Journal
of Cave and Karst Studies
- ISSN 1090-6924
Volume 64 Number 3: 165-174
- December 2002
A publication of the National Speleological Society
Designation
of protected karstlands in Central America: A regional assessment
Jeffrey A. Kueny and Michael J. Day
Abstract
The IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas has recognized karst landscapes as important targets for designation as protected areas, and this study is a regional inventory of the Central American karst conservation situation. Central America is a significant international carbonate karst landscape, covering ~154,000 km2, roughly a quarter of the regional land area. The karstlands exhibit considerable topographic diversity, including “cockpit” and “tower” styles, together with extensive dry valleys, cave systems and springs. Some of the karst areas are well known, but others have yet to receive detailed scientific attention. Many of them have archaeological, historical, cultural, biological, aesthetic and recreational significance, but human impacts have been considerable. Conservation and protection legislation is variable in nature and effectiveness, and enforcement is problematic. About 18% of the Central American karst landscape has been afforded nominal protection through designation as protected areas. Regional levels of karstland protection are highly variable, with significant protection in the Yucatan peninsula, Honduras, and Belize; intermediate protection in Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Panama; and, as yet, no protected areas in Nicaragua or El Salvador. The situation remains fluid and the future of the Central American karstlands uncertain.
This page last updated:
18 December, 2002 13:17
Web Author: Jim Pisarowicz