The Main Ridge Forest Reserve was declared a Crown Reserve in 1776 making it the oldest legally protected forest reserve in the Western Hemisphere established for a conservation purpose. The Reserve encompasses 4046.86 hectares of tropical rainforest specifically lower montane, lowland and xerophytic rainforest – and reaches a height of 604 metres. The Main Ridge Forest Reserve is home to a number of flora and fauna, it is estimated that the rainforest provides habitats for twelve to sixteen species of mammals out of the nearly ninety mammal species in the Caribbean region, twenty-four non-poisonous snakes, sixteen lizards and two hundred and ten species of birds, the most outstanding being the bird species Campylopterus ensipennis – the White-tailed Sabrewing Hummingbird – that is both rare and endemic to Tobago. After hurricane Flora in 1963 the White-tailed Sabrewing Hummingbird (Campylopterus ensipennis) was thought to be extirpated but has since recovered and was declared an Environmentally Sensitive Species in 2005. Main Ridge is also home to one of the country’s National Birds, the Rufous-vented Chachalaca or Cocorico (Ortalis ruficauda). The Ridge is also home to the ocellated gecko, an animal that is not found anywhere else in the world. Property of interest located in the north-eastern portion of the island of Tobago comprising approximately 4046.86 hectares of land, known as the “Tobago Main Ridge Forest Reserve”.

Address:

Town/City: Off Parlatuvier Road

Region: Tobago

Site Type: Natural Heritage

Ownership: Public

Public Accessibility: Limited Access

Habitat: Rainforests

Eco-System: Terrestrial

Site Features: