Arrecifes Pro Ciudad, Inc.
And the community conservation proposal.
Photos- Digital and mental photography is the only thing you can extract from the Isla Verde Reef along with the garbage you find. We swim the days that the sea allows us and we take photos and videos to document what inhabits this protected marine space.
To enjoy the beauties of the Isla Verde Reef you must know how to swim and come equipped with a mask, snorkel, fins and a buoy or board with a flag for your safety. If you have a submersible camera, you can document what you see.
Sea Turtles on the Reef.
On the east beach of Isla Verde we have the three sea turtles that nest on our islands. In the Reef we always see the Hawksbill-Eretmochelys imbriocota, the Green Turtle- Chelonia mydas and to the east of the Reef and within the area of the Marine Reserve, the Leatherback- Dermochelys coriacea nests every year. The three species classified in danger of extinction. Certainly this beach is a place of Sea Turtles.
The Fish Species in the Reef.
Queen Angelfish, Holacanthus ciliaris. French Angelfish, Pomacanthus paru. This species of Angelfish is emblematic of our Reef and in the summer we find the smallest specimen up to the adult.
Corals on the Reef.
The Isla Verde Reef is located in the Cangrejo Arriba neighborhood of the Municipality of Carolina, Puerto Rico and is still a breeding ground for various species such as corals that create the structure that protects the coast.
Corals are animals that also collide through space. Finger Corals- Porites porites. Elk Horn- Acropora palmata. The Isla Verde Reef was formed in a large percentage by these corals. Pollution and sedimentation appear to have wiped out the vast majority of the huge Acropora palmatas. This year we didn't have as much rain, (less dirty water,) we started to see these recruits emerge. This is one of the core points in the conservation and restoration of this reef.
The Invertebrates in the Reef.
Mammals on the Reef.
We meet again with the Manatee Trichechus manatus Marena. We have to thank our manatee because her presence was key in the achievement of the designation of the Marine Reserve and that is because this little friend with that look and that smile touched our hearts.
The Seabirds on the Reef.
Osprey- Pandion haliaetus. Western sandpippers- Calidris mauri. Least tern- Terna antillarum. Black-crowned night heron- Nycticorax nycticorax. Magnificent Frigatebird- Fragata magnificens. American Brown Pelican- Pelecanus occidentalis. American oystercatcher- Haematopus palliatus.
