Enriquillo wetlands

The Enriquillo wetlands are a flooded grasslands and savannas ecoregion on the island of Hispaniola. They cover about 628 km2 (242 sq mi) around several low-lying lakes in southwestern Hispaniola in both the Dominican Republic and Haiti.[1]

Enriquillo wetlands
Lake Enriquillo
Ecoregion territory (in purple, lower center of island)
Ecology
RealmNeotropical
Biomeflooded grasslands and savannas
BordersHispaniolan dry forests
Geography
Area628 km2 (242 sq mi)
CountriesDominican Republic and Haiti
Conservation
Conservation statusVulnerable[1]
Protected397 km2 (63%)[2]

Geography

The Enriquillo wetlands occupy a depression in the southwestern portion of the island, surrounding several lakes. The largest of the lakes is hyper-saline Lake Enriquillo in the Dominican Republic. The surface of Lake Enriquillo is about 44 meters below sea level. Other lakes include freshwater Rincón Lake in the Dominican Republic, and saltwater Etang Saumâtre and freshwater Trou Caïman in Haiti.[1]

Flora

Principal wetland plants around Lake Enriquillo are the buttonwood mangrove (Conocarpus erectus), cattails (Typha domingensis), saltwort (Batis maritima), and the purslane Sesuvium portulacastrum.[3]

Dry scrublands surround the wetlands, part of the Hispaniolan dry forests ecoregion.

Fauna

The wetlands are an important resting, feeding, and breeding location for migratory and resident birds, including the American flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) and roseate spoonbill (Platalea ajaja).[1][3]

The wetlands are home to the island's largest population of American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus). Two Hispaniolan endemic iguanas, the rhinoceros iguana (Cyclura cornuta) and Ricord's iguana (C. ricordii), live in drier areas bordering the lake. Lake Rincón is important habitat for the Hispaniolan slider (Trachemys decorata) a species of turtle endemic to the island.[1]

The West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus) lives in Etang Saumâtre.[1]

Protected areas

397 km2, or 63%, of the ecoregion is in protected areas.[2]

References
  1. "Enriquillo wetlands". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
  2. Eric Dinerstein, David Olson, et al. (2017). An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm, BioScience, Volume 67, Issue 6, June 2017, pp. 534–545; Supplemental material 2 table S1b.
  3. BirdLife International (2020) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Enriquillo Lake National Park. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 28/12/2020.
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