Northern Atlantic coast, Costa Rica Photograph by Pam Cubberly   Central America: Atlantic coast of northern Costa Rica and southern Nicaragua Mangroves   200 square miles (500 square kilometers) -- about thrice the size of Washington DC Critical/Endangered

· Mangrove Mosaic
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
More Photos

Mangrove Mosaic

Gnarled mangrove trees twist along the shores of estuarine lagoons and river mouths of this region, forming sparse patches of long, leaf-covered branches. This ecoregion has among the highest rates of rainfall in the world, almost 20 feet (6 m) per year at the Costa Rican border. While some plants cannot survive in high levels of saline, mangroves rely upon salt to thrive. In this region, freshwater palm species grow next to mangroves, and the mangrove communities are just one tile in a mosaic of other habitats, including mixed rain forests, wooded swamps, coastal wetlands, estuarine lagoons, sandy beaches, sea grasses, and coral reefs.

Special Features

Periodic hurricanes keep the mangroves of this region relatively young and small in stature. Though hurricanes can result in a die-off of all mangroves, such as when Hurricane Joan raged across this region in 1988, the trees manage to regenerate and perform one of their most important duties--trapping sediment that would otherwise erode from the shoreline and cloud the water. One of the world’s most extensive sea grass beds sways in the gentle current at the base of the trees, helping to maintain the mangrove ecosystem by cycling nutrients, keeping sediment intact, and providing habitat for several species. The offshore coral reefs could not grow if not for the clear water filtered by the mangroves. In turn, these coral reefs protect the seagrasses and mangroves by forming a barrier against strong waves.

	The tropical gar, one of the many fish found in this region, is considered a living fossil because it has remained virtually unchanged for millions of years.

Wild Side

An endangered green sea turtle weaves through the rippling seagrasses as it finishes her lunch of turtle grass and swims to a nearby beach to lay her eggs beneath the sand. Another endangered animal, the Baird’s tapir, stands in the shallow tidal waters, using its long, prehensile snout to reach for aquatic freshwater plants. In the canopy of red mangrove trees, a great green macaw stretches its wings and reveals a watercolor of lime, aqua, indigo, and scarlet feathers. A group of white-faced capuchin monkeys bounds through the branches of a piñuela mangrove--a rare tree in this region--searching for their preferred fruits.

Cause for Concern

Pollutants from banana plantations drain into the rivers of this region and flow through the fragile ecosystems, causing severe damage to vegetation and trees. The construction of dams redirects water flows, while urbanization and unplanned settlements encroach on these habitats. Illegal hunting, sewage contamination, mining of gold on the Nicaraguan border, and plans for another canal between the Caribbean and the Pacific pose further threats to the region. Also, shifts in the global climate appear to have brought an increase in tropical storms and hurricanes.

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