Southern Dry Pacific Coast mangroves
The Southern Dry Pacific Coast mangroves ecoregion covers a series of mangrove forests along the Pacific Ocean coast of Nicaragua and Costa Rica, from the southern margin of the Gulf of Fonseca to the Gulf of Nicoya near the border with Panama. Because the area is drier than the mangroves further south, evapotranspiration leaves some areas with higher salinity and even salt pans in the internal areas.
Location and description
At the northwestern endo of the Nicaragua coastline is an estuary around the village of Padre Ramos, just outside the Gulf of Fonseca. This site is one of two nesting areas in the eastern Pacific for the hawksbill sea turtle. 92 km2 of the area is now in a protected in the Estero Padre Ramos Natural Reserve. The next mangrove area to the east begins at the Aserradores Estuary and extends through the bay at Corinto, then through Las Peñitas for a total of over 60 km of coastline. Immediately to the east is the estuary at Puerto Sandino, with some smaller river estuaries further towards the Costa Rica border. The ecoregion inland from all of these mangrove forests is the Central American dry forests ecoregion.Climate
The climate of the ecoregion is Tropical savanna climate - dry winter. This climate is characterized by relatively even temperatures throughout the year, and a pronounced dry season. The driest month has less than 60 mm of precipitation, and is drier than the average month. Precipitation ranges from 1,300 mm/year in Nicaragua in Costa Rica. There is a relatively dry season from December to April.Flora and fauna
Characteristic tree species of the area are typical of mangroves: red mangrove, Rhizophora harrisonii, Rhizophora racemosa, black mangrove, Avicennia bicolor, white mangrove, tea mangrove and, in drier areas, button mangrove. The Rhizopora species tend to occur near the sea, and the Avicennia species along the inland margin.The area is an important for wintering and nesting birds. Mangrove-associated bird species include the Panama flycatcher, the Eurasian whimbrel, the yellow-crowned night heron, the black-crowned night heron, the scaly-breasted hummingbird, the grey plover, the prothonotary warbler, the northern waterthrush, the northern scrub-flycatcher, the mangrove swallow, and the greater yellowlegs. Mammals of conservation interest include: vulnerable mantled howler monkey, spectacled caiman, and the spectral bat.