Cerro El Amay (Guatemala) IBA | Text | BirdLife International

GT006

Cerro El Amay

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Site description (2008 baseline):

Site location and context

Cerro El Amay is located in the Atlantic slope mountain range of Guatemala. The site includes large fragments of cloud forest and ranges in elevation from 300 to 2600 m.

Key biodiversity

Cerro Amay supports populations of two globally threatened species, Highland and Horned Guan (Penelopina nigra and Oreophasis derbinaus) (Eisermann et al. 2006, Tenez 2006; D. Unger, pers. comm.). The site is important to 17 biome-restricted species of the Madrean Highlands. It is expected to be important for a large number of species restricted to the Central American Highlands, but because of data deficiency the site does currently not apply under criterion A2. Recent ornithological information is limited to an ecological rapid assessments (Valle et al. 2005, Tenez 2006).

Habitat and land use

Humid broadleaf and mixed forests cover 58% of this IBA. Deforested area (42%) is used for agriculture, mainly corn fields (17% of the IBA), cardamom (14%) and coffee plantations (1%). Secondary growth scrub covers 10% of the IBA (MAGA 2006).

Pressure/threats to key biodiversity

Slash-and-burn agriculture is common in the area, threatening the forest by fires and conversion to agricultural land (Maas 2000, Valle et al. 2005).

Protected areas

Currently, two private nature reserves protect 10% of this IBA (CONAP 2007).

Land ownership

Private and communal.

Acknowledgements

Input of unpublished data and suggestions for the delimitation of the IBA was provided during a workshop in Cobán, in August 2006, by representatives of Consejo Nacional de Areas Protegidas (CONAP) - Las Verapaces, Asociación de Proyectos Evaluados Raxmu (PROEVAL RAXMU), Peace Corps, Cooperativa Sanimtaca, Cooperativa Samac, and Comité Central Menotita. This first assessment of IBAs in Guatemala was conducted by Sociedad Guatemalteca de Ornitología and BirdLife International in the Americas.

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Cerro El Amay (Guatemala). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/cerro-el-amay-iba-guatemala on 23/12/2024.