Lachuá - Ik'bolay (20365)
Guatemala, Central America
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: B1
Year of last assessment: 2007
National site name: Lachuá - Ik'bolay
Central coordinates: Latitude: 15.7992, Longitude: -90.5372
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 150 to 1000
Area of KBA (km2): 2115.56154
Protected area coverage (%): 7.38
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Lachua-Ikbolay is located in the foothills and lowlands of the Atlantic slope of Guatemala. This IBA includes large fragments of humid evergreen broadleaf forest ranging in elevation from 150 to 1000 m.
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: More than 320 bird species have been recorded recently in Lachua-Ikbolay (Avendaño 2001, Eisermann 2001, 2005, Cóbar 2003). The site is important for biome-restricted species of the Gulf Caribbean Slope (18 species recorded). This site supports a small population of the globally threatened Keel-billed Motmot (Electron carinatum) (Eisermann 2005). Cerulean Warbler (Dendroica cerulea) has been recorded recently during spring migration in the Laguna Lachua National Park (Welton et al. 2007).
Other site values: The land is owned by the state (Laguna Lachua National Park), privately and communal owned.
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: Humid evergreen broadleaf forest covers 44% of the IBA, 53% are used for agriculture, including secondary growth scrub, corn fiels and cardamom plantations, and cattle farming (MAGA 2006).
Land use: agriculture (53%) | fisheries/aquaculture | forestry | hunting | nature conservation and research (7%) | not utilised | rangeland/pastureland | tourism/recreation | urban/industrial/transport (1%) | water management
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Wetlands(Inland) | 2 | |
| Shrubland | 40 | |
| Forest | 44 | |
| Grassland | 1 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 14 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Slash-and-burn agriculture is common in the area, threatening the forest by fires and conversion to agricultural land.
Additional information
References: Avendaño, C. 2001. Caracterización de la avifauna del Parque Nacional Laguna Lachuá y su zona de influencia, Cobán, Alta Verapaz. Tesis de Licenciatura, Univ. San Carlos, Guatemala. Cóbar, A. J. 2003. Riqueza y abundancia de aves de sotobosque en dos condiciones de paisaje con diferente grado de fragmentación en la zona de influencia del Parque Nacional Laguna Lachuá. Univ. San Carlos, Guatemala. (Unpublished report) CONAP. 2007. Lista de áreas protegidas inscritas en el SIGAP. Consejo Nacional de Áreas Protegidas (CONAP), Guatemala. (Database accessed in June 2007) Eisermann, K. 2001. Reporte de avance: investigaciones de la avifauna de las regiones Ik'bolay, Guaxac y Sacranix, Alta Verapaz. Unpublished report to BIDAS/Proyecto Eco-Quetzal, Cobán. (Unpublished report) Eisermann, K. 2005. Noteworthy bird observations in Alta Verapaz, Guatemala. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 125: 3-11. MAGA. 2006. Mapa de cobertura vegetal y uso de la tierra a escala 1:50,000 de la República de Guatemala, Año 2003 (Incluye 5 cultivos perennes actualizados al año 2005). Memoria técnica y descripción de resultados. Ministerio de Agricultura Ganadería y Alimentación –MAGA– / Unidad de Planificación Geográfica y Gestión de Riesgo –UPGGR–, Guatemala Ciudad, Guatemala. Welton, M. J., D. L. Anderson, G. Colorado, E. S. Pérez & T. Beachy 2007. Migration habitat and stopover ecology of Cerulean Warblers and other Nearctic-Neotropical migrant songbirds in Northern Central America: Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico 2007. (Unpublished report)
Contributors: PROEVAL RAXMU Bird Monitoring Program provided unpublished ornithological data. Input of unpublished data and suggestions for the delimitation of the IBA was provided during a workshop in Cobán, in August 2006, by representatives of Consejo Nacional de Areas Protegidas (CONAP) - Las Verapaces, Asociación de Proyectos Evaluados Raxmu (PROEVAL RAXMU), Peace Corps, Cooperativa Sanimtaca, Cooperativa Samac, and Comité Central Menotita. This first assessment of IBAs in Guatemala was conducted by Sociedad Guatemalteca de Ornitología and BirdLife International in the Americas.