Nicaragua's Caribbean forests three years after Hurricane Joan

Abstract

The Escondido and Kucra rivers divide a large plain. This plain is partially derived from the erosion of Tertiary volcanism in the Chontales-Boaco region, and is interspersed with more recent (but still pre-Pleistocene) volcanic activity. The hills around Bluefields constitute a conglomerate of old volcanoes, and form an island that limits the drainage between the Escondido and Kucra rivers. This portion of land is a natural seawall and, consequently, creates a huge swamp around the periphery (north, west and south) of Bluefields. Being a plain, it contains a large number of waterways, rivers, lagoons, marshes, etcetera. These waterways are the main means of transportation in the area. The plant communities are determined, to a large extent, by the degree of humidity and by the characteristics of the slopes that remain in the volcanic regions. There are basically four forms of terrestrial vegetation: swamps, savannas, terra firme forests and agroecosystems.