 Ranging from lush green vegetation in the higher elevations, nourished by up to 350 inches of rain a year, to desert-like habitats along the coast, and lower elevations that are abundant with cactus. Animal life is diverse and includes species both native and exotic, such as reptiles, monkeys, sea birds, and more. Fish and other marine life reside among the coral reefs, and sea turtles can seal their eggs beneath the sands of Caribbean beaches. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service Department of Interior is working with others to conserve, enhance, and manage wildlife and their habitats in the Caribbean for the benefit of all. Sprinkled throughout this beautiful region are numerous wildlife refuges that make up the Caribbean Island's National Wildlife Refuge Complex. These sanctuary span from St. Croix, Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge and the U.S. Virgin Islands to Navassa Island National Wildlife Refuge off the western tip of Haiti. The Caribbean Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex is home to more than 250 bird species, endangered and threatened species, wetlands, beaches, mangrove forest, and hundreds of thousands of acres of Caribbean marine habitat. Let's take a tour of the refuges that make up the Caribbean Island National Wildlife Refuge. In the southwestern corner of Puerto Rico is the 1800-acre Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge, which serves as headquarters for the Caribbean Island's complex. The refuge and its facilities provide wildlife-oriented recreational opportunities, and the visitor center is essential to our educational and outreach activities. The Cabo Rojo Salt Plats is the most important converging point for migratory shorebirds in the Caribbean, and provides management and cooperative challenges for the refuge and the people of Puerto Rico. A few miles to the northeast of Cabo Rojo is the Laguna Cartagena National Wildlife Refuge. Nestled in the Lajas Valley, the refuge encompasses almost 1,100 acres, including a 400-acre historical marsh. Once the most important place for waterfowl and waterbirds in Puerto Rico, eutrophication caused by sugarcane production turned the marsh into a stand of cat tail. Today, with sugarcane production gone, water quality is improving, and the amount of open water in the marsh is increasing. Promoting forest succession and restoring waterbird habitat are Laguna Cartagena's greatest challenges. 14 miles northwest of Puerto Rico lies the island of Dececeo, home of the Dececeo National Wildlife Refuge, established by President Taft in 1912, and once home to the world's largest brown booby colony. There is no human habitation on the island, and since live ordinance are said to remain there, the refuge is closed to visitors. The introduction of exotic plant and animal species has caused serious negative impacts to the native flora and fauna of Dececeo and the rest of the Caribbean. Midway between Puerto Rico and St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands is the Calabra Island National Wildlife Refuge. The nearly 1,600-acre refuge includes four tracks of land on the island of Calabra and 24 small offshore keys that encircle the island. The offshore keys provide year-round habitat for brown pelicans, magnificent frigate birds, and royal terns. 13 species of migratory seabirds use the archipelago for nesting during the summer. The most impressive colonies being that of the sooty terns on the Flamenco Peninsula with up to 60,000 nesting pairs. Many of the seabirds are endemic. For several of these species, all or the majority of the world's population reside only in the Caribbean. When breeding, seabirds are more vulnerable than many land birds because they nest for longer periods of time and because they concentrate at a few particular breeding sites. When reduced, seabird populations are slow to recover since they produce only one chick each year. During the winter, the brackish ponds and lagoons host waterfowl and shorebirds. Mangroves provide a natural barrier between the sea and land and function as a nursery for many different types of aquatic life. Beautiful sandy beaches and exquisite coral reefs provide important habitats for hawksbill and leatherback sea turtles. The beaches of Calabra are the most prolific nesting sites for leatherback sea turtles in Puerto Rico. The protection of refuge lands ensures that fragile marine ecosystems are protected from damage caused by erosion and sedimentation and that surrounding waters remain clear. Two miles off the coast of St. Thomas is the 45-acre Buck Island National Wildlife Refuge once under the control of the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard. The Coast Guard still maintains the lighthouse on the north shore of the island. Green Key National Wildlife Refuge is on a 14-acre volcanic island located about a quarter mile off the north coast of St. Croix. Green Key is home to several endangered and threatened species such as the St. Croix Ground Lizard, Hawksbill Sea Turtle, and West Indian Brown Pelican. This refuge is closed to visitors. On the southwest corner of St. Croix is Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge, a 400-acre refuge established primarily for the protection of nesting leatherback sea turtles. Threatened green sea turtles and endangered Hawksbill sea turtles also use Sandy Point's beach for nesting. The refuge includes the 3-kilometer Sandy Point Beach, the longest in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The service has been working for more than 20 years with many different partners, including volunteers, to conserve and protect Caribbean sea turtles. Specifically, the leatherback sea turtles in Sandy Point and Calabra National Wildlife Refuges. The leatherback, the largest sea turtle, grows to seven feet in length and may weigh up to 1,500 pounds. These giant turtles usually reside in northern waters where they feed almost exclusively on jellyfish. Then they return to Caribbean waters from March to July where the female digs a deep egg chamber in the sand and deposits 60 to 100 eggs in this nest. She covers the eggs, disguises the nest, and returns to sea. After two months, the eggs hatch. The tiny turtle hatchlings crawl from the nest and scamper to the sea. During their trek across the beach, the hatchlings are preyed upon by crabs, night herons, feral dogs, and the introduced mongoose. Approximately one in 1,000 hatchlings survive to adulthood. With beach, coastal woodland, and wetland ecosystems, the Sandy Point Refuge provides habitat for 225 plant species and over 100 bird species. The Caribbean Island National Wildlife Refuge's westernmost point is the Navassa Island National Wildlife Refuge off the western coast of Haiti. The refuge embodies the 1,200-acre island and about 300,000 acres of marine habitat that surround it. In addition to managing national wildlife refuges, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also takes on other responsibilities. Primarily, the protection and recovery of endangered and threatened species from the brink of extinction. 78 threatened and endangered species are found throughout Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, 29 animal species, and 49 plant species. To protect these species and their habitats, the Fish and Wildlife Service conducts population surveys, scientific investigations, educational and outreach activities, and recovery programs. The service also comments on development projects that may or may not impact these species. The Caribbean's natural resources, specifically Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, face many threats, ranging from the introduction of exotic species to habitat destruction caused by poor land management practices and excessive commercial and residential developments. One of the Caribbean's beautiful creatures and an important symbol for the Puerto Rican people is the Puerto Rican parrot. The service has worked cooperatively with the U.S. Forest Service and the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources for more than 30 years to try to recover the Puerto Rican parrot from the brink of extinction. These parrots are mostly emerald green with a red forehead, white rim around the eyes, and blue feathers along the edges of the wings. They measure about 12 inches and are one of the smallest of their genus. The Puerto Rican parrot, known scientifically as Amazonovetata, is one of the most endangered birds in the world. The decline of the Puerto Rican parrot is due to the destruction of its habitat by farmers and hurricanes, as well as hunting, nest robbing, and the bird's natural enemies. In March 1967, the Puerto Rican parrot was listed in the Federal Register as an endangered species. At that time, only 24 parrots remained in the wild. In 1974, the population reached an all-time low of 13 birds remaining in the world. In 1968, cooperative efforts between the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources began to recover this species. To assist with recovery, two aviaries were opened. The Luquillo aviary, located in Al Junque, or the Caribbean National Forest, and the Vivaldi aviary in the Rio Abajo State Forest, located in the northern karst area of Puerto Rico. By 2000, the population at the two aviaries and in the wild accounted for 152 parrots. In the summer of 2000 and 2001, captive-reared Puerto Rican parrots were released into the wild at the Caribbean National Forest. If the recovery continues, the parrot may be downlisted from endangered to threatened status by the year 2020. The karst area, or limestone hills of Puerto Rico, provides some of the best undisturbed habitat for endangered and threatened species throughout the Caribbean. The area is also a very important habitat for migratory neotropical birds, who use the shade coffee plantations as a temporary winter home. The development and promotion of sun coffee threatens the bird's existence, both in the Caribbean and in North and South America, where they also reside part of the year. However, these fragile ecosystems riddled with subterranean rivers, caves, and sinkholes are subject to intense developmental pressures, such as road construction, illegal trash dumps, and commercial and residential development. The service hopes to protect some of this valuable karst habitat by establishing a new refuge in the area. The new refuge would serve to establish a second wild population of Puerto Rican parrots, protect valuable endangered species habitat, and protect critical watersheds. Throughout the Caribbean, rivers function as nature's highways that connect the mountains to the sea and provide cover, shelter, and food for a variety of birds, amphibians, lizards, bats, and insects. In many parts of Puerto Rico, rivers are the only sheltered corridors for wildlife to move between forested areas. Rivers shelter a rich variety of fish and crustaceans, including shrimps and crabs. They are threatened by a variety of activities, including construction of dams, toxic chemical spills, and excessive sediment and fertilizer runoff that destroy water quality. Along the rivers, riparian forests provide wildlife habitat, reduce sediments, and filter out toxic substances, such as pesticides and herbicides, before they get into rivers. The Caribbean is one of the most beautiful areas in the world, and for that reason, we should all join in conservation efforts to preserve our tropical paradise from threats to its wildlife and their habitats. Please join the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in protecting the Caribbean's wildlife and habitat for all to enjoy.