against the Spaniards from 1519 to 1533

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jaragua National Park</span> Reserve

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hispaniolan amazon</span> Species of parrot endemic to Hispaniola

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pedernales, Dominican Republic</span> Capital of Pedernales Province, Dominican Republic

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lago de Oviedo</span> Saltwater lake in Jaragua National Park, Pedernales Province

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hispaniolan dry forests</span> Ecoregion on Hispaniola

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References

  1. ↑ "Decreto 1315-83 | PDF | República Dominicana | Gobierno". Scribd. Retrieved 2021-08-06.
  2. ↑ "Reserva de la Biosfera: Jaragua, Bahoruco y Enriquillo » Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival, September 8-13, 2015" . Retrieved 2021-08-06.
  3. ↑ "Bahía de las Águilas, descripción técnica desde la Geografía Física | Geografía Física – República Dominicana" (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2021-08-06.
  4. ↑ "Explore Bahía de Las Águilas · Visit Dominican Republic". Visit Dominican Republic. 2020-12-21. Retrieved 2021-08-06.
  5. ↑ Nacional, El. "El Hoyo de Pelempito "El Gran Cañón" del Caribe". El Nacional (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-08-06.
  6. ↑ Hoy (2004-12-23). "El Hoyo de Pelempito, una impresionante depresión natural | Hoy Digital". hoy.com.do. Retrieved 2021-08-06.
  7. ↑ David C. Wege; Verónica Anadón-Irizarry; Mayra Vincenty (2008). Important bird areas in the Caribbean. BirdLife International. p. 167. ISBN   0946888655.
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