Central American Atlantic Moist Forests

The Central American Atlantic moist forests ecoregion is found along the Caribbean coastal lowlands of Honduras, west into Guatemala and south into eastern Nicaragua. The ecoregion contains Central America's most significant single fragment of natural forest.

The ecoregion stretches for 700 km (435 mi) from the valley of Lake Izabal in southeastern Guatemala, across the northern coast of Honduras, in a 50 km (30 mi) wide strip, and south across most of the eastern half of Nicaragua. The total area of the ecoregion is 89,979 sq km (34,741 sq mi).

This ecoregion is characterized by a relatively flat landscape with foothills in the western sector. Elevation ranges from sea level to 1,000 m (3,280 ft).

The ecoregion's climate is classified as a Tropical monsoon climate, characterized by relatively even temperatures throughout the year and a pronounced dry season. The annual rainfall reaches 5,000 mm (196 in) in Guatemala forests, 2,000 mm (78 in) in Honduras, and ranges from 2,750 - 6,000 mm (108 - 236 in) in Nicaragua.

Flora and Fauna

Approximately half of the ecoregion is a closed-canopy tropical broadleaf evergreen forest, with a significant portion converted to agricultural use. The remainder is open canopy evergreen forests or herbaceous wetlands.

Common tree species at low elevations include gumbo-limbo, crabwood, Spanish cedar, kapok, elm, mahogany, and Terminalia amazonia.

At higher elevations, mameyito, Brazilian fire tree, and various epiphytes (plants growing on other plants) can be found.

Elfin forest occurs at the highest altitudes. It includes shorter flora like Clusia salvinii, Magnolia sororum and hot lips (named for its distinctive red leaf shape)

The Central American Atlantic Moist Forests are rich in biodiversity, although endemism rates are low. An exception is the birds, as these forests are considered an Endemic Bird Area.

Some of the restricted-range birds found in this region are also found in the northern section of the Isthmian-Atlantic Moist Forests ecoregion. For example, the snowy cotinga, streak-crowned antvireo, and grey-headed piprites are range-restricted species found in the northern part of the ecoregion.

Wide-ranging mammals common to the area include oncilla, olingos, margay, Geoffrey's spider monkey, capuchin, mantled howler monkey, and giant anteater.

Protection Status

Although some large blocks of intact habitat still exist, few areas are under formal protection. For example, Chocon-Machacas was created in Guatemala to protect the manatee populations in Rio Dulce.

The largest natural forest in Honduras and the ecoregion is in the Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve. In addition, Pico Bonito National Park in Honduras contains pine-oak and moist forests.

_{Map illustrating the extent of the Central American Atlantic moist forests (in purple)}