Puerto Rico’s Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DRNA) and the Planning Board stated their opposition on Wednesday to Senate Bill 1217, which would designate the Mabodamaca Nature Reserve in Isabela. The coastal area covers about 204.5 cuerdas (a land measure of about 0.97 acre each) between Las Golondrinas and Shore Island beaches in the Bajuras ward.
The bill would also protect marine ecosystems extending up to nine nautical miles from the coast. The hearing took place while the Legislature is discussing the so-called permits reform. According to a Senate press release, DRNA acknowledged the area’s ecological value but did not favor the bill as written, citing a lack of financial, technical and human resources to establish and manage the reserve.
The agency estimated implementation would require about $2,115,000 over five years, covering title studies, surveying, land delimitation, possible acquisitions and restoration projects. The Planning Board, represented by Pablo Collazo Cortés, director of the Physical Planning Program, also did not favor approval at this stage, citing missing technical and mapping information, possible implications for private land and the absence of a funding source.
The bill is by Senators Adrián González and María de Lourdes Santiago. They say the site holds Puerto Rico’s largest sand dune system and a coastal wetland complex with all four Caribbean mangrove species, and serves as a refuge for resident and migratory birds and a nesting area for the endangered leatherback turtle (tinglar) and other protected sea turtles. They argue the lack of official designation leaves the area vulnerable to inappropriate development.