Santa María Wetlands (19291)
Panama, Central America
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2007
National site name: Humedales de Santa María
Central coordinates: Latitude: 8.1167, Longitude: -82.6500
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 15
Area of KBA (km2): 43.29728
Protected area coverage (%): 19.82
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: This site includes the Las Macanas Multiple-Use Area and surrounding agricultural areas. Las Macanas contains a small lake and associated marshes near the Santa María River between the towns of El Rincón and Paris.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that was identified using previously established criteria and thresholds for the identification of Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) and for which available data indicate that it does not meet global KBA criteria and thresholds set out in the Global Standard.
Additional biodiversity: The area contains the only known nesting site for Glossy Ibis in Panama. With at least 450 individuals in the area, the site exceeds 1% of the regional population. The nesting site, which is also used by herons and other aquatic birds, is at the Ciénaga del Rey, on private property near the town of Santa María. The area also contains several nationally threatened species, including various ducks, Aplomado Falcon, and the endemic Panama race of Common Ground-Dove. It is the only known breeding site in Panama for Fulvous Whistling-Duck and Killdeer (F. Delgado unpublished data). Non-bird biodiversity: Neotropical River Otter and American Crocodile occur (Delgado 1985).
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: The lake, which is slightly brackish, is a maximum of 6 m deep during the rainy season. Part of it is covered with floating vegetation including the introduced water hyacinth and Pistia. There are small patches of dry forest scrub surrounding the wetlands (Delgado 1985). The surrounding area is inhabited by latinos. Most of the surrounding area is devoted to rice cultivation, but it also includes cattle and subsistence agriculture.
Land use: agriculture | fisheries/aquaculture | nature conservation and research | rangeland/pastureland | tourism/recreation | water management
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 38 | |
| Grassland | 4 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 38 | |
| Forest | 19 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Illegal hunting, especially of ducks, is a problem. Pesticide and agricultural chemical use in the agricultural areas could have detrimental effects on the birds and other wildlife.
Additional information
References: Angehr, George R. 2003. Directorio de areas importantes para aves en Panama. Directory of important bird areas in Panama. Panama: Sociedad Audubon de Panama. Angehr, George R. and James A. Kushlan. Seabird and colonial wadingbird nesting in the Gulf of Panama. Submitted to Waterbirds. Delgado, Francisco. 1985. Panama. in: Scott, Derek A. and Montserrat Carbonell (compilers). A Directory of Neotropical Wetlands, IUCN, Cambridge, U.K., pp. 420-438.