Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve

The Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (JBNERR) is the second largest estuarine area in Puerto Rico, covering 1,140 hectares (2,800 acres) across the municipalities of Guayama and Salinas. The intertidal tropical ecosystem encompasses five habitat types grading from ocean to inland: coral reefs, seagrass beds, mangrove forests, mudflats, and evergreen littoral forests. Mangroves account for approximately 42.6% of this habitat type along Puerto Rico's south coast. At least seven endangered species inhabit the reserve, and it was designated an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International in 2007. Established as a National Estuarine Sanctuary in 1981 and co-managed by the DNER and NOAA, it is part of the National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS).