Satellite view of the mangroves near Usulután, El Salvador Photograph by USGS   Central America: El Salvador into Guatemala Mangroves   400 square miles (1,100 square kilometers) -- about half the size of Rhode Island Critical/Endangered

· Mangroves and Marshes
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Mangroves and Marshes

A visit to this ecoregion would require sturdy, waterproof shoes. Coastal habitats are varied, including mangroves, salt marshes, sand and gravel beaches, tidal flats, rocky platforms, reefs, rock cliffs, and islands. Wildlife is everywhere, from parrots in the skies to dolphins off the coast.

Special Features

Although mangroves and tidal flats dominate the shoreline and lagoons of this ecoregion, salt marshes are more common inland, where less flooding occurs. Several large and small estuaries can be found in this ecoregion. The climate is seasonal, with a dry season from November to April and a rainy season from May to October. Coastal areas receive about 67 inches (1,700 mm) of rain a year.

	Bottlenose dolphins travel in long-term groups known as pods. Sometimes, pods will temporarily join together to form a herd. Several hundred dolphins have been spotted in a herd at a single time.

Wild Side

No less than 200 species of birds, reptiles, and mammals can be found in the coastal areas and estuaries of this ecoregion year round, with many additional seasonal visitors. Mangroves in particular provide protected roosting and nesting sites for many waterbirds and parrot species, including the highly endangered white-fronted and yellow-naped parrots. Reddish egrets, little blue herons, great blue herons, sanderlings, sandpipers, and Wilson’s plovers can all be seen here as well. Mangroves are also important to freshwater fish and shrimp that migrate down to the mangroves in early larval stages, such as the mountain mullet and Macobrachium shrimp. These are important species to watch because they provide an indicator of overall watershed health. Land mammals tend to be small, including raccoons and lesser bulldog bats. But the offshore waters support a variety of mammals and reptiles, including bottlenose and spotted dolphins, whales, Pacific green turtles, and leatherback turtles.

Cause for Concern

Shrimp harvesting, agriculture, and fishing are some of the activities that are most destructive to this ecosystem. Deforestation, overgrazing, soil erosion, and the runoff of sediments, fertilizers, pesticides, and animal wastes have become problems as well.

For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report.