Lake Güija (20378)
Guatemala, Central America
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2007
National site name: Lago de Güija
Central coordinates: Latitude: 14.2618, Longitude: -89.5518
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 420 to 500
Area of KBA (km2): 43.48941
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Lake Güija is divided by the border between Guatemala and El Salvador. The IBA includes about 25% of the lake and surrounding terrestrial habitat.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance because it meets one or more previously established criteria and thresholds for identifying sites of biodiversity importance (including Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas, Alliance for Zero Extinction sites, and Key Biodiversity Areas)
Additional biodiversity: Lake Güija has global importance for biome-restricted species of the Pacific Arid Slope, according to a rapid assessment (Tenez 2006). Although the site does not meet thresholds of global importance for waterbird populations, it supports thousands of migration waterbird species (Herrera & Ibarra 2005, Eisermann 2006, Sigüenza 2007).
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: Wetlands cover 33% of the IBA, 36% are used for agriculture (corn fields, cattle farming) (MAGA 2006). Fisheries are apparently intensive (MARN 2001).
Land use: agriculture (15%) | fisheries/aquaculture (33%) | forestry | hunting | not utilised | rangeland/pastureland (21%) | tourism/recreation | water management
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Wetlands(Inland) | 33 | |
| Shrubland | 22 | |
| Forest | 8 | |
| Grassland | 21 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 16 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The terrestrial part is threatened by an advancing agricultural border. The lake is threatened by overharvest of fish and eutrophication by surrounding agricultural activities and settlements (Eisermann 2006).
Additional information
References: CONAP. 2007. Lista de áreas protegidas inscritas en el SIGAP. Consejo Nacional de Áreas Protegidas (CONAP), Guatemala. (Database accessed in June 2007) Eisermann, K. 2006. Evaluation of waterbird populations and their conservation in Guatemala. Final report. Sociedad Guatemalteca de Ornitología, Guatemala. Online at: www.avesdeguatemala.org/avesacuaticas.htm Herrera, N. & R. Ibarra. 2005. Aves acuáticas del Lago de Güija, El Salvador y Guatemala. Pato-Poc 2: 2-8. 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. MARN. 2001. Complejo de Güija, Metapán, Santa Ana, El Salvador, Centroamerica: propuesta de sitio Ramsar. Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales, San Salvador, El Salvador. Sigüenza, R. 2007. Informe de conteos de Anátidas en Guatemala, temporada 2006-2007. Fundación Defensores de la Naturaleza, Guatemala. Unpublished report to Ducks Unlimited. Tenez, D. 2006. Aves de la Cuenca del Lago de Güija, Jutiapa. Asociación Tercer Milenio / CONAP, Guatemala. (Unpublished report)
Contributors: The Museum of Natural History Jorge Ibarra, hosted a workshop in Guatemala City in June 2006. This first assessment of IBAs in Guatemala was conducted by Sociedad Guatemalteca de Ornitología and BirdLife International in the Americas.