Location

The mangroves are found along the coast of Ecuador and cover an area of 400 square miles (1,000 km²). There are two sub-regions. The Cojimíes sub-region in Esmeraldas Province lies between the Muisne River to the north and the town of Pedernales to the south.^[1] It transitions into the Western Ecuador moist forests ecoregion to the east. It contains a section around Muisne that fringes the Ensenada de Mompiche, and further south a larger section of mangroves around the estuary of the Mache River on the border between Esmeraldas and Manabí provinces.^[2]

Further south, the Chone sub-region in Manabí Province lies between the town of Bahía de Caráquez and the Chone River to the north and the Portoviejo River to the south.^[1] The mangroves transition into the Ecuadorian dry forests ecoregion to the east. The sub-region includes a section of mangroves around the estuary of the Chone River, and further south a section that extends inland from the coast to the south of San Clemente along the floodplain of the Portoviejo River.^[2]

Terrain

Tide levels fluctuate widely. The soil is swampy and unstable, with complex woody structures. Landscapes include deltas, estuaries, lakes and carbonated platforms. Some areas have high sedimentation and therefore a low shoreline, low wave energy and less estuaries. The main rivers in the Cojimíes sub-region are the Muisne River, delivering 22 cubic metres per second (780 cu ft/s), and the Cojimíes River. The main river in the Chone sub-region is the Chone River, delivering 31 cubic metres per second (1,100 cu ft/s).^[1]

Climate

Rainfall averages 1,410 millimetres (56 in) per year in the Cojimíes sub-region, and 501 millimetres (19.7 in) per year in the Chone subregion. The region is strongly influenced by the cold, dry Humboldt Current from the south meeting the warm El Niño currents in the Intertropical Convergence Zone. The result is a climate where temperatures fluctuate considerably and occasionally fall below freezing.^[1]

Flora

The mangroves grow in border, strip and coastal formations. There are relatively few species of flora. In the wetter zones where there is low sedimentation the main species are black mangrove (Avicennia germinans), red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) and mangle caballero (Rhizophora harrisonii). Further inland other species include the button mangrove (Conocarpus erectus), white mangrove (Laguncularia racemosa) and tea mangrove (Pelliciera rhizophorae). The mangroves also host red algae and epiphytes such as Orchidaceaes, Bromeliaceae, Cactus and mosses.^[1] The tea mangrove (Pelliciera rhizophorae) is endemic to the Chone sub-region.^[1]

Fauna

The mangroves do not have high levels of endemism, but in any given area have many different species. They are habitats for mammals, birds, reptiles, mollusks, crustaceans and fish. The mangrove detritus is converted to protein by microscopic organisms, by worms such as nematodes, polychaetes and oligochaeta, and by amphipoda, bivalvia and gastropoda. Fish and shrimp migrate through the mangroves during their reproductive cycles. Fish that feed on organic detritus in turn provide food to larger land and water carnivores. There are many fish of the genus Mugil and many crustaceans of the family Penaeidae.^[1]

Mammals and birds move between the mangroves and the terra firme, and from one patch of mangroves to another along the coast. Mammals include crab-eating raccoon (Procyon cancrivorus), jaguar (Panthera onca), mantled howler (Alouatta palliata) and white-headed capuchin (Cebus capucinus). Reptiles include the green iguana (Iguana iguana). There are 42 birds species including Columbina dove species, brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) and magnificent frigatebird (Fregata magnificens). The mangrove finch (Camarhynchus heliobates) is seriously endangered.^[1]