Evaluation of the mangrove system in the estero "Arroyo los Coamiles" (Punta de Mita, Nayarit, Mexico)

Abstract

In March 2019, the current state of the mangrove structure in the Arroyo los Coamiles estuary (Punta Mita Bay, Nayarit) was evaluated. The method of circular plots centered on a point was used (Cottam and Curtis, 1956). The mangrove structure is made up of the species Laguncularia racemosa, Avicennia germinans, Conocarpus erectus and Rhizophora mangle. The greatest forest development is found in the second third of the estuary with a bordercontinental structure. The average height of the mangroves was 6.17 m, (SD 7.35 m), the diameter at breast height was 19.21 cm and the total basal area was 57.36 m2 . The data are associated with young trees in a good state of development and conservation. The C / N ratio was determined as an index of the quality of the soil organic substrate, the values ranged between 3.74 and 14.91 and the percentage of organic matter was from 1.45 to 8.04. The fragility of the soils reinforce the proposal to take care of the natural drainage of the property. Mangroves have been impacted by tourist developments around the world, the environmental and economic benefits that these ecosystems provide are ignored by inhabitants and authorities, which allow their destruction.