Salina Los Cobos Nature Reserve

In January of 2016 Alelí Environmental, Inc. acquired Salina Los Cobos Farm, a beautiful undeveloped coastal area located nearby the fishing village of La Parguera in the southwest Municipality of Lajas, Puerto Rico. The land encompasses 21 acres of property that includes: a historical salt production facility that was built in the 1920s and is no longer in use, a nature trail delimited by the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER), and a xerophytic and mangrove forests. Although the salt flat production facility is no longer in use there are a series of four crystallization ponds delineated with wood at ground level left visible at the site. Other properties adjacent to Salina Los Cobos include a conservation easement area of the Puerto Rico Conservation Trust (Para la Naturaleza), the Boquerón and La Parguera Natural Reserves, the two mangrove islands of Guayacán and Cuevas, and the Bioluminescent Bay Monsieur José. These areas are critical habitat for many plants, birds, and marine mammals including many endemic and endangered species.

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This region currently faces numerous anthropogenic threats such as land-based sources of pollution, coastal urban development, climate change related impacts, marine debris, and excessive visitation and exploitation of resources. Furthermore, these natural areas lack of a management plan and environmental law enforcement actions for their protection. Therefore, by acquiring the farm, we are making sure that these ecologically sensitive ecosystems are preserved and managed for perpetuity and it contributes to the conservation of the southwest coastal ecological corridor.

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In 2022 Salina Los Cobos Farm became a part of the US Forest Stewardship Program.