The island's watersheds provide invaluable water for people and essential habitat for a wide spectrum of plants and animals, and in an effort to conserve these areas, the U.S. Forest Service has entered into a partnership with the Center for the Conservation of the Countryside to improve the Río Espíritu Santo basin, near El Yunque National Forest, with the help of funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act .
The rainforest’s rivers provide roughly 25 percent of all the water used in the San Juan metropolitan area and much of the water for the island’s northeast corridor. The Rio Espíritu Santo watershed, located in the municipality of Río Grande, accounts for a significant portion of this vital public service. Nevertheless, the area is currently uncared for, which degrades water quality and affects wildlife.
“The lands adjacent to the river have been affected by unrestrained development, ultimately affecting the watershed itself,” forest Supervisor Pablo Cruz said.
Through the Espíritu Santo Watershed Reforestation Project, the vegetation and lands adjacent to the river and its tributaries – inside and outside of El Yunque -- will be reforested and improved.
“Wildlife does not stop at El Yunque,” project coordinator Eduardo González said, referring to the movement of animals through the ecosystem. “Through this project we want to achieve continuity and cohesion of conservation and preservation efforts all the way up to the coast.”
The project has already begun, and consists of several phases: analyzing the areas, visiting and recruiting landowners to take part in the conservation efforts, planting vegetation, visiting schools and civic groups, and creating a support group to monitor the areas once the project is finished. The main focus is on reforestation, which will be done with native trees and shrubs. Among other benefits, that will improve soil quality and prevent erosion and sedimentatin.
“First we make an assessment of the area to evaluate the type and condition of the soil, and that way we can determine the treatment that most suits the land”, said Cruz.
An important part of the initiative is the integration and support of private landowners in the project, since, according to González, “no one will take better care of the watersheds than the landowners themselves.”
The group, Centro para la Conservación del Paisaje, in Spanish, is a non-governmental organization that supports and advances environmental and forest conservation and management projects. Under the partnership, CCP will have the task of working with the private land owners and encourage them to take an active part in watershed conservation initiatives along the boundaries of the Río Espíritu Santo watershed.
“We want to raise awareness of the importance of water conservation and preservation, specifically on watersheds and adjacent lands,” González said.
In addition to the landowners, the project will also integrate community groups to expand reforestation management initiatives throughout the watershed, while producing new breeding habitat for the highly endangered Puerto Rican parrot.
“By planting vegetation we are creating habitats for endangered species like the Puerto Rican parrot, and at the same time benefiting ourselves by increasing the water quality of the rivers. Everybody wins,” Cruz said.
The initiative will be funded through ARRA; $230,000 will be distributed in both the reforestation and improvement phases of the project.
“Healthy watersheds are vital to both our local island population and our many visitors – clean, potable water is one of the chief environmental services provided by the El Yunque National Forest,” Cruz said. “I am convinced that this project will promote and develop the crucial collaboration and important ecologically-based participation of our neighboring private land owners required to conserve this vital resource.”
Residents and landowners of the Rio Espirtu Santo watershed zone, or those interested in obtaining more information about the project, can contact CCP at 787-579-1075 or Luis Rivera, USDA Forest Service, at 787-888-5663.