Jeannette Kawas National Park

Jeannette 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, established on 4 November 1994. The park covers an area of 781.62 square kilometres and has an altitude of 900 metres.[1] The park was created and is managed by the PROLANSATE foundation (protection of Lancetilla, Punta Sal and Texiguat).

Jeannette Kawas National Park
IUCN category II (national park)
Punta Sal peninsula beach near entrance to the Sendero Los Curumos
Location of Jeannette Kawas in Honduras
LocationHonduras
Coordinates15°49′06″N 87°22′03″W[1]
Area781.62 km2 (301.79 sq mi)[1]
Established4 November 1994[2]
Official nameParque Nacional Jeannette Kawas
Designated28 March 1995
Reference no.722[3]

History
Sign welcoming visitors to Parque Nacional Jeannette Kawas

The park was established on 4 November 1994, originally named Punta Sal National Park.[2] It was created and is managed by the PROLANSATE foundation (protection of Lancetilla, Punta Sal and Texiguat).

Its name was changed to Jeannette Kawas National Park in honor of Jeannette Kawas, an environmental activist and PROLANSATE president who was murdered on February 6, 1995 for her work trying to keep the palm plantations out of the park.

Jeannette Kawas National Park is part of the Ramsar Convention List of Wetlands of International Importance and was designated as such on March 28, 1995.

Geography

The park is located in the municipality of Tela, on the northern Caribbean coast of the Atlántida department of Honduras.[2] Located at 15º51'N 087º40'W between longitudes 87º29' and 87º52' west and latitudes 15º42' and 16º00'. It covers an area of 781.62 square kilometres and has an altitude of 900 metres.[1]

Ecosystems

The park is made up of varied marine, terrestrial and wetlands ecosystems with a large number of species. These ecosystems include beaches, tropical forests, inundated forests, mangrove forests, lagoons and rivers.

Species

Birds

Mammals

Fishes

Reptiles

Arthropods
Golden silk spider from the Punta Sal peninsula

Plants
  • Acalypha skutchii
  • Cappatis truerchkhemii
  • Columnea tuerckheimii
  • Cordia truncatifolia
  • Ormosia macrocalyx
  • Phyllanthus elsiae
  • Rinorea hummelii
  • Salacia impressifolia
  • Sida antillensis
  • Sida troyana

See also

References
  1. "Honduras – Jeanette Kawas". United Nations Environment Programme. Retrieved 1 March 2010.
  2. Blanca Jeannette Kawas Fernandez (1946–1995)
  3. "Parque Nacional Jeanette Kawas". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.

Further reading
  • PARQUE NACIONAL PUNTA SAL Ramsar Information Sheet (pdf), Ramsar Sites Information Service (RSIS), 7 September 2011, 25 pages (in Spanish)
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