Key Habitats
Mesoamerican Rainforest
After centuries of deforestation, five great forest areas remain in the region: the Maya Forest (Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize); the Moskitia (Nicaragua and Honduras); the Indio Maíz-Tortuguero (Nicaragua and Costa Rica); the Talamanca Region (Costa Rica and Panama); and the Darien (Panama and Colombia). However, these forests are not fully protected and continue to be encroached upon.
Pine-oak Forest
Found at the highest elevations of central America (2,000–5,900 ft) from Southern Mexico to Nicaragua, the pine-oak forests are crucial wintering sites for numerous North American bird species as well as Monarch Butterflies. Although more remote than the tropical forests that surround them, the pine-oak forests of Central America are not widely protected and are threatened in some locations by logging.
Gulf of Fonseca Mangroves
The mangrove forests of the Gulf of Fonseca serve as habitats for waterfowl, nurseries for many fish species, and barriers against coastal erosion. Habitat loss has been severe due to the explosion of aquaculture (particularly shrimp farming) along the Honduran and Nicaraguan coastline since the 1980s.
Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System
Also known as the Great Mayan Reef, this coral marine region stretches for over 700 miles from the coast of Mexico to Honduras. The reef system is home to over 500 species of fish, one of the world’s largest populations of manatee, and many endangered species such as the Hawksbill Turtle. The reef is increasingly under threat by invasive red lionfish, agricultural run-off, tourist damage, and ocean acidification.
Most Pressing Issues
Deforestation
Several centuries of logging, plantation agriculture, human settlement, and ranching have radically reduced the forests that once covered most of the Central American isthmus. Between 2001 and 2010, 5,376 square kilometres (2,076 sq mi) of forest were lost in the region. While portions of remaining forests are officially protected, limited government resources and economic opportunity threaten further deforestation.
Water Pollution
Central America is home to an abundance of fresh and saltwater habitats, including the Atlantic Ocean’s largest coral reef, estuarine mangrove forests, and hundreds of tropical rivers. Each of these unique biomes is under strain from human development and agricultural runoff; large mining operations and developments such as the Nicaraguan Canal threaten to contaminate or destroy freshwater systems.
Loss of Biodiversity
With only 0.5 percent of the world's land surface, Central America is home to more than 7 percent of the planet's biodiversity, largely held in its tropical rainforests. The last few centuries of extractive economic practices have destroyed habitats to the detriment of many species such as the Hawksbill Turtle, the Geoffroy’s spider monkey, and the Mesoamerican Jaguar.
Climate Change
Research has linked climate change with the increasingly unreliability of agricultural production in Central America, which in turn drives human emigration. It is forecast that some lucrative agricultural products such as coffee will eventually be unable to grow in the region due to increasing drought and more severe tropical storms. The Mesoamerican Reef is currently bleaching from warming temperatures and ocean acidification.
