Ensenada de Garachiné Wetlands (19339)
Panama, Central America
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2007
National site name: Humedales de la Ensenada de Garachiné
Central coordinates: Latitude: 8.1000, Longitude: -78.2833
System: marine, terrestrial
Area of KBA (km2): 94.27254
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The Ensenada de Garachiné is a bay formed by Punta Garachiné and Punta Patiño on the south side of the Gulf of San Miguel. The town of Garachiné is located at the western end of the bay.
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 site is important for migratory shorebirds. The highest single day count was 7,898 in January 1993 (Morrison et al. 1998). Based on single-day counts, the site may contain 1.1% of the North American population of Whimbrel. Non-bird biodiversity: Neotropical River Otter, Crab-eating Raccoon and American Crocodile probably occur.
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: The bay contains 7,400 ha of tidal mudflats and 3,000 ha of mangroves at the mouth of the Sambu River. The area is inhabited by latinos, Emberá-Wounaan and afrocolonials (darienitas) and devoted to subsistence agriculture with a limited amount of cattle.
Land use: agriculture | fisheries/aquaculture
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | 29 | |
| Marine Intertidal | 71 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Although mangroves in general are threatened by extraction for wood, tannin and charcoal, because of relatively low population in the Garachiné area, this site is not thought to be significantly threatened.
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.