Taboga Group (19315)
Panama, Central America
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: D1a
Year of last assessment: 2007
National site name: Grupo de Taboga
Central coordinates: Latitude: 8.7833, Longitude: -79.5500
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 307
Area of KBA (km2): 4.25069
Protected area coverage (%): 53.83
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Taboga Island (564 ha) is 10 km offshore, slightly west of the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal, and Uravá (Urabá) Island (63 ha) is 250 m to its east. The picturesque fishing and tourist town of Taboga is on the northern side of the island, while Uravá is uninhabited. Taboguilla is a steep-sided island located 2.3 km northeast of Taboga and Uravá Islands. There is an industrial plant on its northern side. Chamá (Chame) is an elongated steep islet 4.5 km south of Taboga Island.
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.
Additional biodiversity: The site is a globally important breeding site for Brown Pelican. Between 880 and 1,455 pairs have been recorded nesting on the islands of the group (Angehr and Kushlan MS, Maridueña 1979, Daguerre 2000). Brown Booby, Neotropic Cormorant, Great Egret, and Black-crowned Night-Heron also breed (Wetmore 1965, Ridgely and Gwynne 1989, Angehr and Kushlan MS). An endemic subspecies of Streaked Saltator is confined to Taboga (Wetmore et al. 1984). Non-bird biodiversity: The lizard Sphaerodactylus lineolatus has been recorded.
Delineation rationale: Type 1 marine IBA: suitable for the seaward extension approach.
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: Taboga, Uravá, and Taboguilla are mainly covered by semideciduous lowland forest. The town of Taboga is on the north side of Taboga island. Areas around the town are deforested, and the forest on this side of the island is highly disturbed. Chamá is mostly covered with herbaceous vegetation with a few small trees along the crest of the island.
Land use: nature conservation and research | tourism/recreation
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 5 | |
| Shrubland | 5 | |
| Forest | 43 | |
| Grassland | 5 | |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 43 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Some of the nesting trees in the colony on Taboga are damaged by dry-season grass fires set by island residents. Parts of the colony are also used as a garbage dump by the Taboga community. Given their importance, the part of the Taboguilla island containing the nesting areas and Chamá should be incorporated into the Taboga Wildlife Refuge.
Additional information
References: Angehr, G.R. 2003. Directory of Important Bird Areas in Panama. Panama Audubon Society, Panama City, Panama. Angehr, George R., and James A. Kushlan. Seabird and colonial wadingbird nesting in the Gulf of Panama. Submitted to Waterbirds. Maridueña, L. 1979. Distribución de aves marinas en el Archipiélago de Perlas y estado de las aves en Isla Pacheca, Golfo de Panamá. Exxon Student Reports, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. Ridgely, Robert S., and John A. Gwynne. 1989. A Guide to the Birds of Panama (Second Edition). Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey. Wetmore, Alexander. 1965. The Birds of the Republic of Panama. Part 1. Tinamidae (Tinamous) to Rhynchopidae (Skimmers). Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.