Mona and Monito Islands Nature Reserve (

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 ...

: ''Reserva Natural Islas Mona y Monito'') consists of two islands, Mona and Monito, in the

Mona Passage The Mona Passage ( es, Canal de la Mona) is a strait that separates the islands of Hispaniola and Puerto Rico. The Mona Passage connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Caribbean Sea and is an important shipping route between the Atlantic and the Panama ...

off western

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

in the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

. Mona and Monito Islands Nature Reserve encompasses both land and marine area, and with an area of 38,893 acres it is the largest protected natural area in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (

El Yunque National Forest El Yunque National Forest ( es, Bosque Nacional El Yunque), formerly known as the Caribbean National Forest (or ''Bosque Nacional del Caribe''), is a forest located in northeastern Puerto Rico. It is the only tropical rainforest in the United Sta ...

, with 28,434 acres, is the largest in the main island of Puerto Rico). Much like the Galapagos Islands in the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

, the Mona and Monito Islands reserve represents a living laboratory for archaeological, biological, geological, oceanographical and wildlife management research.

Overview

Mona is the third largest island in the archipelago of Puerto Rico and the largest in the Mona Passage. It has an area of 22 square miles (57 km²) and is located 41 miles (66 km) from the main island of Puerto Rico, and 38 miles (61 km) east of the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...

. Monito, less than a mile across (147 km²), is smaller and located 3.20 miles (5.22 km) northwest off Mona. Although both islands are uninhabited (only researchers and DRNA personnel live on Mona), both form part of ''

barrio ''Barrio'' () is a Spanish language, Spanish word that means "Quarter (urban subdivision), quarter" or "neighborhood". In the modern Spanish language, it is generally defined as each area of a city, usually delimited by functional (e.g. residenti ...

'' Isla de Mona e Islote Monito of the municipality of

Mayagüez, Puerto Rico Mayagüez (, ) is a city and the eighth-largest municipality in Puerto Rico. It was founded as Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria de Mayagüez, and is also known as ''La Sultana del Oeste'' (The Sultaness of the West), ''Ciudad de las Aguas Pura ...

. Due to the island's historical and natural significance there has been interest in seeking world heritage status for Mona as a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

by the Puerto Rican government. The name ''Mona'' originates from Amona, the original

Taíno The Taíno were a historic Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean, indigenous people of the Caribbean whose culture has been continued today by Taíno descendant communities and Taíno revivalist communities. At the time of European contact in the ...

name for the island.

History

The island of Mona was inhabited by the

people in the

Pre-Columbian era In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era spans from the Migration to the New World, original settlement of North and South America in the Upper Paleolithic period through European colonization of the Americas, European colonization, w ...

and it contains several archaeological and petroglyph sites, most of them in the limestone caves of the island. The caves also contain graffiti from the Spanish colonial and piracy times. Mona, along with Puerto Rico,

Vieques Vieques (; ), officially Isla de Vieques, is an island and municipality of Puerto Rico, in the northeastern Caribbean, part of an island grouping sometimes known as the Spanish Virgin Islands. Vieques is part of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, ...

and Culebra, were ceded to

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

from

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

in 1898 under the

Treaty of Paris Treaty of Paris may refer to one of many treaties signed in Paris, France: Treaties 1200s and 1300s * Treaty of Paris (1229), which ended the Albigensian Crusade * Treaty of Paris (1259), between Henry III of England and Louis IX of France * Trea ...

. On December 22, 1919, the island was declared an "Insular Forest of Puerto Rico", under the auspices of the U.S. Forest Law #22. The Mona Island Lighthouse, dating from 1900, was listed on the

U.S. National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

as ''Faro de la Isla de la Mona'' in 1981, and the whole island was added to the NRHP in 1993. Guano mining was the primary industry of Mona for most of its history. The ruins and remnants of the guano mining infrastructure can still be seen today. Mona and Monito Islands were first designated a U.S. National Natural Landmark in 1975 due to the islands' unusual

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

sea caves A sea cave, also known as a littoral cave, is a type of cave formed primarily by the wave action of the sea. The primary process involved is erosion. Sea caves are found throughout the world, actively forming along present coastlines and as relic ...

and natural history. The site of the National Natural Landmark site includes 14,037 acres out of the 38,893 total acres in the nature reserve. The island of Mona and its surrounding waters were designated a

critical habitat Critical habitat is a habitat area essential to the conservation of a listed species, though the area need not actually be occupied by the species at the time it is designated. This is a specific term and designation within the U.S. Endangered Spec ...

in 1977 and 1982 for the yellow-shouldered blackbird ('' Agelaius xanthomus''), the Mona Island boa (''

Chilabothrus monensis ''Chilabothrus monensis'', also called the Virgin Islands boa in the Virgin Islands, and possibly sometimes as the Mona Island boa elsewhere, is a species of snake in the family Boidae. It is native to the West Indies. Distribution and habitat ' ...

'') and the Mona ground iguana ('' Cyclura stejnegeri''). It was designated a nature reserve in 1986, and

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...

and the

Puerto Rican Ornithological Society Puerto, a Spanish word meaning ''seaport'', may refer to: Places *El Puerto de Santa María, Andalusia, Spain *Puerto, a seaport town in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines *Puerto Colombia, Colombia *Puerto Cumarebo, Venezuela *Puerto Galera, Orient ...

recognized it as an

Important Bird Area An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...

in 2004.

Ecology

Mona and Monito are home to a number of unique animal and plant species found nowhere else in the world. This reserve represents one of the last remaining large tracts of Puerto Rican dry forest along with the

Guánica State Forest The Guánica State Forest ( es, Bosque Estatal de Guánica), popularly known as the Guánica Dry Forest (Spanish: ''Bosque seco de Guánica'') is a subtropical dry forest located in southwest Puerto Rico. The area was designated as a forest reser ...

and the

Caja de Muertos Nature Reserve Caja de Muertos Nature Reserve (Spanish: ''Reserva Natural Isla de Caja de Muertos'') is a nature reserve in southern Puerto Rico consisting of the islands of Caja de Muertos, Cayo Morrillito, Cayo Berbería, and their surrounding reefs and wat ...

. This type of biome is considered critically endangered.Eric Dinerstein, David Olson, et al. (2017). An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm, BioScience, Volume 67, Issue 6, June 2017, Pages 534–545; Supplemental material 2 table S1b

/ref>

Flora

Mona is home to the largest population of the rare and Critically Endangered, critically endangeredUSFWS
Higo Chumbo Five-year Review.
January 2010. Puerto Rico applecactus or ''higo chumbo'' (''

Harrisia portoricensis ''Harrisia portoricensis'' is a species of cactus in the genus '' Harrisia''. Its common names include ''higo chumbo'' and Puerto Rico applecactus. Distribution It is endemic to Puerto Rico, where it is known from three smaller islands off the c ...

''). This species of cactus is only found on the islands of the Mona Passage (59,000 individuals in Mona, 148 in Monito and 9 in

Desecheo Desecheo ( es, Isla Desecheo) () is a small uninhabited island of the archipelago of Puerto Rico located in the northeast of the Mona Passage; from Rincón on the west coast ( Punta Higüero) of the main island of Puerto Rico and northeast ...

),USFWS
Higo Chumbo Five-year Review.
January 2010. although it has been recently introduced to the island of

Caja de Muertos Caja de Muertos (; also in English: ''Coffin Island'') is an uninhabited island off the southern coast of Puerto Rico, in the municipality of Ponce. The island and its surrounding waters are protected by the Caja de Muertos Nature Reserve, beca ...

off southern Puerto Rico by the

Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources The Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (PRDNER) is the executive department of the government of Puerto Rico tasked with protecting, conserving, developing, and managing the natural and environmental resources in Puert ...

as part of a conservation project due to that island's geographical and ecological similarities with Mona and Monito. This cactus is locally known as ''higo chumbo'', meaning "weighed-down prickly pear", due to the leaning cactus arms caused by the weight of their fruit.

Fauna

Mona ground Iguana Iguana de Mona en la playa (5839983809)

The Mona ground iguana ('' Cyclura stejnegeri'') is the largest native land animal, not only in Mona but in the whole archipelago of Puerto Rico, 1.22 m (4 ft 0 in) in length. It is critically endangered with an estimated population of 1,500 and only found in the island of Mona. Its numbers have greatly decreased due to the presence of invasive species such as cats which predate on the young, and boar which threaten their nesting sites. Although it inhabits the whole island it only nests in a small region in the southwestern coast as it is the only suitable nesting area with loose sand and direct sunlight. They are primarily herbivorous with a diet consisting of leaves, flowers, berries, and fruits from different plant species. Mona represents the largest nesting site for hawksbill sea turtles (''

Eretmochelys imbricata The hawksbill sea turtle (''Eretmochelys imbricata'') is a critically endangered sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Eretmochelys''. The species has a global distribution, that is large ...

'') in the Caribbean. Other endemic fauna in the reserve includes yellow-shouldered blackbirds ( ''Agelaius xanthomus''), Mona least geckos ('' Sphaerodactylus monensis''), the Mona ameiva ('' Ameiva alboguttata''), the Mona anole ('' Anolis monensis''), the Mona worm snake (''

Antillotyphlops monensis ''Antillotyphlops monensis'', the Mona worm snake, is a harmless blind snake species is endemic to Mona Island in the West Indies. No subspecies are currently recognized. Geographic range Known only from the type locality, which is given as " ...

''), the Mona boa (''

''), and the Mona coqui (''

Eleutherodactylus monensis The Mona coqui, ''coqui de la Mona'' or ''coqui de Mona'' (''Eleutherodactylus monensis''), is a species of frog in the family Eleutherodactylidae endemic to Mona, Puerto Rico. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest and subtr ...

''). Monito is home to the Monito gecko ('' Sphaerodactylus micropithecus'') an endemic lizard which was placed in the endangered species list on October 15, 1982, by the

United States Fish and Wildlife Service The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is "working with othe ...

Extinct species

Mona used to be home to the Puerto Rican amazon (''

Amazona vittata The Puerto Rican amazon (''Amazona vittata''), also known as the Puerto Rican parrot (Puerto Rican Spanish: ''cotorra puertorriqueña'') or ''iguaca'', is the only extant parrot endemic to the archipelago of Puerto Rico, and belongs to the Neo ...

''), now only found in small communities in the main island of Puerto Rico, and the Puerto Rican parakeet ('' Psittacara maugei''), an extinct species of parrot that was found in the island until its extinction during the first half of the 20th century.

Recreation

Visits are allowed in Mona through previously obtained permits, which allows visitors to camp, hike, fish and hunt

invasive species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...

such as

boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is no ...

. The most common form of transportation is by private yacht, though commercial excursions are available from Cabo Rojo for small groups.

Gallery

File:Playa Sardinera en Isla de Mona, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.jpg, Sardinera Beach File:Looking out from Cueva del Diamante, Isla de Mona, Puerto Rico.jpg, Cliff near Cueva Diamante File:Armored sea robin with brittle star near Mona Island, Puerto Rico.jpg,

Armored sea robin Peristediidae, the armored sea robins or armoured gurnards, is a family of ray-finned fishes belonging to the suborder Platycephaloidei in the order Scorpaeniformes. They are found in the deep water in the tropical and warm temperate of the world ...

with

brittle star Brittle stars, serpent stars, or ophiuroids (; ; referring to the serpent-like arms of the brittle star) are echinoderms in the class Ophiuroidea, closely related to starfish. They crawl across the sea floor using their flexible arms for locomo ...

near Mona File:Cueva Diamante, Isla Mona, Puerto Rico.jpg, Cueva Diamante File:Playa Pajaros, Mona, Puerto Rico.jpg, Cliffs above Pajaros Beach File:Mona Island, Puerto Rico.JPG, Limestone cliffs and reefs. File:Mona Colonial Spanish cave markings no.2.jpg, Colonial Spanish graffiti in Mona File:Mona Taíno cave art no.3.jpg, Taíno petroglyphs in Mona File:Nesting hawksbill turtle Mona Island no.1.jpg, Nesting hawksbill sea turtle in Mona File:Monito Island.jpg, Monito island from Mona File:Mona Ground Iguana Iguana de Mona (5840463474).jpg, Mona ground iguana File:Mona Island Light.jpg, Mona Island Lighthouse in 1977. File:Monito from dive boat.jpg, Monito's cliffs from a dive boat. File:Monito gecko Salamanquita de Monito (5840026661).jpg, The rare

Monito gecko The Monito gecko (''Sphaerodactylus micropithecus'') is a lizard, a species of gecko endemism, endemic to the Monito Island, island of Monito, in the archipelago of Puerto Rico. Habitat & distribution The Monito gecko is restricted to two locat ...

References

{{Protected areas of Puerto Rico Important Bird Areas of Puerto Rico Islands of Puerto Rico National Natural Landmarks in Puerto Rico Protected areas of Puerto Rico Protected areas established in 1986