Overview
- Researchers identify the Five Great Forests of Mesoamerica—Selva Maya, Moskitia, Indio Maíz–Tortuguero, La Amistad, and El Darién—covering more than 10 million hectares.
- Using millions of 2022 eBird records, the team reports that more than half of 314 migratory species used these forests, with 10% to 46% of populations for 40 focal species concentrated there.
- Examples include about one-third of Kentucky warblers and roughly a quarter of wood thrushes and golden-winged warblers, while around 40% of cerulean warblers pass through during migration.
- Selva Maya and Moskitia have lost roughly a quarter of their area over the past 15 years, with illegal cattle ranching and fire cited as leading drivers and some loss linked to organized crime.
- The authors describe these areas as sister landscapes to eastern U.S. and Canadian breeding forests and call for cross-border support for local and Indigenous-led conservation and restoration.