Shete Boka National Park

Shete Boka National Park
Coordinates: 12 ° 21 ′ 0 ″  N , 69 ° 6 ′ 0 ″  W.
Location:	Curacao
Surface:	470 ha
Founding:	1994
National park map
View of the rugged north coast of Curaçao in Shete Boka National Park

The National Park Shete Boka is furnished in 1994 nature reserve on the Kingdom of the Netherlands belonging Caribbean island of Curacao . The park area is located in the north of the island and borders the much larger Christoffel National Park . The name Shete Boka comes from Papiamentu and roughly means "seven small bays".

geography

The national park protects an approximately ten kilometer long section of Curaçao's north coast, which is characterized by its rough limestone cliffs that are constantly exposed to the tides . In the area there are a total of seven small and narrow bays with beaches, of which Boka Tabla is the most famous. Boka Tabla was developed for tourism, a staircase carved into the rock leads down to a cave open to the sea, where tourists can watch the waves rolling in. Furthermore, part of the hinterland formed from volcanic rock and some small lagoons off the coast belong to the approximately 470 hectare park area .

Typical vegetation in the hilly hinterland of Shete Boka

There are two designated hiking trails - the "Boka Pistol Trail" and the "Boka Wandomi Trail" - through the park. Both paths can be mastered in about an hour.

Flora and fauna

The inland areas of Shete Boka have dry vegetation dominated by shrubs and cacti . The cacti in particular form the food source of many birds and mammals during the dry season . Some of the animal species found here are endemic to the island of Curaçao or even only occur in Shete Boka and the adjacent Christoffel National Park. These include, for example, the Curacao barn owl and the subspecies Aratinga pertinax pertinax of the brown-cheeked parakeet . Odocoileus virginianus curassavicus , the native subspecies of the white-tailed deer on the island, has only 250 specimens left . In addition, the national park is an important stopover for various migratory bird species such as the American little tern , the white-bellied booby or the bare-eyed pigeon . The small bays on the coast are considered to be an important breeding ground for three endangered species of sea ​​turtles : green sea turtle , hawksbill sea ​​turtle and loggerhead turtle .

Web links

Commons : Shete Boka National Park  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Shete Boka National Park. In: lonelyplanet.com. Retrieved May 2, 2019 . 
2. ↑ ^{a b} Shete Boka National Park ( Memento from July 24, 2009 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on May 2, 2019 (English)
3. ↑ ^{a b} Christoffel / Shete Boka Park. In: dcnanature.org. Dutch Carribean Nature Alliance, accessed on May 2, 2019 .