El Rabanal (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

: ''Servidumbre de Conservación El Rabanal'') is a small, protected area consisting of 16 acres of critical

secondary forest A secondary forest (or second-growth forest) is a forest or woodland area which has re-grown after a timber harvest or clearing for agriculture, until a long enough period has passed so that the effects of the disturbance are no longer evident. ...

in the municipality of

Cidra, Puerto Rico Cidra () is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the central region of the island, north of Cayey; south of Comerío and Aguas Buenas; east of Aibonito and Barranquitas; and west of Caguas. Cidra is spread over 12 barrios and C ...

. The forest tract is located in barrio Rabanal, in a 5,438-acre hydrological basin (El Banco Creek, important for the

La Plata La Plata () is the capital city of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. According to the , it has a population of 654,324 and its metropolitan area, the Greater La Plata, has 787,294 inhabitants. It is located 9 kilometers (6 miles) inland from th ...

basin) which is home to 21 species of birds, seven out of which are endemic to the region, including the Puerto Rican plain pigeon (considered a symbol of Cidra). This protected area was established through the ''Asociación de Pequeños Agricultores de Rabanal Inc.'' (APARI) and the Puerto Rico Conservation Trust (''Para la Naturaleza'') in 2002 with the goal of protecting the area from urban development and developing educational programs related to

sustainable agriculture Sustainable agriculture is farming in sustainable ways meeting society's present food and textile needs, without compromising the ability for current or future generations to meet their needs. It can be based on an understanding of ecosystem ser ...

and environmental education.

References

{{CidraPR-geo-stub Protected areas of Puerto Rico Cidra, Puerto Rico 2002 establishments in Puerto Rico Protected areas established in 2002 Bird sanctuaries

See also

References