Morne Diablotin National Park

Morne Diablotin National Park
Morne Diablotin, Dominica's tallest mountain and largest volcano, sits within the park.
Location of Morne Diablotin National Park
Area8,242 acres (33.35 km2)
Elevation4,747 ft (1,447 m)
EstablishedJanuary 2000 (2000-01)
Governing bodyForestry, Wildlife and Parks Division of Dominica

Morne Diablotin National Park is a national park in the northern mountain ranges of Dominica, an island nation in the Caribbean. The park is a habitat for many species of flora and fauna. It has multiple hiking trails, as well as streams and waterfalls.

Geography

The park comprises 3,335.3 hectares (8,242 acres), amounting to 4.4% of the nation's area.[1] It is home to 1,447-meter (4,747 ft) high Morne Diablotins, which is the tallest mountain on the island and the second highest mountain in the Lesser Antilles.[2] The park also has many waterfalls.[3]

History

Before the arrival of the Europeans, the land area provided materials for the local indigenous population. During the 18th century, the land was home to at least six different encampments of escaped slaves.

The national park was established in January 2000, under Dominica's National Parks Act of 1975.[4] It was created in partnership with the Rare Species Conservation Foundation (RSCF),[5] to protect the habitat of the endangered Sisserou parrot (Dominica's national bird) and Jaco parrot.[1][6] The park was created from combining land from the former Northern Forest Reserve, the Syndicate Parrot Preserve, and two inholdings situated in the Forest Reserve.[4]

In 2007 the park was designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports, breeding populations of several restricted-range bird species in addition to the Sisserou and Jaco parrots.[7][8]

Wildlife

The park is a habitat for over fifty species of birds, of which at least thirty species breed on the island.[4] These birds include the endangered Sisserou parrot (Imperial amazon) and Jaco parrot (Amazona arausiaca), which are endemic to Dominica.[4][9] Other birds include Lesser Antillean Flycatcher (Myiarchus oberi), Banaquit (Coereba flaveola), Black-throated blue warblers (Setophaga caerulescens), and Hooded warblers (Setophaga citrina).[9]

Mammals in the park include the agouti (Dasyprocta leporine), the opossum (Didelphys marsupialis insularis),[4][10] feral pigs (Sus scrofa), and at least eleven species of bats.[11]

The park has two species of tree frogs: the endemic Eleutherodactylus amplinympha, locally called Gounouji;[11][10] and Eleutherodactylus martinicensis, locally called Tink Frogs.[12] The park's streams are home to several species of crustaceans and fresh water fish. There are many species of insects, including 24 species of butterflies.[11]

The park is home to many lizards, including Lesser Antillean iguanas (Iguana delacatissima), tree lizards (Anolis oculatus), and pigmy geckos (Sphaerodactylus vincenti), as well as the boa constrictor (Constrictor constrictor nebulosis).[10]

Hiking

The park has two hiking trails:

  • Syndicate Nature Trail (or "Visitor Centre Nature Trail")[11][3] – a 0.9 mile (1.4 km) loop, which takes 45-60 minutes.[13]
  • Morne Diablotin Ascent (or "Morne Diabloin Trail")[14][3] – a 1.2 mile (2 km) trail that leads to the summit of Morne Diablotins, which takes 2-3 hours.[15]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Earth Almanac: A Parrot's Friends Dig Deep to Help Save It", National Geographic, 198 (2), August 2000
  2. ^ O'Keefe, M. Timothy (2001), Caribbean Hiking: A Hiking and Walking Guide to Thirty of the Most Popular Islands, Celtcom, Inc., pp. 100–101, ISBN 0-89732-412-9
  3. ^ a b c Edwards, Marie – José (2011). "MORNE DIABOLTIN NATIONAL PARK – Improved Management Plan 2011 - 2016" (PDF).
  4. ^ a b c d e Dominica National Commission for UNESCO (2015). "Morne Diablotin National Park (Submission)". UNESCO World Heritage Commission.
  5. ^ Kreuter, Lara; Durand, Stephen (2013). "Conserving Dominica's Endemic Parrots" (PDF). Applied Biodiversity Science: Perspective Series. No. 5.
  6. ^ Rickwood, Peter (2014-01-18). "Saving the Sisserou". Caribbean Beat Magazine. Retrieved 2026-03-21.
  7. ^ "Morne Diablotin National Park". BirdLife Data Zone. BirdLife International. 2024. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
  8. ^ "Morne Diablotin National Park". (Official GANP Page). Retrieved 2026-03-20.
  9. ^ a b "Morne Diablotin: Guardian of Dominica's Biodiversity | LAC Geo". lacgeo.com. Retrieved 2026-03-21.
  10. ^ a b c "Key Biodiversity Areas: Morne Diablotin National Park (20862)". www.keybiodiversityareas.org. Retrieved 2026-03-21.
  11. ^ a b c d "Syndicate Nature Trail: Morne Diablotin National Park" (PDF). tourism.gov.dm. Dominica Ministry of Tourism. Retrieved 2026-03-21.
  12. ^ Carter, Ruth E.; Berg, Craig S.; Ackley, Jeffrey W.; Powell, Robert (2009). "Frogs of Dominica, with notes on habitat use by two species of Eleutherodactylus". The Herpetological Bulletin (108).
  13. ^ "Syndicate Nature Trail". forestry.gov.dm. Dominica Division of Forestry, Wildlife and National Parks. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
  14. ^ "Morne Diablotin National Park". (Official GANP Page). Retrieved 2026-03-21.
  15. ^ "Morne Diablotin National Park". forestry.gov.dm. Retrieved 2026-03-21.

15°30′N 61°24′W / 15.500°N 61.400°W / 15.500; -61.400


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