Chorrera Bay (19307)
Panama, Central America
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2007
National site name: Bahía de Chorrera
Central coordinates: Latitude: 8.8167, Longitude: -79.7500
System: marine, terrestrial
Area of KBA (km2): 55.17354
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Chorrera Bay contains extensive mudflats (4,300 ha), extending up to 4 km offshore, from Punta San Juanito north of Chame Bay to the Caimito River estuary 15 km west of Panama City. La Chorrera, Panama’s fourth largest city, is 4 km inland from the northern part of the bay, and there is a small port facility at Puerto Caimito on the Caimito River.
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: Chorrera Bay is an important site for migratory shorebirds, with a maximum one-day count of 9,365 small shorebirds in November 1997. Based on turnover during passage migration, it is estimated that 36,500 Western and Semipalmated Sandpipers may pass through the site. Non-bird biodiversity: None known.
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: The site includes extensive intertidal mudflats. Small areas of mangroves are found near the mouths of the Perequete and Caimito Rivers. Local land use includes cattle and subsistence agriculture.
Land use: agriculture | rangeland/pastureland
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Intertidal | 30 | |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 30 | |
| Marine Neritic | 30 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 5 | |
| Forest | 5 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Pesticides and agricultural chemicals, as well as industrial waste and raw sewage from La Chorrera could have a detrimental effect on the ecosystem of the bay. The mangroves are threatened by extraction for wood, tannin, and charcoal.
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. Morrison, R. I. G., R. W. Butler, E. S. Delgado, and R. K. Ross. 1998. Atlas of Nearctic shorebirds and other waterbirds on the coast of Panama. Canadian Wildlife Service, Ottawa. Watts, Brian D. 1998. An Investigation of Waterbirds within the Panama Canal Area and the Upper Bay of Panama. Center for Conservation Biology, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia.