no rainforest?

[Borec]

I have driven through some places that look suspiciously like humid tropical rainforest in DR.

Namely around Polo and then on the road from Puerto Escondido to Pedernales, both in Sierra de Baoruco. Then some places in the Sierra de Samana too, and also in the Cordillera Oriental.

And then in the Ebano Verde near Bonao. There are also patches of giant ferns in Valle Nuevo, but these would be more like temprate rain forest.

 

[gougeonit]

Storm on the horizion
There will alway be people to diagree with the idea of global warming, like it or not lt is, a reality that the D.R. has to come to grips with. Last week the Carribean Monk Seal was declared offically Extinct. The future forcast for the Island doesnt look good.
Trouble In Paradise: Global Warming A Greater Danger To Tropical Species

 

[Drake]

Rain Forests

For technical environmental classifications of habitats is defined by botanists with the 'Holdridge Lifezone Clasification model' The DR is classified as follows:

According to this there are rain forests in this country. There has been substantial deforestation but there still are large areas with rain forests.

 

[mariaobetsanov]

Are you sure that they not taking on virgin rain forest. Which is not affected by mans hand. no extra mango or cultivated area like coffee or cacao. Once man has enter and start planting in an area the area is not considered natural a environment.

 

[Elo]

Dominican Republic

28.4% —or about 1,376,000 hectares—of Dominican Republic is forested.

Change in Forest Cover: Between 1990 and 2000, Dominican Republic had no significant change or no reported in forest cover.

Biodiversity and Protected Areas: Dominican Rep has some 415 known species of amphibians, birds, mammals and reptiles according to figures from the World Conservation Monitoring Centre. Of these, 14.5% are endemic, meaning they exist in no other country, and 14.9% are threatened. Dominican Rep is home to at least 5657 species of vascular plants, of which 31.8% are endemic. 22.9% of Dominican Rep is protected under IUCN categories I-V.





Puerto Rico

46.0% —or about 408,000 hectares—of Puerto Rico is forested.

Change in Forest Cover: Between 1990 and 2000, Puerto Rico gained an average of 300 hectares of forest per year. The amounts to an average annual reforestation rate of 0.07%. Between 2000 and 2005, the rate of forest change decreased by 33.8% to 0.05% per annum. In total, between 1990 and 2005, Puerto Rico gained 1.0% of its forest cover, or around 4,000 hectares. Measuring the total rate of habitat conversion (defined as change in forest area plus change in woodland area minus net plantation expansion) for the 1990-2005 interval, Puerto Rico gained 1.0% of its forest and woodland habitat.

Biodiversity and Protected Areas: Puerto Rico has some 437 known species of amphibians, birds, mammals and reptiles according to figures from the World Conservation Monitoring Centre. Of these, 15.8% are endemic, meaning they exist in no other country, and 8.0% are threatened. Puerto Rico is home to at least 2493 species of vascular plants, of which 9.4% are endemic. 0.0% of Puerto Rico is protected under IUCN

 

[mountainannie]

Dominican Republic

28.4% ?or about 1,376,000 hectares?of Dominican Republic is forested.

Change in Forest Cover: Between 1990 and 2000, Dominican Republic had no significant change or no reported in forest cover.

Biodiversity and Protected Areas: Dominican Rep has some 415 known species of amphibians, birds, mammals and reptiles according to figures from the World Conservation Monitoring Centre. Of these, 14.5% are endemic, meaning they exist in no other country, and 14.9% are threatened. Dominican Rep is home to at least 5657 species of vascular plants, of which 31.8% are endemic. 22.9% of Dominican Rep is protected under IUCN categories I-V.





Puerto Rico

46.0% ?or about 408,000 hectares?of Puerto Rico is forested.

Change in Forest Cover: Between 1990 and 2000, Puerto Rico gained an average of 300 hectares of forest per year. The amounts to an average annual reforestation rate of 0.07%. Between 2000 and 2005, the rate of forest change decreased by 33.8% to 0.05% per annum. In total, between 1990 and 2005, Puerto Rico gained 1.0% of its forest cover, or around 4,000 hectares. Measuring the total rate of habitat conversion (defined as change in forest area plus change in woodland area minus net plantation expansion) for the 1990-2005 interval, Puerto Rico gained 1.0% of its forest and woodland habitat.

Biodiversity and Protected Areas: Puerto Rico has some 437 known species of amphibians, birds, mammals and reptiles according to figures from the World Conservation Monitoring Centre. Of these, 15.8% are endemic, meaning they exist in no other country, and 8.0% are threatened. Puerto Rico is home to at least 2493 species of vascular plants, of which 9.4% are endemic. 0.0% of Puerto Rico is protected under IUCN

thanks for this

i would not have thought that there was so much of PR forested.. that is not the impression that it gives..
I have been to El Yunque -- which is a genuine rain forest.. and did not think that this ecosystem was present here.

 

[JFD]

We have no rainforest, right? Puerto Rico has one but we don?t.Pity...

It depends on what you mean by rainforest. If you stick, as said before, with the Holdrige system of clasification, we do have a few rain forests. But the Holdridge system is quite old and simplistic imo, so if you add some notions of botany, conservation practices, human intervention, biodiversity, etc... then i don't know if we qualify.