Bosques de Jama Coaque en Manabí (100332)
Ecuador, South America

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Global KBA criteria: A1a, A1b, A1c, A1d, B1, B2

Year of last assessment: 2023

National site name: Bosques de Jama Coaque en Manabí

Central coordinates: Latitude: -0.1597, Longitude: -80.1061

System: terrestrial

Elevation (m): 50 to 650

Area of KBA (km²): 2761.70906

KBA classification: Global

Legacy site: No

Site details

Site description: This KBA covers the entire Jama-Coaque cordillera or ridge and the forest and habitats south of Chone river at Manabí Province. This mosaic of seasonal deciduous and semi-deciduous forests from the ecuadorian western lowlands and the Jama-Coaque cordillera influenced by the Pacific Ocean plus mangroves and humid lowlands and foothill forest influenced by the chocó on the northern region are included in an ambitious conservation process by the government of the Manabi province aiming to protect all this ecosystems as a provincial protected area. Its entire size is key to secure the conservation of important endemic and threatened species and water resources for the human population in the province. The altitudinal range is from 50 to 650 m.

Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that meets the thresholds for at least three critera described in the Global Standard for the Identification of KBAs (A1, B1 and B2). Herpetofauna: Engystomops montubio, Bolitoglossa chica, Porthidium arcosae, Coniophanes dromiciformis. Birds: Amazona lilacina, Brotogeris pyrrhoptera among other tumbesian and restricted species. Additionally, one primate endemic and endangered, Cebus aequatorialis is protected and survives in this coastal cordillera.

Additional biodiversity: Panthera onca, Puma concolor, Leopardus pardalis plus several chocoan and tumbesian species that do not trigger the KBA, but are important. More important: Pseudastur occidentalis that have its distribution here, but it is not considered by BirdLife Int. or Lumbierres et al (2022).

Manageability of the site: The KBA area is under the process to be delimited and identified as provincial "sustainable use and conservation area" (ACUS in spanish) by the prefecture of Manabí province with the support of NGOs, local conservation actors and stakeholders. Currently, this KBA is composed by four interconnected ACUS declared by four municipalities, as follows: - Área de Conservación y Uso Sustentable Municipal Pedernales. - Área de Conservación y Uso Sustentable Municipal del Cantón Jama. - Área de Conservación y Uso Sustentable Municipal del Cantón San Vicente. - Área de Conservación y Uso Sustentable Municipal del Cantón Sucre. In these aforementioned ACUS, towns and human settlements (villages) are included, this is because the aim to interconnected biodiversity via corridors through human populated sites that also have small agricultural areas (ecological functionality).

Supersedes another site: Bosque Protector Cerro Pata de Pájaro (14645); Hacienda Camarones (14656); Reserva Biológica Tito Santos (14521); Cordillera El Bálsamo (14654).

Delineation rationale: The KBA limits follows the delimitation of four municipal protected areas named ACUS (sustainable use and conservation area) plus some extensions towards north and east to cover the distribution and records of range restricted, threatened and endemic species that triggers the KBA. Consequently, the limits of this KBA are: on north the Mache-Chindul ecological reserve, the wildlife refuge of the estuaries and mangroves of Muisne river and Puerto Cabuyal-San Clemente marine reserve. On west the Pacific ocean and the towns of Pedernales, Jama, Bahía de Caraquez, Rocafuerte. The particularity of this KBA is that the Wildlife refuge Isla Corazón e Isla Fragata intersects it. On east several agricultural areas from all sorts of types and sizes (from cattle pasture to short term crops). Towns and human settlements (villages) are included in the KBA, this is because the aim to interconnected biodiversity via corridors through human populated sites that also have small agricultural areas (ecological functionality).

Habitats

IUCN Habitat	Coverage %	Habitat detail
Forest	25	Forest – Subtropical/tropical dry
Forest	15	Forest – Subtropical/tropical moist lowland
Shrubland	5	Shrubland – Subtropical/tropical dry

Threats

Threat level 1	Threat level 2	Threat level 3	Timing
Agriculture & aquaculture	Livestock farming & ranching	Small-holder grazing, ranching or farming	Ongoing
Agriculture & aquaculture	Marine & freshwater aquaculture	Industrial aquaculture	Ongoing
Agriculture & aquaculture	Wood & pulp plantations	Agro-industry plantations	Ongoing
Biological resource use	Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals	Intentional use (species being assessed is the target)	Ongoing
Natural system modifications	Other ecosystem modifications		Ongoing
Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases	Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases	Named species	Ongoing
Human intrusions & disturbance	War, civil unrest & military exercises		Ongoing
Geological events	Earthquakes/tsunamis		Unknown

Additional information