Sierra de las Minas - Motagua (20369)
Guatemala, Central America
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1a, A1b, A1d, A1e, B1, B2
Year of last assessment: 2018
National site name: Sierra de las Minas - Motagua
Central coordinates: Latitude: 15.1120, Longitude: -89.6962
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 50 to 3000
Area of KBA (km2): 4260.33719
Protected area coverage (%): 5.65
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Sierra de las Minas-Motagua includes the Sierra de las Minas mountain range with the largest continuous cloud forest in Guatemala, Sierra de Chuacús, and the adjoining Motagua valley, which is the driest area in Central America. The IBA ranges in elevation from 50 to 3000 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. Alliance for Zero Extinction (2018): site confirmed as an AZE site during the AZE project (2015-2018). Taxonomy, nomenclature and Red List category follow the IUCN 2016 Red List.
Additional biodiversity: Sierra de las Minas-Motagua is important for range-restricted species of the North Central American Highlands (14 species recorded), biome-restricted species of the Madrean Highland (34 species) and the Pacific Arid Slope (6 species). The site supports populations of five globally threatened species, of which four are breeding residents: Highland and Horned Guan (Penelopina nigra and Oreophasis derbianus), Keel-billed Motmot (Electron carinatum), and Pink-headed Warbler (Ergaticus versicolor). Golden-cheeked Warblers (Dendroica chrysoparia) winter in pine-oak forests on the southern slope of Sierra de las Minas.
Other site values: State, communal, and private.
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: About 39% of this IBA is covered by humid evergreen broadleaf forests, including approximately 120000 ha of cloud forest. Scrub, of which the major part is natural thorn scrub, covers 38%. About 22% of the IBA is used for agriculture (mainly corn fields, coffee and cardamom plantations, fruit plantations, and cattle farming) (MAGA 2006).
Land use: agriculture (19%) | energy production and mining | fisheries/aquaculture | hunting | nature conservation and research (57%) | not utilised | rangeland/pastureland (3%) | tourism/recreation | urban/industrial/transport (1%) | water management
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Grassland | 2 | |
| Shrubland | 38 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 20 | |
| Forest | 38 | |
| Wetlands(Inland) | 1 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Natural habitat and bird populations are threatened by an advancing agricultural border, forest fires, illegal logging and hunting (ParksWatch 2002). Management deficiencies in the protected areas allow human intervention.
Additional information
References: Bardolf, J. & G. P. Bauer. 1992. Lista de aves del Biotopo del Quetzal. Ministerio de Comunicaciones, Guatemala. CONAP. 2007. Lista de áreas protegidas inscritas en el SIGAP. Consejo Nacional de Áreas Protegidas (CONAP), Guatemala. (Database accessed in June 2007) Dowell B. A., G. L. Holroyd & C. S. Robbins. 1994. Bird habitat survey of Cerro San Gil and Polochic delta, Guatemala, February 1994. National Biological Survey, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, Maryland. (Unpublished report) Eisermann, K. 1999. Avifaunistisch-ökologische Untersuchungen in einer Nebelwaldregion Guatemalas als Grundlage für die Entwicklung eines Biomonitoringprogamms. Diplomarbeit, Fachhochschule Eberswalde, Alemania. Eisermann, K. & C. Avendaño. 2007. Lista comentada de las aves de Guatemala - Annotated checklist of the birds of Guatemala. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain. 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. Nájera, A. 2004a. Diversidad y estructura de la avifauna en el bosque nuboso primario de Albores, Sierra de las Minas, Guatemala. Tesis de Licenciatura, Univ. del Valle de Guatemala, Guatemala. Nájera, A. 2004b. Reporte anual integrado de monitoreo biológico 2004, región semiárida del valle del Motagua. Fundación Defensores de la Naturaleza, Guatemala. (Unpublished report) Nájera Acevedo, A. 2006. La conservación del monte espinoso y bosque seco del Valle del Motagua, Guatemala: promoviendo la protección de una ecorregión única. Lyonia 9 (2): 7-19. ParksWatch. 2002. Park profile–Guatemala: Sierra de las Minas Biosphere Reserve. ParksWatch Guatemala. Available online at: www.parkswatch.org Pérez, E. S. 2003. Aves del valle semiárido del Motagua. Propuestas para monitoreo de las fluctuaciones en las poblaciones a largo plazo como investigación deductiva. Fundación Defensores de la Naturaleza, Guatemala. Pérez, E. S. 2004. Reporte final: Manejo del bosque pino-encino para aves migratorias. Fundación Defensores de la Naturaleza, Guatemala. Ponciano, J. M. 1998. Comunidades de aves en función de la distancia con la frontera agrícola en la Sierra de las Minas, Guatemala. Tesis de Licenciatura, Univ. del Valle de Guatemala, Guatemala. Rappole, J. H., D. I. King & W. C. Barrow, Jr. 1999. Winter ecology of the endangered Golden-cheeked Warbler. Condor 101:762-770. Rappole J. H., King D. I. & P. Leimgruber. 2000. Winter habitat and distribution of the endangered Golden-Cheeked Warbler (Dendroica chrysoparia). Animal Conservation 3:45-59. Rappole, J. H., D. J. King & J. Diez. 2003. Winter- vs. breeding-habitat limitation for an endangered avian migrant. Ecological Applications 13:735-742. Rivas Romero, J. A. & A. J. Cóbar Carranza 2005. Distribución actual del pavo de cacho (Oreophasis derbianus) en la Reserva de Biosfera Sierra de las Minas. Pp. 3-7 In J. Rivas, E. Secaira & J. Cornejo (eds.) Memorias II Simposium Internacional Oreophasis derbianus, 7-9 Abril 2005, Reserva Los Tarrales, Patulul, Suchitepéquez, Guatemala. The Nature Conservancy, Guatemala. Thompson, D. E. 1995. Observations of Golden-cheeked Warblers wintering in Guatemala and Honduras. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Austin, Texas. Valle, L., R. Soto, P. Negreros, S. Pérez, C. Castañeda. 1999. Áreas prioritarias para la conservación en el sector norte del monte espinoso del Valle del Río Motagua, Guatemala. Fundación Defensores de la Naturaleza, Programa Ambiental Regional para Centroamérica/Central American Protected Areas System, Guatemala.
Contributors: Workshops to identify IBAs were held in Guatemala City in June 2006, hosted by the Museum of Natural History Jorge Ibarra, and in Cobán in August 2006. Input of unpublished data and suggestions for the delimitation of the IBA were provided during these workshop by representatives of Consejo Nacional de Areas Protegidas (CONAP), Fundación Defensores de la Naturaleza, Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala, Biotopo del Quetzal, Centro de Acción Legal – Ambiental y Social de Guatemala (CALAS), and Asociación de Proyectos Evaluados Raxmu (PROEVAL RAXMU). This first assessment of IBAs in Guatemala was conducted by Sociedad Guatemalteca de Ornitología and BirdLife International in the Americas.