The Northeast Ecological Corridor in Puerto Rico is the top nesting site in the U.S. for the leatherback turtle---the world's largest turtle species---and will now be protected thanks to a new legislation.
The governor of Puerto Rico, Alejandro Garcia Padilla, signed the new law on Saturday that will protect the species and other inhabitants of the region.
"Today, with the signing of this law, we honor and acknowledge the respect that this natural reserve deserves," Padilla said.
Protection of the Northeast Ecological Corridor has been a heated topic in the environmental world as activists have been pushing for its security for 15 years while developers have been eying the land in their desire to build golf courses, homes and hotels.
"This is so exciting," said Angie Colon from a nonprofit activist group that has been fighting to protect the land.
"I'm still coming to terms with the fact that this is real."
Many attempts have been made and plans have been proposed to build two large hotels, four golf course and 4,000 luxury homes in the controversial area, but nothing has ever been approved---Huffington Post reports.
The Northeast Ecological Corridor is a 13-mile-long region that represents all of the ecosystems that Puerto Rico has to offer, including a subtropical dry forest and a tropical rain forest.
There are also 861 different types of flora and fauna in the region, as well as 50 rare species.
With the advancement in preservation, environmental organizations are now looking to make the land conducive for ecotourism.