Eastern Bahoruco

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	COBAHOR Council for the Eastern Bahoruco Dominican Republic

	General information
	Geomorphology and Geology
	Weather and Life Zones
	Vegetation and Flora
	Fauna
	Socioeconomic aspects
	Protected areas in Eastern Bahoruco

General Information

Republica Dominicana

The name Bahoruco Oriental (Eastern Bahoruco) is applied to the mountainous part of the Barahona province (Southwestern Dominican Republic), including the municipalities of Polo, Paraíso and Enriquillo and the southern portion of the Barahona municipality and, as it is indicated by its name, corresponds to the Eastern end of the Sierra de Bahoruco (Bahoruco mountains).

The sources of the rivers that supply the drinking water for the mountain and coastal communities are found here. Most of the region's rivers flow for a very short distances because the mountains get just to coast (Los Patos river runs for only 50 meters before flowing into the sea). The longest river is Nizaíto which, together with its tributaries Cortico and Sito, determines a watershed (oriented West to East) that stands out as one of the main physiographic feature of the Eastern Bahoruco.

Other rivers of the region are (which supplies drinking water to the city of Barahona), San Rafael, Bahoruco and Los Patos. These last three rivers are tourist attractions because of their clear and cool waters; visitors could have a nice bath over there without any problem.

Barahona province

There is an increase in soil erosion because forests are being eliminated, protective crops (as is coffee) are replaced by others less protective, and the development of intensive crops as yams (Xanthosoma spp.). These degrading processes are deteriorating the ecological conditions in the zone, affecting biodiversity and the amount and quality of the water.

The beaches located between Barahona and Enriquillo (about 55 kilometers) are formed by pebbles or coarse sand, and the sea has a beautiful color (greenish blue with whitish patches). They are located in very beautiful, picturesque places, and they are some of the most spectacular landscape of the whole country. The strips of land where these beaches are located are narrow and slightly flat; in some places, the mountains of the Bahoruco range, covered by a very green vegetation, get just to the coast, being abruptly cut by the sea.

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Geomorphology and Geology

Geomorphology

The highest mountains in Eastern Bahoruco are Pie de Palo (1,603 m) and Trocha de Pey (1,476 m). In this region, altitude descends towards the plain located between La Guázara and La Cueva towns; this plain is separated from the Neyba valley by a hill located in the North. The mountains stretch out from West to East.

Loma Remigio (1,287 m) stretches out from North to South. To the East of this mountain is found the watershed of the Bahoruco river and its tributaries, flowing into the Caribbean Sea all of them. To the West of Loma Remigio and to the South of Trocha de Pey (Monteada Nueva) is located the valley of the Nizaíto river and its main tributary, the Cortico river.

The steepest hillsides are found in the Southern side of the Pie de Palo mountain. The hills of La Trocha de Pey (Monteada Nueva) are part of a small system within the region; their Western slopes are intermediate comparing with the other hillsides.

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Geology

The geological characteristics of Eastern Bahoruco are the same ot those found in the Sierra de Bahoruco. An important anticlinal in the region is that of Trocha de Pey, to the Northeast of Polo. In the region, there is also the Bahoruco fault which seems to be a strike-slip fault.

Cretacean rocks are reported from the Southern part of the zone, in the towns Bahoruco and La Ciénaga; they correspond to an igneous complex formed by the association of different types of basaltic rocks. In Chupadero (Los Checheses) there is an outcrop of this complex where there are high concentrations of pectolite, known here as "Larimar", which is used as a semi-precious stone in jewelry.

The main outcrops of the Neyba Formation of the Upper Middle Eocene are found in the mountains Pie de Palo, José Joaquín and Remigio. In general, it is a limestone with flints.

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Weather and Life Zones

Weather

Caribbean Sea

Due to the elevation of its mountains, Eastern Bahoruco is a humid region. The winds in the region are very important determining the local weather because they are constantly carrying clouds to the mountains of the are. These winds blow from the East and hit the mountains.

Rain is more important in the higher parts of the mountains. The town of Polo, located at 700 meters above sea level, has an annual rainfall of almost 2,200 mm. In the higher parts (above 1,000 m) of the mountains Remigio and Pie de Palo, the vegetation consists almost exclusively of "manacla" palms (Prestoea montana) and trees covered by mosses and ferns; these places have very high rainfalls (3,000 to 4,000 mmm). On the coast, rainfalls are less important and range from 1,050 mm in Barahona to 1,350 mm in Enriquillo.

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