User:Angusparker/sandbox

Cabritos Island (Isla Cabritos in Spanish) is a 1,593-hectare island located within Lago Enriquillo, a saltwater lake forty-four meters below sea level in the western Dominican Republic in the provinces of Independencia y Bahoruco. The lake is the lowest point in the Caribbean and the largest lake in the insular Caribbean. The island is made up of ancient seabed; fossilized coral and seashells cover the ground in some places. The area is reputed to be the hottest and driest part of the country.

History
Isla Cabritos was called Guarizacca by indigenous people. According to historians, Isla Cabritos was discovered by the Spanish during the Enriquillo rebellion or uprising in 1519. The Spaniards later seized it; but during Haitian rule 1822-1844, Isla Cabritos and some neighboring lands, including Isla Barbarita and Islita, were granted to a French family. During the First Republic, the island already belonged to the Dominican Republic.

In 1974, during the government of Dr. Joaquín Balaguer, the Cabritos Island National Park was created, through Law 664, which stipulated the entire body of water from Lake Enriquillo and its surroundings, including swampy areas, whose wetlands are of great ecological importance to the country and were to be protected.

Some time later, the park was expanded as the Lago Enriquillo and Isla Cabritos National Park, through Decree 233-96, which was assumed under Law No. 64-00. The Lago Enriquillo and Isla Cabritos National Park, together with the Jaragua and Sierra de Bahoruco parks, constitute the Core Zones of the Jaragua-Bahoruco-Enriquillo Biosphere Reserve, which was approved by Unesco (United Nations Educational Organization, Science and Culture), on November 6, 2002. In addition, next to Lake Enriquillo, it was declared a Model Site of the Convention for the Conservation of Wetlands (RAMSAR), of which the country is a signatory.

http://www.grupojaragua.org.do/reserva_english.html

Fauna
The fauna of Cabritos Island is represented principly by birds and reptiles. Of the latter there are around eight endemic species and the American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus), whose population in the area is one of the largest in the world in the wild. Also notable are the presences of iguanas, of which there are two species, which are: Rhinoceros Iguana (Cyclura cornuta) and Ricord's Iguana (Cyclura ricordi). Both the crocodile and the iguana are in danger of extinction.

The birdlife of Isla Cabritos and Lake Enriquillo is highly variable, specifically on the banks of the lake. According to a report, around 134 species and subspecies of resident and migratory birds have been identified, of which 5 are aquatic and 16 shorebirds.

http://www.grupojaragua.org.do/reserva_english.html

Among them you can find:


 * Flamenco (Phoenicopterus ruber).
 * Garza Ceniza (Ardea heridias).
 * Garza Pechiblanco (Hydranassa tricolor).
 * Rey Congo (Nycticorax nycticorax).
 * Martinetico (Ixobrychus exilis).
 * Coco Oscuro (Plegadis falcinellus).
 * Gallereta Azul (Porphyrula martinica).
 * Cucú (Athene cunicularia).
 * Cuchareta (Ajaia ajaja).
 * Cotorra (Amazona ventralis).
 * Paloma Coronita (Columba leucocephala).
 * Querebebé (Chordeiles gundlachii).
 * Madam Sagá (Ploceus cucullatus).

Flora
The vegetation of the entire area of Isla Cabritos and Lake Enriquillo is protected by laws of Environment, and is also made up of species from the life zones of Subtropical dry forest and Monte espinoso subtropical, this being the only xerophytic forest that exists below sea level in the American Continent.

http://www.grupojaragua.org.do/reserva_english.html

On Cabritos Island there are various endemic plant species, among which you can find:


 * Guasábara (Opuntia caribaea).
 * Cayuco (Cereus hexogonus).
 * Alpargata Cactus (Consolea moniliformis).
 * Caguey (Neoabottia paniculata).
 * Pitahaya (Harrisia spp.).
 * Roughbark lignum-vitae (Guaiacum officinale).
 * Saona (ziziphus rignoni).
 * Roble (Catalpa longissima).
 * Bayahonda blanca (Prosopis juliflora).

Climate of Cabritos Island
The climate of Isla Cabritos varies a lot, depending on the season of the year in which it is found, in summer it is extremely hot, exceeding 40º, but in winter it changes a lot, since it can be very cold or very humid; It also varies according to the area, whether flat or mountainous. The average temperature of this place fluctuates between 28ºC and 50ºC. The average annual precipitation is about 793 millimeters.

https://weather.com/weather/monthly/l/7cb13b7467db672911e0f9a9f2d09ec911ab54f5d7c733156546f7022dc9ccb9

Conservation & Restoration
https://www.fws.gov/international/articles/new-hope-for-threatened-iguanas-of-cabritos-island.html

http://caribbeaninvasives.org/index.php/2011/01/20/restoration-of-isla-cabritos-for-the-protection-of-ricords-iguana-and-rhinoceros-iguana/