- Panama Bight
The Panama Bight is a
marine ecoregion on the Pacific coast of theAmericas .The Panama Bight extends eastwards from the
Azuero Peninsula inPanama along the coast of theGulf of Panama andArchipelago de las Perlas . It continues south along the entire Pacific coast ofColombia to the coast of northernEcuador . TheNicoya marine ecoregion bounds it on the north, and theGuayaquil marine ecoregion bounds it on the south.The Panama Bight ecoregion is home to rich coral beds in the near shore waters. While coral diversity is lower here than in the Caribbean Sea on the other side of Panama, the coral cover tends to be higher. In fact, the density of coral coverage here-90 percent coverage is common-is rarely seen in the Caribbean. In addition to the coral beds, enclaves of
Panama Bight mangroves can be found in the tidal zone.Threats
El Niño climate events have warmed the water of this ecoregion, which has led to bleached and killed coral. Outbreaks of thecrown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci) have also reduced coral populations. Siltation from soil erosion has destroyed many coral areas. Additionally threats include deforestation on shore and destruction of the reefs due to fishing, as well as damage from domestic pollution, dam construction, mining, oil shipping, and pesticides.The Panama Bight ecoregion is one of the
World Wildlife Fund 'sGlobal 200 priority ecoregions for conservation.External links
* [http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/where_we_work/ecoregions/panama_bight.cfm Panama Bight (WWF)]
* [http://www.nationalgeographic.com/wildworld/profiles/g200/g213.html Panama Bight (National Geographic)]
* [http://www.nationalgeographic.com/wildworld/global.html?id=0&mapServiceName=WW_G200&locWidth=120&locHeight=72&cMinx=-82.349846&cMiny=-2.20349299999999&cMaxx=-77.00251&cMaxy=9.03043700000001&size=small&detail=detailed Panama Bight map (National Geographic)]References
* Spalding, Mark D., Helen E. Fox, Gerald R. Allen, Nick Davidson "et al." "Marine Ecoregions of the World: A Bioregionalization of Coastal and Shelf Areas". "Bioscience" Vol. 57 No. 7, July/August 2007, pp. 573-583. [http://www.worldwildlife.org/MEOW/pdfs/meow_biosci.pdf]
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