Surfrider Foundation: Rincón, Puerto Rico

Versión española

Who Knows What about our Marine Reserve?

By Elizabeth Ruiz

Tres Palmas Marine Reserve. Elkhorn Coral Reef. Sounds familiar? After my internship with the Surfrider Foundation, the Interdisciplinary Center for Coastal Studies (CIEL in Spanish), and the Sea Grant Program at the University of Puerto Rico -Mayaguez, these names should have spread like wildfire through the downtown (pueblo) of Rincón and las Parcelas Stella.

Last summer for the entire month of August, I had a mission; a mission to interview two hundred citizens of Rincón and find out how much these people know about the Tres Palmas Marine Reserve. I focused on the downtown area and las Parcelas Stella. With our interviews, we discovered just where the communication gaps are, what would work best to inform the areas, and just how much do the People know about the Tres Palmas Marine Reserve and the Surfrider Foundation. The results were outstanding! However, before I reveal what we discovered you should know what type of questions were asked in the interviews.

A group of students from the University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez, under the guidance of professor Manuel Valdés Pizzini from CIEL, Sea Grant Director Ruperto Chaparro, and Leon Richter from Surfrider in Rincón, was sent out to ask a few of the following questions:

Are you aware of the Marine Reserve here in the Municipality of Rincón?

What is the name of the Reserve?

Where is the Marine Reserve located?

Do you know the land and marine boundaries of the Reserve?

Do you go to Rincón’s beaches?

Do you visit Steps Beach?

We were also very interested in finding out how these people had been informed and what type of impact they perceived the Marine Reserve would have on the Municipality of Rincón.

The interview process itself was very successful. The majority of the people welcomed us with open arms, offering us food and beverage. And, although there was a great number of people who were unaware (about 60%) of the Reserve, many were very eager to learn more, and get involved.

For the benefit of the readers of this newsletter, I want to clarify what a Marine Reserve is and where this one is located.

A Marine Reserve is, in my opinion, a body of water that is protected by the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources with the help of the Municipality, local organizations (like Surfrider) and by people (like you). The reason for the protection is that the Reserve contains a very delicate ecosystem. This particular Marine Reserve is called Tres Palmas. It is located south of Punta Higuero between barrios Puntas and Ensenada and it extends to where the ocean floor is 60 feet deep. We have public access to it through Steps Beach, the “Casa China” (Villa Ensenada), and at Little Malibu.

Tres Palmas Marine Reserve is home to a large number of underwater creatures including parrotfish, yellowtail snapper, and queen angel fish, just to name a few. It also is home to three different species of sea turtles: hawksbill, leatherback turtles and green sea turtles who are threatened and endangered species. We also have the world’s largest mammals traveling through these waters, the humpback whale.

No description of the underwater magic is complete without mentioning the coral reefs. The Tres Palmas Marine Reserve contains a variety of coral. Reefs are home and a source of food for fish and invertebrates such as spiny lobster, sea urchins and octopi.

There is a good number of you folks who use Steps beach. Steps beach is great for snorkeling, and for viewing the Elkhorn Coral (Acropora palmata). That’s where I got my 1st spectacular viewing of the Elkhorn Coral reef. Coral reefs like the Elkhorn Coral have more than one important role in the ocean. The fact that they are located near the shore allows them to reduce the impact of the swells from the waves, reducing erosion. Ironically enough, coral reefs are very delicate and fragile to human impact, change of water temperature, sedimentation and debris.

In my interviews, I was fortunate to encounter many senior citizens who have lived all of their lives in the Parcelas Stella. Some were fishermen who could remember a time when there was much more beach access and a greater coastline (broader beaches). Others boasted on the ability to earn a living on all the fish they were able to catch. When approached and asked what impact they thought the Marine Reserve might have on Rincón, many were quick to respond: cleaner beaches, more fish, and some went as far to say more jobs because tourism opportunities would increase. Some went on to say they were worried that more jobs meant fewer homes for those who lived there and traditions would be lost to a more modern Rincón.

Many of these older members of the community expressed their concerns as to what would be the legacy left for future generations to come. The Tres Palmas Marine Reserve is that legacy. All we have to do is protect the gifts that were given to the people of Rincón: The ocean, the land, and the Tres Palmas Marine Reserve.

Elizabeth Ruiz spent 35 days in Rincón volunteering this past summer as part of the Patagonia Employee Internship Program. The first part of her story, “Reconnecting with My Roots” appeared in the September 2006 edition of Coralino Informa.

Thanks to Sea Grant sponsorship and the efforts of the CIEL team, participants in the survey have been sent more information on RMTP and the management plan process.

photo by Valerie Evans

Survey Results Summary

Approximately 60% of those interviewed were unaware of the RMTP
A very high number of those interviewed (30%) use Steps Beach to recreate
Citizens have learned about the Reserve primarily by word of mouth and from the interpretive signs at the beach
The majority of residents expressed an interest in learning more about the RMTP
There is confusion about the purpose of the marine reserve