Morona (14719)
Peru, South America

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Global KBA criteria: B2

Year of last assessment: 2023

National site name: Morona

Central coordinates: Latitude: -4.5086, Longitude: -77.2753

System: terrestrial

Elevation (m): 130 to 230

Area of KBA (km²): 1436.72922

Protected area coverage (%): 25.51

KBA classification: Global

Legacy site: Yes

Site details

Site description: The KBA Morona covers an area of 1436.729 km and it's located within Peru, in the department of Loreto, province of Marañon, district of Morona. The altitude range of this KBA goes from 130 to 230 masl and the climate in this area is mainly hot, humid and rainy during all the year. The maximun temperatures ranges from 31°C to 33°C, the minimun temperatures ranges from 21°C to 23°C, and the annual precipitation ranges from 2000 mm to 3500 mm. This KBA is located 54 km from the mouth of the Morona river (following a straight line), near the town Tierra Blanca, at the mouth of the Cashacaño creek. It also includes the right bank of the lower Morona River. The area encompasses flood zones and forests, both with clay soils and white sand soils. There are some crops in the site, mainly cassava.

Rationale for qualifying as KBA: The KBA Morona qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that meets the thresholds for B2 criterion described in the Global Standard for the Identification of KBAs. This KBA harbors three range restricted bird species (Myrmoborus melanurus, Pithys castaneus and Herpsilochmus gentryi).

Additional biodiversity: Birds: Conirostrum margaritae, Nonnula brunnea, Pionites melanocephalus, Topaza pyra, Hylopezus fulviventris, Galbalcyrhynchus leucotis, Galbula albirostris.

Manageability of the site: The National Coordination Group of KBAs has a conservation promotion and monitoring committee, which is composed of various governmental and civil society institutions that will work to promote conservation actions in the KBA.

Supersedes another site: -

Other site values: This site is inhabited by Awajún indigenous people.

Delineation rationale: The Morona KBA is delineated according to ecological boundaries to encompass the trigger species. To the east it follows the margin of the Morona River from the junction with the Mayuriaga River to the Marañon River. To the west, it follows the Marañon River to the town of Eureka in the district of Manseriche and to the west along the tributary of the Marañon River to the north where it borders the Mayuriaga River.

Habitats

Summary of habitats in KBA: Forest 80-90% Wetland (inland) 1-10%

Land use: The area of this KBA does not have any type of management.

IUCN Habitat	Coverage %	Habitat detail
Other	5
Wetlands(Inland)	5
Artificial - Terrestrial	5
Forest	85

Threats

Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: No threats have been recorded at this location at this time.

Threat level 1	Threat level 2	Threat level 3	Timing
Biological resource use	Gathering terrestrial plants	Unintentional effects (species being assessed is not the target)	Ongoing
Transportation & service corridors	Shipping lanes		Ongoing
Biological resource use	Logging & wood harvesting	Unintentional effects: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest]	Ongoing
Natural system modifications	Fire & fire suppression	Increase in fire frequency/intensity	Ongoing
Agriculture & aquaculture	Livestock farming & ranching	Small-holder grazing, ranching or farming	Ongoing
Energy production & mining	Oil & gas drilling		Ongoing

Additional information

References: MINAM (2018) National Ecosystems Map of Peru. In SINIA (National Environmental Information System). https://sinia.minam.gob.pe/mapas/mapa-nacional-ecosistemas-peru. Castro, A., Dávila, C., Laura, W., Cubas Saucedo, F., Ávalos, G., López, C., ... & Marín, D.(2021). Climate of Perú: National climate classification map. https://www.senamhi.gob.pe/?p=mapa-climatico-del-peru