Satellite view of the mangroves in Bahía de Sechura Photograph by USGS   Western South America: Northwestern coast of Peru Mangroves   50 square miles (100 square kilometers) -- about the size of Washington DC Vulnerable

· Hidden in the Fog
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Hidden in the Fog

The climate here is so dry that the ecoregion counts fog as a main source of precipitation. When the fog clears, you can see a shoreline of mangroves, which are full of waterbirds.

Special Features

This is the southernmost limit of Pacific coastal mangroves, occurring in the vicinity of Bahía de Sechura in northern Peru, around river mouths and along the Pacific coast. This ecoregion is almost entirely surrounded by the Sechura Desert. Because they are embedded in a desert landscape, these mangroves are an important refuge for many species, offering shade and potential meals in an otherwise barren landscape.

	Fathers have an important role to play in the lives of young Chilean flamingoes. Fathers are the primary caregivers for the young birds, although both parents incubate the single egg laid with each clutch.

Wild Side

The birds found along the shore include frigate birds, white herons, Chilean flamingos, white-winged guans, superciliated wrens, great egrets, black-crowned night herons, common stilts, and common gallinules. Many sea birds rest here temporarily before returning offshore. Occasionally, a Sechura fox, endemic to the Sechura Desert, can be found here looking for crabs and other food. Because these mangroves aren’t adjacent to any true forests, there are fewer mammals here than in moister regions. For example, no primates can be found here. The area is important for the population of the vulnerable American crocodile, which is endangered in Peru.

Cause for Concern

The main threats to this ecoregion include pollution from nearby towns, shrimp extraction, and fisheries. Because of the extreme dryness of the Sechura Desert, few villages and towns exist here, but those that do rely almost completely on the sea for survival. Mangroves are one of the few abundant woody plants in the area for construction materials. But Bahía de Sechura offers protection to the mangroves, and the mangroves in turn protect the coastline from erosion.

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