Satellite view of the Guayaquil flooded grasslands (partially hidden by clouds), Ecuador Photograph by USGS   Western South America: Western Ecuador Flooded Grasslands and Savannas   1,100 square miles (2,900 square kilometers) -- about the size of Rhode Island Critical/Endangered

· Location and General Description
· Biodiversity Features
· Current Status
· Threats
· Ecoregion Justification
· References
More Photos

The Guayaquil flooded grasslands represent one of the most important and complex coastal environments in Ecuador. These grasslands are located in the Guayas River Basin in Ecuador. This ecoregion is threatened by the steady increase of human population and large agricultural irrigation programs.

Location and General Description

Biodiversity Features

Current Status

Types and Severity of Threats

Justification of Ecoregion Delineation

These seasonally innundated grasslands occur east of the city of Guuayaquil, in western coastal Ecuador. In its southern extent, this ecoregion forms a gradual transition to mangrove as tidal influence increases near the Gulf of Guayaquil. Linework for this ecoregion follows the UNESCO (1980) classification of “tropical tall flooded grasslands” which occur in this watershed.

References

UNESCO. 1980. Vegetation map of South America. Map 1:5,000,000. Institut de la Carte Internationale de Tapis Vegetal. Toulouse, France

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