Rio Platano biosphere Reserve, designated in 1980, the Rio Platano corresponds to tropical moist forest and tropical wetforest, including important coastal marine areas and a variety of habitats rich in biodiversity.
Designation date: 1980
Networks
Regional network: Red de Comités y Reservas de Biosfera de Iberoamérica y el Caribe (IberoMAB)
Ecosystem-based network:
Description
Map
Surface : 832,032 ha
- Core area(s): 210,430 ha
- Buffer zone(s): 197,440 ha
- Transition zone(s): 424,162 ha
Location: N/A
Administrative Authorities
Concejo Territorial Miskitu DIUNAT
Tel.: N/A
Email: N/A
Website ǀ Facebook ǀ Twitter
Ecological Characteristics
In wide terms based on Holdridge’s classification, the Reservecorresponds to tropical moist forest and tropical wetforest, including important coastal marine areas and a variety of habitats rich in biodiversity, as well as expanses of Mangrove, associations of Pine and Tique forests, savannahs, wetlands, lagoons, coral reefs and cays.
However, most of Rio Platano is covered by rainforests, harbouring the Reserve’s greatest biodiversity.
The forests includetrees such as Mahogany, Laurel, Carapa and Teocote Pine (Pinus teocote). Five hundred and eighty-six species of plants have been identified, of which 23 are reported as new on the records of Honduran flora.
Additionally, the reserve harbours 130 species of mammals, 36% of the reptile species, 57 % of the bird species and 70% of the fish species found in Honduras.
It also hosts cultural diversity with the ethnic Garifuna, Misquito, Tawahka and Pech groups living in the Reserve.
Annual rainfall ranges between 2,000 and 4,000 mm, the average annual temperature is 20-26º C.
Natural landscapes fall into three broad categories: coastal plains, high mountain lands and inlandmountains. Eco-regions located in the biosphere reserve: Wetland eco-region with a great variety of systems such as mangroves, lagoons, fresh water and saline marshland, seasonal creeks, swampy woodland and the coastal strip.
Pine savannah ecoregion: Atlantic Broad-leaved forest ecoregion. Highland Pine forest ecoregion. Maritime Zone ecoregion.
Socio-Economic Characteristics
The main activities are agriculture, animal husbandry, fishing, hunting, extraction of building materials, forestry use, gathering of fruit and ornamental plants, gold prospecting and planning.
Back to Biosphere Reserves in El Salvador
Back to Biosphere Reserves in Latin America and the Caribbean
Back to World Network of Biosphere Reserves
Last updated: April 2021