Education Puerto Rico Project #57948

Growing Learning about a rare Tropical Ecosystem

by PHA Pterocarpus Forest, Inc.

Summary

The Friends of the Pterocarpus Forest plan to create a bilingual, illustrated and interactive online catalog of flora, fauna, and fungi to make a more in-depth appreciation of this rare 52-acre swamp forest in eastern Puerto Rico. The catalogue is central to furtherance of the Forest's mission of environmental education and will require an extensive inventory, creativity in nature photography, expertise in the use of social media and the collaboration of the local scientific community.

$12,500
total goal

$11,745
remaining

5
donors

0
monthly donors

3
months

Challenge

The Pterocarpus Forest is a very rare 51-acre swamp forest in eastern Puerto Rico dominated by the towering Pterocarpus tree. In 2010, a preliminary inventory of flora and fauna found in the Forest at that time was conducted by the Puerto Rico Conservation Trust / Para la Naturaleza. Twelve years have passed as well as three hurricanes (including Category 4 Maria) and we need to not update this lengthy, black and white, unillustrated and, frankly, uninspriring document.

Solution

In 2010, 44 species of flora and 52 species of fauna, of which 13 are considered endemic to Puerto Rico, were identified in the inventory. Given the changes brought with time and the hurricanes, particularly Maria which made landfall 10 miles away, new research is needed to capture new species discovered since 2010 and note those that have vanished. At the same time, we need to create from the research something that is truly educational and available to the broader community.

Long-Term Impact

The creation of a bilingual, illustrated (with photos, charts and maps, as appropriate), and interactive catalog of the Forest's flora, fauna, and fungi online will make the inhabitants of this ecosystem come to life as never before. Environmental information and stunning images of the Forest's biodiversity presented in an appealing design will attract persons from Puerto Rico and around the globe to the website, adding to awareness of the magnificent biodiversity on the Islands of Puerto Rico.