Rapid ecological assessment of the El Balsamar natural area in the municipalities of cuisnahuat and san julián, sonsonate

Abstract

Currently, the El Balsamar Natural Area (in the declaration process) does not have a management plan or a recent diagnosis that allows determining the current state of the area's biological communities. For this reason, through a Rapid Ecological Assessment (REA), the current state of amphibian and reptile species was analyzed; Birds; Mammals and plant strata. The results provided biological information of great importance, updated and that can be used as a technical-scientific input that gives greater weight and biological support to the process of declaring a Protected Natural Area by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN). The registration and gathering of information in the field was done with methodologies specific to each taxon or biological group. A sampling effort was carried out that included three field trips, during the months of September and October of this year. Each trip included two nights and three days for a total of 9 days of field work. 19 species and 18 families of amphibians and reptiles were identified, two reptiles and one amphibian in the Threat category; 56 species of birds within 26 families, which represented 10.10% of the species registered in the country, two species of birds in the category of Threatened and one Endangered. In addition, 14 species of terrestrial mammals and 8 species of bats, belonging to 12 families; 25 species of trees with a timber volume of 1138.67 m3, 28 shrubs and 87 herbaceous species.