Jeanette Kawas National Park
Encyclopedia
Jeanette Kawas National Park (Spanish: Parque Nacional Jeannette Kawas) is a national park
located in the municipality of Tela
, on the northern Caribbean
coast of the Atlántida department of Honduras
. It was established on 1 January 1988 and covers an area of 781.62 square kilometres. It has an altitude of 900 metres. The park was created and is managed by the PROLANSATE foundation (protection of Lancetilla, Punta Sal and Texiguat).
Jeanette Kawas National Park is part of the Ramsar Convention
List of Wetlands of International Importance and was designated as such on March 28th 1995.
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
located in the municipality of Tela
Tela
Tela is a town in Honduras on the northern Caribbean coast. It is located in the department of Atlantida.-History:Tela was founded by the Spanish conquistador Cristóbal de Olid on 3 May 1524 near an indigenous town named Tehuacán, ruled by a cacique named Cucumba which had a very good source of...
, on the northern Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
coast of the Atlántida department of Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
. It was established on 1 January 1988 and covers an area of 781.62 square kilometres. It has an altitude of 900 metres. The park was created and is managed by the PROLANSATE foundation (protection of Lancetilla, Punta Sal and Texiguat).
History
The park was originally named Punta Sal National Park, but the name was changed to Jeanette Kawas National Park in honor of an environmental activist and PROLANSATE president who was slain February 6th 1995 for her work trying to keep the palm plantations out of the park.Jeanette Kawas National Park is part of the Ramsar Convention
Ramsar Convention
The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands, i.e., to stem the progressive encroachment on and loss of wetlands now and in the future, recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural,...
List of Wetlands of International Importance and was designated as such on March 28th 1995.
Geography
Located at 15º51'N 087º40'W between longitudes 87º29' and 87º52' west and latitudes 15º42' and 16º00' north on the northern coast of Honduras. It has an area of 781.5 square kilometers.Ecosystems
The park is made up of varied marine, terrestrial and wetlands ecosystems with a large number of species. These ecosystems include:- BeachBeachA beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
es - Tropical forests
- Inundated forests
- MangroveMangroveMangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
s forests - LagoonLagoonA lagoon is a body of shallow sea water or brackish water separated from the sea by some form of barrier. The EU's habitat directive defines lagoons as "expanses of shallow coastal salt water, of varying salinity or water volume, wholly or partially separated from the sea by sand banks or shingle,...
- RiverRiverA river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
s
Birds
- Keel-billed MotmotKeel-billed MotmotThe Keel-billed Motmot is a species of bird in the Momotidae family.It is found in Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua....
- Turquoise-browed MotmotTurquoise-browed MotmotThe Turquoise-browed Motmot also called Torogoz by the inhabitants of El Salvador and Guardabarranco in Nicaragua; is a colourful, medium-sized bird of the motmot family, Momotidae. It inhabits Central America from south-east Mexico , to Costa Rica, where it is common and not considered threatened...
- Green-breasted Mountain-gemGreen-breasted Mountain-gemThe Green-breasted Mountaingem is a species of hummingbird in the Trochilidae family.It is found in Honduras and Nicaragua. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes.-References:...
- Lovely CotingaLovely CotingaThe Lovely Cotinga is a species of bird in the Cotingidae family. It is found in Central America from southern Mexico through Guatemala, Belize, Honduras and Nicaragua to Costa Rica with reports from western Panama...
- Resplendent QuetzalResplendent QuetzalThe Resplendent Quetzal, Pharomachrus mocinno, is a bird in the trogon family. It is found from southern Mexico to western Panama . It is well known for its colorful plumage. There are two subspecies, P. m. mocinno and P. m...
- Bushy-crested JayBushy-crested JayThe Bushy-crested Jay is a species of bird in the Corvidae family. It is found in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montanes and heavily degraded former forest.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 25...
- Blue-crowned ChlorophoniaBlue-crowned ChlorophoniaThe Blue-crowned Chlorophonia is a species of bird in the Thraupidae family.It is found in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes.-References:...
- Lesser Ground-CuckooLesser Ground-cuckooThe Lesser Ground Cuckoo is a species of cuckoo in the monotypic genus Morococcyx in the family Cuculidae. It is found in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, and...
Mammals
- West Indian ManateeWest Indian ManateeThe West Indian Manatee is a manatee, and the largest surviving member of the aquatic mammal order Sirenia . The West Indian Manatee, Trichechus manatus, is a species distinct from the Amazonian Manatee, T. inunguis, and the West African Manatee, T. senegalensis...
- StenellaStenellaStenella is a genus of aquatic mammals in Delphinidae, the family informally known as the oceanic dolphins.Currently five species are recognised in this genus:*Pantropical Spotted Dolphin, S. attenuata*Atlantic Spotted Dolphin, S. frontalis...
dolphin - Common dolphinCommon dolphinThe common dolphin is the name given to two species of dolphin making up the genus Delphinus.Prior to the mid-1990s, most taxonomists only recognised one species in this genus, the common dolphin Delphinus delphis...
- White-headed CapuchinWhite-headed CapuchinThe white-headed capuchin , also known as the white-faced capuchin or white-throated capuchin, is a medium-sized New World monkey of the family Cebidae, subfamily Cebinae...
- Howler monkeyHowler monkeyHowler monkeys are among the largest of the New World monkeys. Fifteen species are currently recognised. Previously classified in the family Cebidae, they are now placed in the family Atelidae. These monkeys are native to South and Central American forests...
Reptiles
- American CrocodileAmerican CrocodileThe American crocodile is a species of crocodilian found in the Neotropics. It is the most widespread of the four extant species of crocodiles from the Americas. Populations occur from the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of southern Mexico to South America as far as Peru and Venezuela. It also lives...
- Sea turtleSea turtleSea turtles are marine reptiles that inhabit all of the world's oceans except the Arctic.-Distribution:...
, such as Green sea turtleGreen Sea TurtleThe Green sea turtle or green turtle is a large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus Chelonia. Its range extends throughout tropical and subtropical seas around the world, with two distinct populations in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans...
, Leatherback Sea TurtleLeatherback Sea TurtleThe leatherback sea turtle is the largest of all living sea turtles and the fourth largest modern reptile behind three crocodilians. It is the only living species in the genus Dermochelys. It can easily be differentiated from other modern sea turtles by its lack of a bony shell. Instead, its...
, Hawksbill turtleHawksbill turtleThe hawksbill sea turtle is a critically endangered sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. It is the only extant species in its genus. The species has a worldwide distribution, with Atlantic and Pacific subspecies. E. imbricata imbricata is the Atlantic subspecies, while E...
and the Loggerhead turtle - Green IguanaGreen IguanaThe Green Iguana or Common Iguana is a large, arboreal herbivorous species of lizard of the genus Iguana native to Central and South America...
- Red-tailed Boa
- Mexican burrowing snake
Arthropods
- Caribbean hermit crabCaribbean hermit crabThe Caribbean hermit crab, Coenobita clypeatus, also known as the soldier crab, the West Atlantic crab, the tree crab, and the purple pincher , is a species of land hermit crab native to the west Atlantic, Bahamas, Belize, southern Florida, Venezuela, the Virgin Islands, and the West Indies...
- Golden silk orb-weaverGolden silk orb-weaverThe golden silk orb-weavers are a genus of araneomorph spiders noted for the impressive webs they weave. Nephila consists of numerous individual species found around the world. They are also commonly called golden orb-weavers, giant wood spiders, or banana spiders...
Plants
- AcalyphaAcalyphaAcalypha is a plant genus of the family Euphorbiaceae. It is the sole genus of the subtribe Acalyphinae. With 450 to 500 species of herbs and shrubs, the genus is only behind Euphorbia, Croton and Phyllanthus in term of Malpighiales diversity...
skutchii - Cappatis truerchkhemii
- Columnea tuerckheimii
- Cordia truncatifolia
- Ormosia macrocalyx
- Phyllanthus elsiae
- Rinorea hummelii
- Salacia impressifolia
- Sida antillensis
- Sida troyana
See also
- Municipality of TelaTelaTela is a town in Honduras on the northern Caribbean coast. It is located in the department of Atlantida.-History:Tela was founded by the Spanish conquistador Cristóbal de Olid on 3 May 1524 near an indigenous town named Tehuacán, ruled by a cacique named Cucumba which had a very good source of...
- Country of HondurasHondurasHonduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
- Honduras first national park La Tigra National parkLa Tigra National ParkLa Tigra National Park was the first national park in Honduras, by decree No. 976-80 whose principal objective is "The Conservation, Ecologic Preservation and Maintenance of The Hydrologic Potential of this Reserve". It was established on 1 January 1980 and covers an area of 238.21 square kilometers...
- Region of MesoamericaMesoamericaMesoamerica is a region and culture area in the Americas, extending approximately from central Mexico to Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica, within which a number of pre-Columbian societies flourished before the Spanish colonization of the Americas in the 15th and...
and the CaribbeanCaribbeanThe Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...