Laguna de Cube. 02/02/02; Esmeraldas; 113 ha; 00°24'N 079°39' W. Ecological Reserve. A permanent lake at the southeastern edge of the Mache-Chindul mountains in the Chaco biogeographical region, characterized by a lacustrine ecosystem consisting of permanent body of water and an extensive surface of marsh and flood areas. It is the country's only inland wetland in the coastal mountains, at 350m altitude, and supports a singular biotic community characteristic of both the Chaco and the Andes. The site is located in a large dale surrounded by hills of natural and seminatural landscape, with open, lightly wooded fields in the lower parts and more and less dense woodlands higher up. Small areas of subsistence pasturage and agriculture are found around the lake. Some 23 species of mammals, 40 of birds, and 11 of reptiles are found there, and three of its vertebrate species are found in the CITES Appendix II. An important group of settlements along the shores have taken the decision to manage the wetland in such a way as to ensure its conservation, and the lake is part of the Ecological Reserve Mache-Chindul. The Fundación Natura and the Ministry of Environment have compiled the technical datasheets for the site designation with the support of the WWF Living Waters Programme, as with the management plan. Ramsar site no. 1143. Most recent RIS information: 2002.