Jeannette Kawas National Park () is a national park located in the municipality of Tela, on the northern Caribbean coast of the Atlántida department of Honduras, established on 4 November 1994. The park covers an area of 781.62 square kilometres and has an altitude of 900 metres. The park was created and is managed by the PROLANSATE foundation (protection of Lancetilla, Punta Sal and Texiguat).
History
The park was established on 4 November 1994, originally named Punta Sal National Park. It was created and is managed by the PROLANSATE foundation (protection of Lancetilla, Punta Sal and Texiguat).
Its name was changed to Jeannette Kawas National Park in honor of Jeannette Kawas, an environmental activist and PROLANSATE president who was murdered on February 6, 1995, for her work trying to keep the palm plantations out of the park.
Jeannette Kawas National Park is part of the Ramsar Convention List of Wetlands of International Importance and was designated as such on March 28, 1995.
Geography The park is located in the municipality of Tela, on the northern Caribbean coast of the Atlántida department of Honduras. Located at 15º51'N 087º40'W between longitudes 87º29' and 87º52' west and latitudes 15º42' and 16º00'. It covers an area of 781.62 square kilometres and has an altitude of 900 metres.
Ecosystems The park is made up of varied marine, terrestrial and wetlands ecosystems with a large number of species. These ecosystems include beaches, tropical forests, inundated forests, mangrove forests, lagoons and rivers.
Species
Birds Keel-billed motmot Turquoise-browed motmot Green-breasted mountain-gem Lovely cotinga Resplendent quetzal Bushy-crested jay Blue-crowned chlorophonia Lesser ground-cuckoo
Mammals As of 2026, it is thought the park supports a jaguar population of 10-18 individuals.
West Indian manatee Common dolphin White-headed capuchin Howler monkey
Fishes Tarpon Centropomus Gafftopsail catfish
Reptiles American crocodile Sea turtle, such as green sea turtle, leatherback sea turtle, hawksbill turtle and the loggerhead turtle Green iguana Red-tailed boa Mexican burrowing snake
Arthropods Caribbean hermit crab Golden silk orb-weaver
Plants Acalypha skutchii Cappatis truerchkhemii Columnea tuerckheimii Cordia truncatifolia Ormosia macrocalyx Phyllanthus elsiae Rinorea hummelii Salacia impressifolia Sida antillensis Sida troyana
See also La Tigra National park, Honduras first national park
References
Further reading PARQUE NACIONAL PUNTA SAL Ramsar Information Sheet (pdf), Ramsar Sites Information Service (RSIS), 7 September 2011, 25 pages (in Spanish)
External links Birds of Honduras.com Robert Gallardo, n.d. profile of Jeanette Kawas National Park Carla Picinich, Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, n.d., retrieved 9 March 2016 Interactive Map of Park INFOHN.COM (Info de Honduras S.A.) 2006 Fundacion PROLANSATE web site (in Spanish) n.d.
Ramsar sites by countries