Laguna de Tacarigua National Park

Laguna de Tacarigua National Park is a coastal protected area in Miranda state on Venezuela’s Caribbean coast that conserves a brackish lagoon, mangroves and coastal marshes. The park encompasses islands, tidal channels and shoreline that are important for birds, fisheries and local livelihoods.

Recreational activities include birdwatching, small-boat excursions and visits to mangrove shores; the park is also used by artisanal fishers who rely on the lagoon’s resources. Management seeks to balance conservation of wetland habitats with sustainable local use.

The lagoon system developed where river inflow and coastal processes create a partially enclosed brackish water body separated from the open sea by sandbars and barrier islands; mangroves fringe much of the shoreline.

Geographically it sits on Venezuela’s central Caribbean coast in Miranda state, east of Caracas, occupying a coastal plain and lagoon system accessible from nearby coastal towns.

• Habitats protected: The park protects a large brackish lagoon, extensive mangrove stands and adjacent coastal wetlands that support fisheries and migratory birds.