Custodia del Manglar de Guayas - El Oro (200637)
Ecuador, South America

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Global KBA criteria: D1a

Year of last assessment: 2023

National site name: Custodia del Manglar de Guayas - El Oro

Central coordinates: Latitude: -2.8230, Longitude: -79.8117

System: marine

Elevation (m): 0 to 5

Area of KBA (km²): 235.39114

KBA classification: Global

Legacy site: No

Site details

Site description: This KBA consist mostly in mangroves and coastal ecosystems of Guayas and El Oro province. This is the region where the biggest quantity of crab harvesting by locals happens in southern littoral of Ecuador. Moreover, the concentrations of resident and migratory shorebirds are one of the most important for the southwestern coast of Ecuador.

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. High counts of boreal migratory shore birds, such as: Whimbrel (N. phaeopus); Willet (T. semipalmata) and, Semipalmated Plover (Ch. semipalmatus) trigger the D1a criterion of KBA.

Additional biodiversity: Endangered mangroves and related fauna of this heavily polluted and threatened ecosystem.

Manageability of the site: Several associations of crabbers and fishermen decided to protect this habitat for the cultural and economic link. As an example the "6 de Julio Association of Crabbers" signed an agreement of usage and custody of 20.71 Km2 of the KBA ecosystems with the Ministry of environment.

Other site values: Fishermen and crabbers associations and coastal communities from Guayas and El Oro

Delineation rationale: On north the limits with Manglares Churute Reserve. Towards the south following the Guayas southern coast until the northern part of the El Oro province coast.

Habitats

IUCN Habitat	Coverage %	Habitat detail
Artificial - Terrestrial	90	Coastal Caves/Karsts

Threats

Threat level 1	Threat level 2	Threat level 3	Timing
Agriculture & aquaculture	Marine & freshwater aquaculture	Industrial aquaculture	Ongoing
Biological resource use	Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources	Unintentional effects: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest]	Ongoing
Natural system modifications	Other ecosystem modifications		Ongoing
Pollution	Industrial & military effluents	Seepage from mining	Ongoing
Pollution	Domestic & urban waste water	Sewage	Unknown
Agriculture & aquaculture	Marine & freshwater aquaculture	Scale Unknown/Unrecorded	Ongoing
Human intrusions & disturbance	War, civil unrest & military exercises		Unknown

Additional information