• A description of the marine-coastal ecosystems present at the NNP Uramba Bahia Malaga is hereafter offered, chiefly after the information the Proposal for the Territorial Organization of Bahia Malaga: An environmental offer, by the Fundacion Cenipacifico, 1998.

Estuary: formed mainly by the Bahia Malaga water bodies and their lagoon networkm which group the freshwater from the tropical wet forest. Along with the mangrove and the coral reef, this is one of the better producing ecosystems. It is especially diverse as fish varieties go, being also a transitory habitat for species migrating from the open sea to the estuary, for reproductive or trophic purposes, thus adding to the biodiversity of the area. The regional current dynamics explains the presence of hydrocarbon contaminants,m most likely originated at Buenaventura bay (Fundacion Cenipacifico, 1998 and 2001.)

Islands and islets: Scattered on the La Plata archipelago, located on the low littoral, feature muddy and mud-sandy beaches, and Curichiche island, Monos island, Los Morros and Palma island, of a cliff littoral nature (tertiary rock) feature mainly sandy beaches, save for Monos island. They are also highly populated by birds. The largest interventions take place on human-occupied islands on the La Plata archipelago (Fundacion Cenipacifico, 1998 and 2001.)

Mud-flats and estuary muddy bottom (Benthos): Scattered around the islands and islets of the La Plata and Pital archipelagos, they surround the northern and eastern Bahia Malaga lagoons, forming the estuary submerged soil. They also host many benthonic species (that live near to, or on a water body) and sediment traps and organic matter originating in the pelagic environment (water column), or from the mainland (leaves, animal waste, etc.) This makes the ecosystem a very rich one, supporting large fish communities such as the liza, or mollusks such as the Anadara tuberculosa, or black shell (Fundacion Cenipacifico, 1998 and 2001.)

Neritic pelagic zone: This is the water area including the waters nearest to the coast, yet external to Bahia Malaga. This is characteristically part of the migration route for the humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae. It is intervened by tourists travelling to the Pacific touristic locations, and by artisanal and industrial fishing.

Neritic benthonic zone: These are the marine bottoms close to the coast, yet external to the bay. Especially characteristic is its high particle sedimentation originating in the San Juan River delta or its mouth. Sedimented particles form a dynamic cycle with the platform bottom (Benthos) and constitute a source of nutrients for commercial fish species (such as the carduma). There is also an important amount of octocorallia on the benthos surrounding Palma island (Fundacion Cenipacifico, 1998 and 2001.)