Piura Mangroves
Location and description
The ecoregion covers the fan-shaped delta of the Piura River Delta, from the village of San Pedro in the north to the village of Mata Caballo in the south, a distance of about 20 km. The ecoregion reaches up-river to the local town of Sechura, and the mangroves are entirely surrounded inland by the Sechura Desert ecoregion. Much of the mangrove wooded areas are along the canals and lagoons behind the barrier beach. The terrain is low mudflats and coastal dunes around the mangroves.
Climate
The climate of the ecoregion is Hot desert climate (Köppen climate classification (BWh)). This climate features stable air and high pressure aloft, producing a hot, arid desert. Hot-month temperatures typically average 29–35 °C (84–95 °F).
Flora and fauna
The characteristic tree species in the ecoregion are black mangrove (Avicennia germinans) and white mangrove (Laguncularia racemosa). Coastal dunes support seashore saltgrass (Distichlis spicata) and saltbush (Cryptocarpus pyriformis).
In 2006, photographic record was made of the near-threatened Pampas cat (Leopardus pajeros) in the mangroves near San Pedro.