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The Northeast Ecological Corridor is approximately 3,200 acres of land that include forests, wetlands, beaches, coral communities, a bioluminescent lagoon and one of the hottest surfing spots on Puerto Rico's east coast: "La Selva" (the jungle). The corridor is home to 40 endemic and threatened species, and its beaches are one of the three most important nesting sites for the leatherback sea turtle in the U.S.
The Corridor had been designated as a natural reserve in 2008[1][2] by then governor Aníbal Acevedo Vilá. But on October 30, 2009, Governor Luis Fortuño removed the designation of natural reserve in order to allow for development of residential and tourist units and four golf courses in the area. Sierra Club and its coalition partners are challenging Puerto Rico Governor Luis Fortuño's cancellation of the "nature reserve" designation held since 2008 by the island's Northeast Ecological Corridor.
Natural Reserve[edit]
On October 4, 2007, the then governor of Puerto Rico, Anibal Acevedo Vilá, signed an executive order[3], ordering the Planning Board(Junta de Planificación) to declare the Northeast Ecological Corridor a Natural Reserve and to acquire the lands that compose the corridor. However, this designation was short lived, as two years later, Governor Luis Fortuño signed an executive order[4] to repeal the designation.
Ecological Value[edit]
The Northeast Ecological Corridor's 7.2 mile shoreline is known to host about 200 to 460 leatherback sea turtle nests a year. The leatherback sea turtle is the largest living reptile and it's conservation status is critically endangered. The leatherback has become the symbol of the local communities effort to protect the corridor for it's ecological value and natural beauties, even showing up in the logo of the Pro Northeast Corridor Coalition.
On December 19, 2010, a group of biologists taking part on an annual birdcount along the Northeast Ecological Corridor detected a Piping Plover, a small shorebird that has been declared threatened in North America and endangered in specific regions of the United States including the Great Lakes region. According to the biologists, the area also serves as refuge for at least another 50 threatened or endangered species, emphasizing the need to protect the forests, beaches, and wetlands of the corridor.
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