Narganá Wildlands Area (19337)
Panama, Central America
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1b, A1d, B1, B2
Year of last assessment: 2007
National site name: Área Silvestre de Narganá
Central coordinates: Latitude: 9.4000, Longitude: -78.9000
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 899
Area of KBA (km2): 873.75095
Protected area coverage (%): 94.30
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The Narganá Wildlands Area comprises the district of Narganá (Corregimiento No. 1) in the Comarca (indigenous reserve) of Kuna Yala (San Blas). The area extends from the continental divide to the Caribbean coast, from the headwaters of the Mandinga, Cangandí, and Cartí Grande Rivers in the west, where it is about 18 km wide, to the vicinity of Ticantiquí in the east, where it narrows to about 5 km. The highest point (899 m) is at Cerro Brewster (Diamma-Yala) at the western extremity. The area is contiguous with Chagres National Park in the west. A gravel road crosses the cordillera from El Llano on the Pan-american Highway to near the village of Cartí on the coas.
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 globally threatened endemic Speckled Ant-shrike occurs, as do the globally near-threatened Crested and Harpy Eagles, Great Curassow, Russet-crowned Quail-Dove, and Blue-and-gold Tanager, as well as many nationally threatened species. The site contains 6 of 15 species (40%) of the Darién Lowlands EBA, as well as a few of the Darién Highlands. There have been ornithological surveys on the Mandinga River, at Cerro Brewster, and at Nusagandi on the El Llano-Cartí Road, but the area is otherwise poorly known. Non-bird biodiversity: Mammals recorded or probably occurring include Water Opossum, Slaty Mouse Opossum,* Giant Anteater, Silky Anteater, Northern Naked-tailed Armadillo, Geoffroy’s Tamarin, Western Night Monkey, Brown-headed Spider Monkey, Central American Spider Monkey, Panamanian Spiny Pocket-Mouse, Capybara, Crab-eating Raccoon, Bush Dog, Olingo, Neotropical River Otter, Ocelot, Margay, Jaguarundi, Puma, Jaguar, and Baird’s Tapir (Charnley 1985). The reptile and amphibian fauna is poorly known but includes the frogs and toads Colosthetus flotator, C. inguinalis, Minyobates fulgoritus, M. minutus, Phyllomedusa lemur, Eleutherodactylus gollmeri, E. museosus, and E. pardalis, the salamanders Bolitoglossa biseriata and B. schizodactyla, and the lizards Sphaerodactylus lineolatus, Leposoma southi, Ptychoglossus festae, and Anolis poecilopus (Ibáñez 1997e).
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: The area includes lowland evergreen forest along the coast, with submontane evergreen forest above 500 m and cloud forest on the highest ridges. The coast is fringed by coral reefs, with many small coral islands are just offshore. The area is inhabited almost exclusively by Kuna, who live primarily on the offshore islands but also in a few villages on the mainland. The Kuna fish and also practice subsistence agriculture on the mainland, mostly in the river valleys, with some commercial coconut plantations mainly on the islands. Surrounding areas are inhabited by latinos and devoted to subsistence agriculture and cattle.
Land use: agriculture | hunting | nature conservation and research | tourism/recreation
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 5 | |
| Forest | 95 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Although the PEMASKY project initially had great success in fundraising from international donors, such support has declined drastically in recent years. The Kuna population has grown explosively in recent decades, placing increasing pressure on natural resources in the comarca. However, this pressure so far has been much greater on marine resources than on the mainland forests. The offshore islands are a popular tourist destination and there are several small hotels. There is a Kuna-operated lodge and scientific station at Nusagandi. As one of the easiest places to see many Darien endemics, Nusagandi has considerable po-tential for ecotourism, but the facilities are very basic and have not been well-maintained. The road is often difficult and sometimes impassable, but has recently been repaired.
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. Blake, John G. 1985. Preliminary Survey of the Birds of San Blas (Comarca de Kuna Yala). Informe no publicado/Unpublished report. Charnley, Susan. 1985. Mammals of the PEMASKY Project Area, San Blas, Panama. PEMASKY/STRI, Panamá. Ibáñez, Roberto (ed.). 1997e. Informe Final de Inventario de Vertebrados Terrestres. Cerro Brewster, Parque Nacional Chagres. USAID/ANAM/STRI, Panamá. PEMASKY. 1990. Comarca de la Biosfera de Kuna Ya-la. Plan General de Manejo y Desarrollo, Resumen Ejecutivo. ANCON/STRI/AEK, Panamá. 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. Wetmore, Alexander. 1968. The Birds of the Republic of Panama. Part 2. Columbidae (Pigeons) to Picidae (Woodpeckers). Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C. Wetmore, Alexander. 1973. The Birds of the Republic of Panama. Part 3. Passeriformes: Dendrocolaptidae (Woodcreepers) to Oxyruncidae (Sharpbill). Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C. Wetmore, Alexander, Roger F. Pasquier, and Storrs L. Olson. 1984. The Birds of the Republic of Panama. Part 4. Passeriformes: Hirundinidae (Swallows) to Fringillidae (Finches). Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.