|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
| Biosphere Reserve Information | ||||
|
BOSAWAS |
|
|||
|
||||
| General Description | The Bosawas Biosphere Reserve is located in the north of the country, next to the frontier with Honduras. Together with three neighbouring protected areas of Honduras ‘Río Patuca’ National Park, ‘Tawhaka’ Anthropological Reserve, and ‘Río Plátano’ Biosphere Reserve, it constitutes the so called 'Heart of the Mesoamerican Biocorridor', representing the largest protected area complex of tropical mountain moist forest north of the Amazon basin. The Isabella Mountain chain crosses the reserve from southwest to northwest towards the Atlantic plain. As a cluster of existing protected areas it includes the Saslaya National Park, a complex of old volcanic peaks as ‘Cerro Saslaya’ and other peaks with 1,594 meters above sea level. Numerous small streams cascade from the mountains into the Rio Wani, which is an upper tributary of the Rio Prinzapolka. This is a hilly area, covered with tropical humid forest, tropical cloud forest and pine savannas. The biodiversity is extremely rich, with many rare or endangered species. There are more than 130,000 inhabitants (1998), mostly farmers, who live in the extensive agricultural frontier areas. The indigenous Mayangna and Miskitu groups live essentially from subsistence agriculture (maize, beans, rice, cacao, tuber), domestic animals raising and traditional medicine practices in their collective territories. The expansion of colonization with its temporarily and unproductive agricultural systems threatens conservation of pristine forest ecosystems. The Bosawas law of October 2001 lays the basis for the institutional, regulatory, conceptual and participatory development of Bosawas. Within this framework, the reserve’s Management Plan was elaborated in a participatory process involving the various stakeholders at the local, national and regional level, giving the conceptual and operational references to implement the strategy of sustainable land use. | |||
| Major ecosystem type | Tropical humid forest | |||
| Major habitats & land cover types | Tropical humid forest dominated by Dialium guianensis, Ampelocera hottlei, Pseudolmedia oxyphyllaria etc.; pre-mountainous tropical very humid forest characterized by Dialium guianensis, Pouroma bicolor, Ocotea paulli etc.; low mountainous very humid forest | |||
| Location | 14°00'N; 85°00'W (central point) | |||
| Area (hectares) | ||||
| Total | 2,181,500 | |||
| Core area(s) | 329,800 | |||
| Buffer zone(s) | 523,700 | |||
| Transition area(s) when given | 1,328,000 | |||
| Altitude (metres above sea level) | +30 to +1,650 | |||
| Year designated | 1997 | |||
| Administrative authorities | Ministerio del Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (MARENA) Comunidades Mayangnas/Miskitu | |||
 |
||||
| Brief description |
Climatic parameters Mercury contamination Taxonomy of vascular flora and insects Natural medicines |
|||
| Specific variables... | ||||
| Abiotic | Climate, contaminants, heavy metals. | |||
| Biodiversity | Flora, invertebrates/insects/spiders, natural medicinal products, taxonomy. | |||
| Socio-economic | n.a. | |||
| Integrated monitoring | n.a. | |||
 |
||||
| Contact address |
Angela Yadira Meza Vargas Directora de la Reserva de Biosfera Bosawas km. 121/2 Carreterra Norte, Frente a corporacion de zonas francas, Apartado postal n°5123 Managua Nicaragua |
|||
| Telephone | (505) 84362065 | |||
| Fax | (505) 22632370 | |||
 |
||||
| Last updated: 08/03/2011 |
|
