The Estero Hondo Marine Mammal Sanctuary is a 48.36 square kilometer protected area in the municipal district of Estero Hondo, Puerto Plata. The Fondo para Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (MARENA Fund) together with the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CBF) realized the development of the area and protection of the species. The support from CBF has resulted in capacity building of park rangers, as well as the construction of a new visitor center and the realisation biophysical assessments of the natural resources within the Natural Park.
The wetlands of Estero Hondo (Santuario de Mamiferos Marinos de Estero Hondo) has been identified since 1977 as an important habitat for the manatees. The Santuario was established by law in 2004, with a total area of 22 km2.
These gracious animals are protected by law in the Dominican Republic, and are considered the animal at highest risk of extinction of the country whilst at the same time, they are also classified as Endangered according to the IUCN Red List of threatened species. Whilst the total population is estimated at 2,500 individuals,
Exact numbers are not known, but there are estimates of between 8-15 manatees (based on a report dated 2020 by the Centro de Investigaciones de Biologia Marina ¨Idelisa Bonelli de Calventy¨ (CIBIMA) and evaluations performed by FUNDEMAR in 2006 and 2007.
