Guánica State Forest
| Guánica State Forest Spanish: Bosque Estatal de Guánica Bosque Seco de Guánica | |
|---|---|
"melón de costa" (Melocactus intortus) | |
| Map | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Guánica, Guayanilla, Peñuelas, Ponce, Yauco |
| Coordinates | 17°57′56″N 66°52′45″W / 17.96556°N 66.87917°W |
| Area | 9,878 acres (39.97 km2) |
| Administration | |
| Status | Public, Commonwealth |
| Established | 1919 |
| Governing body | Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DRNA) |
| Website | www |
| Ecology | |
| WWF Classification | Puerto Rican dry forests |
The Guánica State Forest (Spanish: Bosque Estatal de Guánica), popularly known as the Guánica Dry Forest (Spanish: Bosque seco de Guánica) is a subtropical dry forest located in southwest Puerto Rico. The area was designated as a forest reserve in 1919 and a United Nations Biosphere Reserve in 1981. It is considered the best preserved subtropical dry forest and the best example of dry forest in the Caribbean.
With approximately 10,000 acres, it is the largest of the 20 state forests of Puerto Rico, and it extends over 5 municipalities: Guánica, Guayanilla, Peñuelas, Ponce, and Yauco (although the forest units located in the municipalities of Peñuelas and Ponce only consist of keys and small islands).