Mexican South Pacific Coast mangroves | |
Map: | Ecoregion NT1422.png |
Map Size: | 300 |
Ecozone: | Neotropic |
Biome: | Mangroves |
Area: | 1295 |
Country: | Mexico |
Coordinates: | 15.9°N -97.1°W |
The Mexican South Pacific Coast mangroves ecoregion (WWF ID: NT1422) covers the mangrove sites along the coast of the Pacific Ocean coast of Mexico, across the states of Michoacán, Guerrero, and Oaxaca. These mangrove forests are mostly around lagoons, typically those fed by rivers from the interior in the Sierra Madre del Sur Mountains. The ecoregion is small: collectively, it covers only 1,295 km2.[1] [2] [3]
The ecoregion stretches across 1,000 km of the coast, primarily around the margins of river deltas and lagoons. Major mangrove sites are found at:
The climate of the ecoregion is Tropical savanna climate - dry winter (Köppen climate classification (Aw)). This climate is characterized by relatively even temperatures throughout the year, and a pronounced dry season. The driest month has less than 60 mm of precipitation, and is drier than the average month.[5] [6]
The characteristic trees species are red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle), white mangrove (Laguncularia racemosa), black mangrove (Avicennia germinans) and buttonwood (Conocarpus erectus). Aquatic plants in the lagoons include water hyacinth (Eichhornia).
Officially protected areas in the ecoregion include: