Land Use and Land Management during the Past Century Determine Mangrove Dynamics in Northwestern Puerto Rico: the Case of the Maracayo Mangrove

Abstract

Political and economic decisions have determined throughout the history of Puerto Rico land use for agriculture, livestock and urban sprawl. Knowing this, this study is imperative to understand how these changes caused by the various uses and management affected adjoining wetlands. It is hypothesized that these changes affected the hydrology of the area, resulting in increased salinity, providing the right niche for the development of current mangrove. The resources used were aerial photographs, oral history, a report done in 1979 by the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources of the Government of Puerto Rico and analyses of salinity, pH and conductivity of soils in three different sites. The conclusion of this study was that the wetland underwent changes in ecosystem composition by ambitious elimination of sand dunes due to hydrological changes and marine effects. The oral history confirms the presence of springs in the past and present. Salinity intrusion was documented in those springs in the 1979 report due to land use change and elimination of sand dunes, changing the habitat, therefore allowing a mangrove community to be established. The continuity of ecophysiological and hydrogeological studies of the area will allow for a predictive understanding of how the mangrove wetland will continue developing.