| In an attempt to contribute to a more sustainable development for the island of Puerto Rico, this project focuses on the documentation and evaluation of a specific forested urban area and the creation of a preliminary resource inventory using GIS technology. Environmental and cultural characteristics of the area were taken into consideration, in addition to the various stressors affecting it. The selected location for this project is situated within the United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) Tropical Agriculture Research Station (TARS) near the urban center of the city of Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. This location has been used since the beginning of the 20th century as a plant introduction and evaluation site, and as an in vivo germplasm collection for numerous plant species. Obtained results and observations indicate that the study area is a unique, diverse and complex ecosystem with significant environmental and cultural resources. Of the identified stressors, urban development was considered as the most threatening. Recommendations providing a base for future development and management efforts in the study area were formulated with the objective of protecting and sustainably using its resources, while promoting environmental and socioeconomic benefits in the region. Furthermore, the employed methodology could serve as an adaptable prototype or framework for future urban forestry developments on the island of Puerto Rico and other tropical places. |
