Colombia has a relatively large area of mangroves with 70-80 percent of the total area located along the Pacific coast and 20-30 percent along the Caribbean coast. Eight protected areas contain mangroves. These forests are made up of nine species: Avicennia germinans, Conocarpus erectus, Laguncularia racemosa, Pelliciera rhizophoreae, Rhizophora mangle (present on both Pacific and Caribbean coasts), Avicennia bicolor, Mora oleifera, Rhizophora harrisonii and Rhizophora racemosa (present only on the Pacific coast). P. rhizophoreae, is present on the Caribbean coast in the Urabá antioqueño, in the Bahia de Cispatá, in the eastearn zone of Bahía de Barbacoas and in the mangrove forest of Ciénaga de Pablo y Honda. Avicennia germinans and Rhizophora mangle are the most common species. On the Pacific coast, the Rhizophora sp. prevail, while Conocarpus erectus is present as small enclaves and as isolated individuals.
FAO, UNEP. 1981. Los Recursos Forestales de la America Tropical. Proyecto de Evaluación de los Recursos Forestales Tropicales (en el marco de SINUVIMA). FAO, UNEP, Rome, 349 pp.
Lacerda, L.D. 1993. Conservation and sustainable utilization of mangrove forests in Latin America and Africa regions. Vol. 2 Part I- Latin America. Mangrove Ecosystems technical reports ITTO/ISME Project PD114/90 (F). Okinawa, Japan. 272 pp.
Year |
Area |
Source |
Trend |
Methodology/Comments |
1966 |
501 300 |
IGAC. 1966. Mapa general de Bosque. |
X |
Cited in: Arturo Delgado F. and Dario , R. Vallejo. 1977. El potencial forestal de Colombia. CONIF. Serie tecnica n. 2. |
1980 |
440 000 |
FAO, UNEP. 1981. Los Recursos Forestales de la America Tropical. Proyecto de Evaluación de los Recursos Forestales Tropicales (en el marco de SINUVIMA). FAO, UNEP, Rome, 349 pp. |
X |
Estimation and updating based on several sources of information, and on the deforestation rate of the country. |
1982 |
357 750 |
IGAC, INDERENA, CONIF. 1984. Bosques de Colombia, memoria explicative. Instituto Geografico "Agustin Codazzi". |
Remote sensing. | |
1984 |
358 000 |
INDERENA/IGAC/CONIF. 1984. Mapa de bosques de Colombia. Mem. Exp. y mapas. Ministerio de Agricultura, Comite Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Bogotá, D.E., 206 pp. |
Cited in: Alvarez-León, R. 1993. Mangrove ecosystems of Colombia. In: Lacerda, L.D. 1993. Conservation and sustainable utilization of mangrove forests in Latin America and Africa regions. Vol. 2 Part I- Latin America. p. 75-114. Mangrove Ecosystems technical reports ITTO/ISME Project PD114/90 (F). Okinawa, Japan. 272 pp. Probably a rounded figure from the remote sensing study above. | |
1985 |
497 500 |
Spalding, M.D., Blasco, F. and Field, C.D. , eds. 1997. World Mangrove Atlas. The International Society for Mangrove Ecosystems, Okinawa, Japan. 178 pp. |
Map analysis. Scale 1:1 500 000. | |
1986 |
307 000 |
FAO. 1986. Sintesis de siete seminarios nacionales en América Latina. Rollet, B (ed). FAO, Rome. 105 pp. |
Secondary reference, no primary source provided. The "Year" is the publication year. | |
1987 |
396 300 |
Winograd, M. 1987. Mangroves de Colombie: Particularities biologiques et economiques. Gaussenia 3:11-43. |
X |
Cited in: Alvarez-León, R. 1993. Mangrove ecosystems of Colombia. In: Lacerda, L.D. 1993. Conservation and sustainable utilization of mangrove forests in Latin America and Africa regions. Vol. 2 Part I- Latin America. p. 75-114. Mangrove Ecosystems technical reports ITTO/ISME Project PD114/90 (F). Okinawa, Japan. 272 pp. The "Year" is the publication year. |
1991 |
365 900 |
INDERENA. 1991. Diagnóstico exploratorio de los manglares de Colombia. Inst. De Recursos Naturales y Ambiente. Superintendencia de Bosques y Agua, Santa Fé de Bogotá D.C., 43 pp. |
Cited in: Alvarez-León, R. 1993. Mangrove ecosystems of Colombia. In: Lacerda, L.D. 1993. Conservation and sustainable utilization of mangrove forests in Latin America and Africa regions. Vol. 2 Part I- Latin America. p. 75-114. Mangrove Ecosystems technical reports ITTO/ISME Project PD114/90 (F). Okinawa, Japan. 272 pp. No information on methodology, the “year” is the publication year. | |
1996 |
348 560 |
Posada Delgado, F.H., Barbosa Castillo, C.E., Gutiérrez Rey, H.J. and D.Y., Diaz. 1997. Coberturas vegetales, uso y ocupación del espacio de Colombia (escala 1:500 000). www.ideam.gov.co/atlas/mecosis.htm |
Remote sensing. | |
1996 |
379 954 |
Sánchez, H. 2000. Working With Mangroves http://www.itto.or.jp/newsletter/v9n2/7.html |
X |
Based on INTERA radar images taken in 1992 and traditional aerial photographs. The Caribbean coast estimate is based on 1991 and 1996 Lansat TM satellite images and aerial photographs. |
2000 |
360 000 |
Aizpuru, M., Achard, F., and Blasco, F. 2000. Global Assessment of Cover Change of the Mangrove Forests using satellite imagery at medium to high resolution. In EEC Research project n 15017-1999-05 FIED ISP FR – Joint Research center, Ispra. |
Secondary reference, no primary source provided. The "Year" is the publication year. |
