Central American dry forests

Central American dry forests
Valley in La Tigra National Park
Ecoregion territory (in purple)
Ecology
Realm	Neotropical
Biome	tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests
Geography
Area	68,100 km2 (26,300 sq mi)
Countries	List Mexico (Chiapas) Guatemala El Salvador Honduras Nicaragua Costa Rica
Conservation
Conservation status	Critical / Endangered

The Central American dry forests ecoregion, of the tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests biome, is located in Central America.

Description

The ecoregion covers a total area of approximately 68,100 km² and consists of scattered patches of dry forests distributed throughout Central America, from southern Chiapas in southeastern Mexico, through Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua, to the northeast of Costa Rica.

Conservation

Much of the ecoregion has been cleared and converted into pastures for cattle grazing, which is the main cause of its destruction. It is ranked Critical/Endangered by the World Wildlife Fund.

See also

• List of ecoregions in Mexico
• List of ecoregions in Guatemala
• Ecoregions of Central America
• ecoregions of the Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests biome

References

• World Wildlife Fund, ed. (2001). "Central American dry forests". WildWorld Ecoregion Profile. National Geographic Society. Archived from the original on 2010-03-08.