La Parguera Nature Reserve

La Parguera Nature Reserve, designated on September 20, 1979 as Puerto Rico's fifth official nature reserve, protects 652.03 cuerdas (633.27 acres) along the island's southwestern coast, mainly in Lajas with portions in Guánica and Cabo Rojo. Managed by the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, it encompasses the Bahía Montalva mangrove forest along with mangrove bays, salt marshes, lagoons, and numerous cays and coral reefs such as La Pared. It is renowned for its bioluminescent bay, Bahía Fosforescente, one of only three bioluminescent bays in Puerto Rico and one of the few places in the Caribbean where the phenomenon can be seen year-round. The reserve protects endangered species including the manatee, the Puerto Rican nightjar, and the yellow-shouldered blackbird, along with flora such as guaiacwood and the critically endangered orchid Psychilis krugii.