Tacana - Tajumulco (20370)
Guatemala, Central America
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1a, A1d, B2
Year of last assessment: 2018
National site name: Tacaná - Tajumulco
Central coordinates: Latitude: 15.0365, Longitude: -91.9525
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 500 to 4200
Area of KBA (km2): 1485.66547
Protected area coverage (%): 13.56
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Tacana-Tajumulco is located in the Guatemalan volcanic belt and includes volcano Tajumulco and volcano Tacana, which is divided between Guatemala and Chiapas, Mexico. This IBA ranges in elevation from 500 to 4200 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: Tacana-Tajumulco is important for species restricted to the North Central American Highlands (7 species recorded). Despite little ornithological research in the area, populations of three globally threatened species have been reported recently: Highland and Horned Guan (Penelopina nigra and Oreophasis derbianus), and Azure-rumped Tanager (Tangara cabanisi) (Valdez et al. 1999, Cobár Carranza & Rivas Romero 2005, González García et al. 2006, Eisermann et al. 2006, Eisermann & Avendaño 2007). The site is expected to be important for a large number of species restricted to the Madrean Highlands; because of data deficiency the site does currently not apply under the criterion of importance for biome-restricted species.
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: Forest cover in the IBA has been reduced to 23%, 68% of the area is used for agriculture: 34% of the IBA is used for coffee plantations, 18% for corn fields, and 16% are covered by secondary growth scrub (MAGA 2006).
Land use: agriculture (68%) | forestry | hunting | nature conservation and research (12%) | not utilised | rangeland/pastureland (7%) | tourism/recreation | urban/industrial/transport (1%) | water management
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Grassland | 8 | |
| Rocky Areas(e.g., inland cliffs, mountain peaks) | 1 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 52 | |
| Wetlands(Inland) | 1 | |
| Forest | 23 | |
| Shrubland | 16 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: About 150 years ago began the establishment of coffee plantations, which caused an extensive loss of habitat for species like Azure-rumped Tanager and Highland Guan, which are now considered threatened. Bird populations are threatened by management deficiencies in protected areas, an advancing agricultural border, illegal logging and hunting, and forest fires.
Additional information
References: Cóbar Carranza, A. J. & J. A. Rivas Romero. 2005. Distribución actual y selección de sitios para el estudio y conservación del pavo de cacho (Oreophasis derbianus G. R. Gray, 1844) en los departamentos de San Marcos y Huehuetenango, Guatemala. Pp. 8-13 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. CONAP. 2007. Lista de áreas protegidas inscritas en el SIGAP. Consejo Nacional de Áreas Protegidas (CONAP), Guatemala. (Database accessed in June 2007) Eisermann, K. & C. Avendaño. 2007. Lista comentada de las aves de Guatemala - Annotated checklist of the birds of Guatemala. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain. Eisermann, K., N. Herrera & O. Komar. 2006. Highland Guan (Penelopina nigra). Pp. 90-95. In D. M. Brooks (Ed.) Conserving Cracids: the most threatened family of birds in the Americas. Miscellaneous Publications of the Houston Museum of Natural Science 6. González-Garcia, F., Rivas Romero, R. A. & Cóbar Carranza, A. J. 2006. Horned Guan (Oreophasis derbianus). Pp. 36-41. In D. M. Brooks (ed.) Conserving Cracids: the most threatened family of birds in the Americas. Miscellaneous Publications of the Houston Museum of Natural Science 6. 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. Valdez, O. I., D. E. Marroquín, R. E. Orellana, S. G. Pérez, K. J. Sandoval, L. Villar, C. V. Godínez, M. E.Acevedo, J. E. Morales & L. E. Reyes. 1999. Fauna en peligro de extinción de Guatemala: inventarios rápidos para la conservación. Informe final (noviembre). Centro de Estudios Conservacionistas, Univ. San Carlos, Guatemala.
Contributors: Consejo Nacional de Areas Protegidas (CONAP) - Solola supported a workshop to identify IBAs in June 2006, hosted by University del Valle (Altiplano) in Solola, and the Museum of Natural History Jorge Ibarra, hosted a workshop in Guatemala City in June 2006. Input of unpublished data and suggestions for the delimitation of the IBA were provided during these workshop by representatives of CONAP, Universidad del Valle de Guatemala - Altiplano, Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala, Fundación para el Ecodesarrollo y la Conservación (FUNDAECO) - Huehuetenango, Ministerio de Agricultura, Ganadería y Alimentación de Guatemala (MAGA) - Solola, Cuerpo de Paz, Municipality of Tecpan, Autoridad para el Manejo Sustentable de la Cuenca del Lago Atitlán y su Entorno (AMSCLAE), and Los Tarrales Nature Reserve. This first assessment of IBAs in Guatemala was conducted by Sociedad Guatemalteca de Ornitología and BirdLife International in the Americas.