Boquerón State Forest
Boquerón State Forest is one of the 20 forestry units that make up the List of [Puerto Rico state forests|public forest system] of Puerto Rico. Despite its name, the Boquerón State Forest is not only located in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico|Boquerón, Cabo Rojo] but also spans almost 5,000 acres across the municipalities of Cabo Rojo, Lajas and Mayagüez. The forest area is also known for its limestone cliffs, the lighthouse, and the salt flats which have been a source of salt since the pre-Hispanic era and, dating to 700 C.E., they are considered to be one of the oldest industries in the Americas.
History
Boquerón State Forest is one of the oldest forests in the Puerto Rico state forest system. It was proclaimed and designated a forest preserve in 1918 by Puerto Rico governor Arthur Yager with the purpose of preserving the mangrove biomes in Cabo Rojo and Lajas. Two additional segments, the Guayacán and Cuevas Keys, were added in 1943. The areas of the Molino mangroves, Los Morrillos and the Guaniquilla Lagoon and surrounding mangroves were annexed to the Boquerón State Forest in 1980.The state forest today is managed by the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources and extends across 9 management segments across three municipalities:
- Mangrove forest of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico|Guanajibo, Mayagüez].
- Joyuda Lagoon and mangroves in Joyuda, Cabo Rojo.
- Puerto Real mangrove forest in Miradero, Cabo Rojo.
- Boquerón mangrove forests in Cabo Rojo.
- Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge in Llanos Costa, Cabo Rojo.
- Las Salinas de Cabo Rojo and adjacent mangrove forests in Llanos Costa, Cabo Rojo.
- Molino mangrove forest in Llanos Costa, Cabo Rojo.
- Pitahaya mangrove forest in Llanos Costa, Cabo Rojo.
- Bahía Montalva mangrove forest, part of La Parguera Nature Reserve, in Costa, Lajas.
Geology
The forest is located in the Puerto Rico southern karst region and as such all of its geological formations contain limestone, particularly the Ponce limestone. It is often said that the reddish-colored limestone is what gives its name to the municipality and city of Cabo Rojo.Ecology
The Boquerón Forest is ecologically important and it hosts several marine biomes in addition to the mangrove forests such as coral reefs and seagrass meadows which are important to threatened species such as the West Indian manatee.All four species of mangrove are found within the forest, in addition to important indicator plant species such as the bullet tree, the greenheart and the sea grape. The endangered black cóbana and the critically endangered bariaco are also found and preserved in the forest.
The beaches around the forest are important sea turtle nesting sites, particularly for the leatherback sea turtle, the hawksbill sea turtle and the green sea turtle. Additionally, the forest serves as one of the few habitats in the world where the endangered yellow-shouldered blackbird can be found.