Current view: Text account
Site description (2003 baseline):
Site location and context
The Majé Hydrological Reserve includes the watershed of the Majé River, one of the most important tributaries of Lake Bayano. The reserve is contained within the Serranía de Majé, an isolated mountain range on the Pacific slope. The high point (1,074 m) is located on the divide of the range in the southeast corner of the reserve.
The globally threatened Great Green Macaw occurs in the area, and the globally near-threatened Harpy and Crested Eagle, Great Curassow, Russet-crowned Quail-Dove, and Black-billed Flycatcher probably also occur, as well as many nationally threatened species. Such favored game species as Crested Guan and Great Curassow are fairly common in the more remote parts of the range. Several Darién Lowlands and Darién Highlands endemics are expected to occur by range, although specific records of most are lacking.
Non-bird biodiversity: There are no published reports on the fauna. Mammals probably include Water Opossum, Central American Woolly Opossum, Silky Anteater, Northern Naked-tailed Armadillo, Geoffroy’s Tamarin, Western Night Monkey, Capybara, Crab-eating Raccoon, Neotropical River Otter, Ocelot, Margay, Jaguarundi, Puma, and Jaguar. Many of the reptiles and amphibians recorded from the Narganá Wildlands Area and Darién National Park may occur.
The reserve contains lowland semideciduous, lowland evergreen, and submontane forest. The area is inhabited mostly by Emberá-Wounaan. Local land use outside the reserve includes subsistence agriculture and cattle.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The Serranía de Majé region is threatened by deforestation from uncontrolled colonization. Because of its economic importance for water management there is an incentive to preserve the forest of the area.
Conservation responses/actions for key biodiversity
None known.
The Majé Hydrological Reserve was created in 1996 to protect one of the most critical watersheds of the Lake Bayano basin. Protection of the area is partly the responsibility of the corporation that manages the Bayano hydroelectric facility.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Majé Hydrological Reserve (Panama). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/majé-hydrological-reserve-iba-panama on 18/12/2024.
