Manchón - Guamuchal (20379)
Guatemala, Central America
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: D1a
Year of last assessment: 2007
National site name: Manchón - Guamuchal
Central coordinates: Latitude: 14.4585, Longitude: -92.0825
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 20
Area of KBA (km2): 206.74743
Protected area coverage (%): 64.51
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Manchon-Guamuchal is the largest mangrove area on the Guatemalan Pacific coast, located near the border to Chiapas, Mexico.
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: Based on a continental population estimate (Wetlands International 2006) and local estimates (Eisermann 2006), it is assumed that Manchon-Guamuchal supports more than 1% of the population of American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos). Although not of global importance, the site supports large numbers of resident and migrating waterbirds (Sigüenza 1995, 2007).
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: The site contains 6670 ha of mangrove, equaling 33% of the IBA. Other coastal wetland habitat (rivers and canals, swamps, lagoons, and beaches) cover 25%. About 18% of the site is used for agriculture (banana and oil palm plantations, pasture, corn fields) and 5% for salinas and shrimp farms (MAGA 2006).
Land use: agriculture (11%) | fisheries/aquaculture (10%) | hunting | military | nature conservation and research (6%) | not utilised | rangeland/pastureland | tourism/recreation | urban/industrial/transport (1%) | water management
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Grassland | 19 | |
| Marine Intertidal | 6 | |
| Artificial - Aquatic | 5 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 16 | |
| Shrubland | 3 | |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 13 | |
| Forest | 32 | |
| Marine Neritic | 6 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The area lacks management. Hunting seems to be intensive; e.g. massive kills of White Ibis (Eudocimus albus) have been observed (R. Sigüenza in Eisermann 2006). Mangrove deforestation and water pollution by agrochemicals were reported by López et al. (1993) and Schaeffer Novelli (2003).
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 López, J. E., L. Gaitán, M. Díaz & M. J. González. 1993. Information sheet on Ramsar wetlands, Manchón-Guamuchal. FIIT, Guatemala. 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. Schaeffer Novelli, Y. 2003. Humedales de Importancia Internacional, en una Encrucijada – Conservar o Conservar: El Caso de Manchón-Guamuchal. Informe Técnico, Imágenes, Consideraciones y Reflexiones. Universidad de Sao Paolo-Instituto Oceanográfico Laboratorio BIOMA-Bioecología de Manglares, Sao Paulo, Brasil. Sigüenza, R. 1995. Evaluación de fluctuaciones poblacionales de aves en Manchón-Guamuchal, San Marcos-Retalhuleu, Guatemala. Tesis de Licenciatura, Univ. San Carlos, Guatemala. Sigüenza, R. 2007. Informe de conteos de Anátidas en Guatemala, temporada 2006-2007. Fundación Defensores de la Naturaleza, Guatemala. Unpublished report to Ducks Unlimited. Wetlands International. 2006. Waterbird population estimates. 4th edition. Wetlands International, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
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.