U.S. National Forests revise their management plans every ten to fifteen years; in the next
several years, El Yunque National Forest (EYNF), Puerto Rico, is slated to update its Land
and Resource Management Plan (LRMP). This research has four focal areas intended to aid
in the development of this LRMP: (1) Visitor use profile assessment; (2) climate change and
variation within the forest; (3) mapping biological vulnerability to climate change within the
forest; and (4) invasive species management.
Major results of the research are as follows: (1) Surveys conducted in August 2007 show that
Puerto Rican residents largely come to EYNF for the purpose of relaxation and socialization
while the majority of non-residents come to explore the forest, making apparent the need for
a broad approach to guest accommodation in future management strategies in order to gratify
the desires of guests from varying geographic origins and cultural backgrounds. (2) The
climate change and variation analysis showed a significant increase (0.12°C per decade) in
temperature within the forest over the past 50 years. Specifically within EYNF, the rate of
temperature increase exceeds the global rate of increase. Precipitation did not show a
significant trend within the time period studied. (3) Biological vulnerability to climate
change was mapped using GIS analysis from overlaid weighted habitat models of 15
sensitive vertebrate species. The resulting map can be useful in prioritizing areas for
management action and enables EYNF to take climate change into account in management
decisions. (4) Several challenges and opportunities exist for addressing terrestrial invasive
plants. To maintain the integrity of this Puerto Rican symbol of patria (homeland), USFS
will need to take a hard look at both the particular tropical island biology and existing
institutional capacity.