North, Middle & East Caicos Islands. 27/06/90; Turks & Caicos Islands; 58,617 ha; 21°45'N 071°45'W. Nature Reserve. Extensive coastal site including prime examples of the main wetland habitats found on the Islands. Consists of intertidal algal flats and submerged banks, salt ponds, mangrove swamps, lagoons, sinkholes, and marshland. The site provides important feeding areas for waterbirds, habitat for the endangered sea turtle, and nursery grounds for fish. Flamingos feed and breed in the salt ponds and offshore limestone islands act as refuges for iguanas. The area is important for Dendrocygna arborea, probably numbering fewer than 1,000 pairs in the Caribbean. Tourism is an important industry in the islands. As of 2002, a management plan is in development with community support under a Darwin Initiative project. Ramsar site no. 493.