Satellite view of the Miskito pine forests in Hunduras and Nicaragua Photograph by USGS   Central America: On the Caribbean coast of Honduras and Nicaragua Tropical and Subtropical Coniferous Forests   7,300 square miles (18,900 square kilometers) -- about the size of New Jersey Vulnerable

· Location and General Description
· Biodiversity Features
· Current Status
· Threats
· Ecoregion Justification
· References
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These coastal pine forests of the Caribbean coast and lowlands of Honduras and Nicaragua contrasts sharply with the surrounding tropical moist forest, which is far richer and composed exclusively of broad-leafed species. Due to the combination of poor soil and frequent burning, the ecoregion is dominated by a single species of Pine, Pinus carribaea. Undoubtedly, fire has always been a major disturbance factor that maintains the openness of the savanna.

Location and General Description

Biodiversity Features

Current Status

Types and Severity of Threats

Justification of Ecoregion Delineation

These lowland pine forests of the Caribbean slopes of Nicaragua and Honduras occur in fragmented patches along the coast between the moist and mangrove forests. These forests are distinguishable from surrounding broadleaf forests by the dominant plant genus, Pinus, and the ecoregion hosts unique species assemblages (Campbell & Lamar 1989) and a distinct microclimate. The classification and linework for this ecoregion follows Sutton (1988) in Nicaragua and Brown et al. (1998) in Honduras.

References

Sutton, S.Y. 1988. Nicaragua. Pages 301-303 in D.G. Campbell, and H.D. Hammond, editors. Floristic inventory of tropical countries. New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York, USA.

Campbell, J.A., and W.W. Lamar. 1989. The venomous reptiles of Latin America. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York, USA.

Brown, D.E., F. Reichenbacher, and S.E. Franson. 1998. A classification of North American biotic communities. University of Utah Press, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. 141 pp.

For more general information on this ecoregion, go to the WildWorld version of this description.