Flora Barras Cuero y Salado Widlife Refuge, Honduras

Abstract

The Barras Cuero y Salado Wildlife Refuge is a protected area located in the Atlantic coastal zone of Honduras. However, this natural area is threatened by the introduction of species and changes in land use such as the cultivation of African palm. The objective of this study was to determinate the vascular flora, especially the species associated with the mangrove forest. We report three hundred and ninety-seven species, distributed in 101 families and 292 genera. Fabaceae is the most diverse family with 45 species, being mostly herbaceous. Four mangrove species are reported: Avicennia germinans, Conocarpus erectus, Laguncularia racemosa and Rhizophora mangle, as well as other 47 species area reported in this ecosystem. 118 species are protected under the categories of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (iucn), and seven species are protected under Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (cites). Although this area presents a considerable wealth of vascular plants, the presence of introduced and invasive species are indicators of the anthropic impact, and agriculture is seen as the main threat to the wetland.