Panamanian dry forests

Last updated
Panamanian dry forests
El montuoso 2.JPG
Ecoregion NT0224.png
Ecoregion territory (in purple)
Ecology
Realm Neotropic
Biome Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests
Geography
Area5,120 km2 (1,980 sq mi)
Country Costa Rica, Panama
Coordinates 8°03′32″N80°35′28″W / 8.059°N 80.591°W / 8.059; -80.591

The Panamanian dry forests ecoregion (WWF ID: NT0224) covers low-lying dry forests around the coast of the Gulf of Panama on the Pacific Ocean side of Panama. It is one of the most heavily degraded ecoregions in Central America, having been heavily converted to agriculture. However, it is also important for its high biodiversity, high rates of endemic species, and its importance as a biological corridor between the moist forests inland and the mangroves on the coast. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Location and description

The Gulf of Panama has minor gulfs around its rim. The largest sector of this ecoregion is around the Gulf of Parita on the west. There are smaller sectors in the north on Panama Bay (around Panama City), and the Bay of San Miguel on the east. Most of the region is lowlands, with an average elevation of 80 metres (260 ft). [3] The western sector is surrounded on the interior side by the Isthmian-Pacific moist forests ecoregion, the eastern sectors by the Isthmian-Atlantic moist forests ecoregion. There is a thin strip of mangroves on the coast side of portions of the ecoregion. [2]

Climate

The climate of the ecoregino is Tropical savanna climate - dry winter (Köppen climate classification (Aw)). This climate is characterized by relatively even temperatures throughout the year, and a pronounced dry season. The driest month has less than 60 mm of precipitation, and is drier than the average month. [5] [6] Because the ecoregion is in the rain shadow of the central mountains, precipitation is lower than in the surrounding moist forests, averaging 1,500 mm/year. [4]

Flora and fauna

Very little forest remains. Over 70% of the ecoregion has been converted to agriculture. 15% is open forest, and 5% is broadleaf evergreen closed forest. [3] A little over 1% of the territory is herbaceous wetland, but grades into mangroves where salt-water influences dominate 1-3 km from the shore. Species diversity is high due to the variety of ecozones meeting in close proximity. 518 species are vertebrate are known in the ecoregion. [4]

Metropolitan Natural Park, near Panama City) Parque Natural Metropolitano - Mirador con vista hacia el Cerro Ancon y la Calzada de Amador - panoramio.jpg
Metropolitan Natural Park, near Panama City)

Protected areas

Less than 2% of the ecoregion is officially protected. [3] These protected areas include:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isthmian–Atlantic moist forests</span>

The Isthmian–Atlantic moist forests (NT0129) are a Central American tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion located on the lowland slopes on the Caribbean Sea side of Nicaragua and Costa Rica and the Gulf and Pacific Ocean sides of Panama. The forest species are a mix of North American and South American, as this region only became a land bridge in the past 3 million years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chocó–Darién moist forests</span>

The Chocó–Darién moist forests (NT0115) is a largely forested, tropical ecoregion of northwestern South America and southern Central America. The ecoregion extends from the eastern Panamanian province of Darién and the indigenous region of Guna Yala to almost the entirety of Colombia's Pacific coast, including the departments of Cauca, Chocó, Nariño and Valle del Cauca.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South American Pacific mangroves</span> Ecoregion along the Pacific coast of Panama, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.

The South American Pacific mangroves, or Panama Bight mangroves, is an ecoregion along the Pacific coast of Panama, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isthmian–Pacific moist forests</span>

The Isthmian–Pacific moist forests ecoregion covers the lowland tropical evergreen forests on the Pacific side of the central mountains of southern Costa Rica and western Panama. As the meeting zone between North and South American floral communities, the area is one of very high biodiversity. Much of the rainforest has, however, been cleared for subsistence agriculture and cattle grazing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miskito pine forests</span> Central American ecological zone

The Miskito pine forests ecoregion covers lowland pine forests and savanna along much of the Mosquito Coast in northeastern Nicaragua and southeastern Honduras. Pines are adapted to grow in the poor soil, relative to the surrounding moist forest, and repeated burning have left one species – the Caribbean pine – dominant. Although the ecoregion receives high levels of rain, the hard soils, repeated burning, and exposure to hurricanes have left expanses of 'pine savanna' and seasonal wetlands. The area is thinly settled by humans and there is little crop agriculture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bocas del Toro–San Bastimentos Island–San Blas mangroves</span>

The Bocas del Toro-San Bastimentos Island-San Blas mangroves ecoregion covers the mangrove habitats along the Caribbean Sea coast of Costa Rica and across the northern coast of Panama. An offshore reef and barrier islands of the region help protect the mangroves from destructive waves. The ecoregion has a high number of endangered and threatened species, including the loggerhead sea turtle, green sea turtle, and hawk's bill sea turtle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coastal Venezuelan mangroves</span>

The Coastal Venezuelan mangroves ecoregion covers the salt-water mangrove forests along the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean coast of Venezuela, from Cocinetas Basin to the edge of the Caño Manamo River and the Orinoco Delta in the east. It is one of the largest mangrove ecoregions in South America, with an area of 5,698 km2, and stretching across over 400 km of Venezuelan coastline.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gulf of Fonseca mangroves</span> Ecoregion in Central America

The Gulf of Fonseca mangroves ecoregion covers the brackish mangrove forests around the Gulf of Fonseca on the Pacific Ocean. The Gulf is the meeting point El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua. The Gulf is one of the two primary nesting sites of the critically endangered Hawksbill turtle in the eastern Pacific. In the Honduras portion, there are seven nature reserves that collectively make up a RAMSAR wetland of international importance, providing protection for migratory birds, sea turtle, and fish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magdalena–Santa Marta mangroves</span>

The Magdalena-Santa Marta mangroves ecoregion covers the mangrove forests along the coast of Colombia on the Caribbean Sea, from Gulf of Urabá in the west at the Colombia-Panama border to the Guajira Peninsula in the east. The region is relatively dry, with low precipitation and high evapotranspiration, so the mangroves depend for water and nutrients on the rivers flowing across the estuarine plain from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains to the east. Efforts are currently underway to restore mangroves degraded by development and road building from the 1950s to 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moist Pacific Coast mangroves</span> Ecoregion in Costa Rica and Panama

The Moist Pacific Coast mangroves ecoregion covers a series of disconnected mangrove sites along the Pacific Ocean coast of Costa Rica and Panama. These sites occur mostly on coastal flatlands around lagoons, particularly where rivers from the inland mountains reach the sea, bringing fresh water to the coastal forests. The area is in a transition zone from the drier coastline to the north; rainfall in this ecoregions is over 2,000 mm/year, and reaches over 3,600 mm/year at the southern end.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mayan Corridor mangroves</span> Ecoregion (WWF)

The Mayan Corridor mangroves ecoregion covers the mangrove habitats along the Caribbean Sea coast of the state of Quintana Roo in southern Mexico and a narrow strip on the north of Belize. The region is named for the Maya Civilization archeological sites along the coast. Biodiversity in the area high due to the interactions of different environments - coastal lagoons, river estuaries, coral reefs, and barrier beaches. The ecoregion supports Mexico's largest population of crocodiles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Petenes mangroves</span>

The Petenes mangroves ecoregion covers mangrove habitat along the Gulf of Mexico coast of southern Mexico, where Campeche state and Yucatan state meet, centering on the Celestun Lagoon inland from the barrier-island town of Celestún. Because the region has relatively little rainfall and no rivers feeding the lagoons, the freshwater to support the mangrove ecosystem springs from underground aquifers. The area is important for migratory birds, and as a nesting area for sea turtles. The area around the Celestun Lagoon is protected by the Ría Celestún Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, and Los Petenes Biosphere Reserve in Campeche.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rio Negro–Rio San Sun mangroves</span>

The Rio Negro-Rio San Sun mangroves ecoregion covers a series of small of discontinuous mangrove forests on the Caribbean Sea coast of Costa Rica, from a small portion inside the border with Nicaragua in the west to the border with Panama in the east. The coast on this stretch is a flat, alluvial plain, and mangroves are only a small part of a diverse patchwork of local habitats including swamps, mixed rainforests, coastal lagoons, sea grass beds, and sandy beaches. Much of the territory is "blackwater river" in character - slow-moving channels in wooded swamps with water stained by decayed matter. These mangroves are periodically damaged by hurricanes, such as in 1988 from Hurricane Joan, but are able to regenerate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rio Piranhas mangroves</span> 350-km-long forest ecosystem of Brazils Atlantic coast

The Rio Piranhas mangroves ecoregion covers a series of mangrove forests along the Atlantic Ocean coast of the eastern tip of Brazil. The mangrove sections are spread across 350 km, from the mouth of the Mamanguape River in the north, to the vicinity of Maceió in the south. This coast is centered on the city of Recife, and the mangrove sections often surround industrial ports and cities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Dry Pacific Coast mangroves</span>

The Southern Dry Pacific Coast mangroves ecoregion covers a series of mangrove forests along the Pacific Ocean coast of Nicaragua and Costa Rica, from the southern margin of the Gulf of Fonseca to the Gulf of Nicoya near the border with Panama. Because the area is drier than the mangroves further south, evapotranspiration leaves some areas with higher salinity and even salt pans in the internal areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rio São Francisco mangroves</span> Series of mangrove forests in Brazil

The Rio Sao Francisco mangroves ecoregion covers series of mangrove forests along the Atlantic Ocean coast of eastern Brazil, from the outskirts of Maceió southwards to just south of Salvador, Bahia. This ecoregion has high biodiversity, as it lies in different sub-climate zones, with a dry season in the north but not in the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trinidad mangroves</span> Ecoregion in Trinidad

The Trinidad mangroves ecoregion covers the separate mangrove forest areas on the coast of the island of Trinidad, in the country of Trinidad and Tobago. The character of the mangroves is affected by the large amount of fresh water flowing out of the Orinoco River and Amazon River to the south, which flow northwest around the island. The mangroves of Trinidad are found on all coasts, and are usually in the estuaries of rivers, but also found in coastal lagoons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Usumacinta mangroves</span>

The Usumacinta mangroves ecoregion covers the mangrove forests ont the Gulf Coast of Mexico, around the margins of the Laguna de Términos. The "Ends" in the name refer to the mouths of the rivers that empty into the lagoon, including the Usumacinta River. This region, which is due south of the mouth of the Mississippi River across the Gulf of Mexico, receives an estimated one-third of the wintering birds migrating on the Mississippi Flyway. It is estimated that the lagoon supports 90 endangered species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trinidad and Tobago moist forests</span>

The Trinidad and Tobago moist forests ecoregion covers most of Trinidad Island and Tobago Island near the coast of South America where the southeastern Caribbean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean. Small portions of the islands around river estuaries and coastal lowlands are mangroves or dry forests. Species diversity is very high, in particular for plants and birds. Tobago, being much smaller, has fewer species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Windward Islands moist forests</span>

The Windward Islands moist forests ecoregion covers forested, high-precipitation areas of the volcanic Windward Islands. The forested areas are mostly at higher elevations in the interior of the islands, surrounded by dry forests, dry shrubland, or mangroves on the flat coastal lowlands. Closed forest of this ecoregion cover the majority of the islands. Species diversity is very high.

References

  1. "Panamanian dry forests". World Wildlife Federation. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
  2. 1 2 "Map of Ecoregions 2017". Resolve, using WWF data. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Panamanian dry forests". Digital Observatory for Protected Areas. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 "Panamanian dry forests". The Encyclopedia of Earth. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  5. Kottek, M.; Grieser, J.; Beck, C.; Rudolf, B.; Rubel, F. (2006). "World Map of Koppen-Geiger Climate Classification Updated" (PDF). Gebrüder Borntraeger 2006. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  6. "Dataset - Koppen climate classifications". World Bank. Retrieved September 14, 2019.