Palanda (14582)
Ecuador, South America
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1a
Year of last assessment: 2023
National site name: Palanda
Central coordinates: Latitude: -4.6521, Longitude: -79.0803
System: terrestrial, freshwater
Elevation (m): 910 to 2270
Area of KBA (km2): 119.04974
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: This KBA is a kind of hope. Its remnants of adequate habitat are the home of endemic and severely threatened species by deforestation and gold mining. Located in Zamora Chinchipe province in an altitudinal range of 950 to 2250. The ecosystems and remnant vegetation in this KBA, are: foothill, lower montane and montane evergreen forests of the southeastern slope of the Andes.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that meets the thresholds for at least one criterion described in the Global Standard for the Identification of KBAs. Two threatened of extinction species like: the critically endangered bird Synallaxis maranonica and the endangered plant Costus zamoranus meets the threshold of A1a KBA criteria.
Additional biodiversity: Panthera onca. Several Marañón endemic bird species.
Manageability of the site: No official protection. This site will be part of an ecological corridor leaded by local governments and Jocotoco Foundation.
Supersedes another site: Palanda (14582)
Other site values: NA
Delineation rationale: On east the main road to Zumba. On north, the agricultural and deforested region la Valladolid. On east the Numbala river deforested and agricultural areas. On south the KBA of Zumba and Chito.
Habitats
Land use: NA
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | 45 | Forest – Subtropical/tropical moist lowland |
| Artificial - Aquatic | 10 | Ponds [below 8 ha] |
| Shrubland | 5 | Shrubland – Subtropical/tropical dry |
| Artificial - Aquatic | 10 | Rural Gardens |
| Forest | 15 | Forest – Subtropical/tropical moist montane |
Threats
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential & commercial development | Housing & urban areas | Ongoing | |
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Livestock farming & ranching | Small-holder grazing, ranching or farming | Ongoing |
| Transportation & service corridors | Roads & railroads | Ongoing | |
| Pollution | Domestic & urban waste water | Sewage | Ongoing |
| Pollution | Garbage & solid waste | Ongoing | |
| Energy production & mining | Mining & quarrying | Ongoing | |
| Biological resource use | Logging & wood harvesting | Unintentional effects: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
| Human intrusions & disturbance | Work & other activities | Ongoing | |
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Annual & perennial non-timber crops | Small-holder farming | Ongoing |
| Pollution | Industrial & military effluents | Seepage from mining | Ongoing |
| Human intrusions & disturbance | War, civil unrest & military exercises | Unknown | |
| Biological resource use | Logging & wood harvesting | Motivation Unknown/Unrecorded | Ongoing |
| Natural system modifications | Other ecosystem modifications | Ongoing |
Additional information
Contributors: Records of Synallaxis maranonica by local ranger of Jocotoco Foundation Diego Velásquez.
Records of Costus zamoranus by expert Dave Skinner uploaded to iNaturalist.