Cuchumatanes (20360)
Guatemala, Central America
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1a, A1d, A1e, B1, B2
Year of last assessment: 2025
National site name: Cuchumatanes
Central coordinates: Latitude: 15.7128, Longitude: -91.3150
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 400 to 3800
Area of KBA (km2): 2992.82841
Protected area coverage (%): 3.78
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Cuchumatanes is a KBA located in Guatemala, covering part of the Sierra de los Cuchumatanes mountain range. This is the highest non-volcanic mountain range in Central America. It is an important site for range-restricted birds of the North Central American Highlands and for biome-restricted species of the Madrean Highlands. Important habitats include conifer, broadleaf, and mixed forest. Agriculture covers much of the KBA such as plantations of coffee, cardamom, and corn, and secondary growth scrub cover.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: Five plant species trigger criterion A1e. Ten bird species trigger one or more KBA criteria: six species trigger criterion B1, and four species trigger criteria B1,B2; B2; A1a,B2; A1d, respectively. In addition, 19 bird species and one mammal species are legacy species, and should be assessed under the current KBA criteria.
Manageability of the site: The manageability was determined when this legacy KBA was created.
Delineation rationale: Three 2005 AZE sites -- Eastern slopes of Sierra de los Cuchumatanes (SitRecID 26830), Northern slopes of Sierra de los Cuchumatanes (SitRecID 26832) and Quebrada Sancapech (SitRecID 26668) -- were merged to form the 2010 AZE 'Montanas Los Angeles - Soloma - Todos Santos Cuchumatanes', which falls within the 2007 IBA 'Cuchumatanes' (SitRecID 20360).
Habitats
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 14 | |
| Forest | 48 | |
| Rocky Areas(e.g., inland cliffs, mountain peaks) | 1 | |
| Wetlands(Inland) | 1 | |
| Grassland | 5 | |
| Shrubland | 32 |
Additional information
Contributors: KBA originally identified using pre-existing criteria. Latest assessment of the KBA includes tree species completed by BGCI.