Belvedere Farm Nature Reserve

Belvedere Nature Reserve is a coastal area in the Miradero ward of Cabo Rojo composed of reefs, mangroves, thalassia seagrass beds, and largely undisturbed cays that form productive wildlife habitat. The sector is physiographically continuous with the Boquerón State Forest and shelters protected species including the brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis), the Puerto Rican oriole (Agelaius xanthomus), the Puerto Rican nightjar (Caprimulgus noctitherus), the West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus), and the hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), which nests on the pocket beaches of the area. The mangroves were designated a Special Planning Area in 1978, and the DRNA incorporated the sector into the Natural Reserves List under the Puerto Rico Coastal Zone Management Program in 1999, with the goal of preserving its natural resources and restoring them to their original condition.