The Bolivian Yungas is a

tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forest Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests (TSMF), also known as tropical moist forest, is a subtropical and tropical forest habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. Description TSMF is generally found in large, discont ...

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of ...

in the

Yungas The Yungas ( Aymara ''yunka'' warm or temperate Andes or earth, Quechua ''yunka'' warm area on the slopes of the Andes) is a bioregion of a narrow band of forest along the eastern slope of the Andes Mountains from Peru and Bolivia, and extends int ...

of central Bolivia.

Setting

The ecoregion occurs in elevations ranging from on the eastern slopes of the

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

in Bolivia, extending into a small portion of southeastern Peru. It forms a transition zone between the

Southwest Amazon moist forests The Southwest Amazon moist forests (NT0166) is an ecoregion located in the Upper Amazon basin. The forest is characterized by a relatively flat landscape with alluvial plains dissected by undulating hills or high terraces. The biota of the so ...

to the northeast and the

Central Andean puna The Central Andean puna is a montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregion in the Andes of southern Peru, Bolivia, and northern Argentina. Setting The landscape in this ecoregion consists of high mountains with permanent snow and ice, meadows, lak ...

and wet puna to the southwest.

Climate

The climate in this ecoregion varies from

tropical rainforest Tropical rainforests are rainforests that occur in areas of tropical rainforest climate in which there is no dry season – all months have an average precipitation of at least 60 mm – and may also be referred to as ''lowland equa ...

to tropical monsoon. Fog and rain deposited by northern trade winds contribute to the high humidity and precipitation of the Yungas.

Flora

Epiphytes are abundant and include bromeliads,

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowerin ...

s, and tree-ferns (''

Cyathea ''Cyathea'' is a genus of tree ferns, the type genus of the fern order Cyatheales. The genus name ''Cyathea'' is derived from the Greek ''kyatheion'', meaning "little cup", and refers to the cup-shaped sori on the underside of the fronds. De ...

''). '' Chusquea'' bamboo is an indicator species of the ecoregion.

Fauna

Mammals found in this ecoregion include the spectacled bear (''Tremarctos ornatus''),

Geoffroy's cat Geoffroy's cat (''Leopardus geoffroyi'') is a small wild cat native to the southern and central regions of South America. It is about the size of a domestic cat. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List because it is widespread and abun ...

(''Leopardus geoffroyi''),

lowland tapir The South American tapir (''Tapirus terrestris''), also commonly called the Brazilian tapir (from the Tupi ''tapi'ira''), the Amazonian tapir, the maned tapir, the lowland tapir, the ''anta'' (Portuguese), and ''la sachavaca'' (literally "bushco ...

(''Tapirus terrestris''), jaguar (''Panthera onca''), jaguarundi (''Herpailurus yagouaroundi''), pacarana (''Dinomys branickii''), and dwarf brocket deer (''Mazama chunyi''). Interesting bird species include the diademed tapaculo (''Scytalopus schulenbergi''),

green-capped tanager The green-capped tanager (''Stilpnia meyerdeschauenseei'') is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is endemic to forest edge and gardens at altitudes of 1450–2200 m. in Puno, Peru, and La Paz, Bolivia. It is fairly common and p ...

(''Stilpnia meyerdeschauenseei''),

Andean cock-of-the-rock The Andean cock-of-the-rock (''Rupicola peruvianus''), also known as ''tunki'' (Quechua), is a large passerine bird of the cotinga family native to Andean cloud forests in South America. It is widely regarded as the national bird of Peru. It ha ...

(''Rupicola peruvianus''), and

southern helmeted curassow The horned curassow (''Pauxi unicornis''), or southern helmeted curassow, is a species of bird in the family Cracidae found in humid tropical and subtropical forests. It was first described by James Bond and Rodolphe Meyer de Schauensee in 1939 ...

(''Pauxi unicornis'').

Human use

The Bolivian Yungas is the center of the

Afro-Bolivian Afro-Bolivians are Bolivian people of Sub-Saharan African heritage and therefore the descriptive "Afro-Bolivian" may refer to historical or cultural elements in Bolivia thought to emanate from their community. It can also refer to the combining of ...

community. The

Yungas Road The Yungas Road is a cycle route about 60 km long that links the city of La Paz and the Yungas region of Bolivia. It draws about 25,000 tourists per year and is a major La Paz tourist attraction. Many tour operators cater to downhill moun ...

, known for being dangerous, connects La Paz to the Bolivian Yungas.

Protected areas

Steep terrain, high precipitation, and difficult access have kept much of this ecoregion in a natural state. 49.37% of the ecoregion is in protected areas. They include: *

Amboró National Park Amboró National Park in central Bolivia is a nature reserve with over 912 species of birds, over 177 mammalian species including puma, ocelot, and the rare spectacled bear. Covering an area of 4,425 km² (1,709 sq mi), it is protected from ...

* Bahuaja-Sonene National Park * Carrasco National Park *

Cotapata National Park and Integrated Management Natural Area Cotapata National Park and Integrated Management Natural Area (''Parque Nacional y Área Natural de Manejo Integrado Cotapata'') is a protected area in the Yungas of La Paz Department, Bolivia. It is situated in the northwest of the department, ...

* Espejillos Natural Monument * Incacasani Altamachi National Park *

Isiboro Sécure National Park and Indigenous Territory Isiboro Sécure National Park and Indigenous Territory (''Territorio Indígena y Parque Nacional Isiboro Secure,'' TIPNIS) is a protected area and Native Community Land in Bolivia situated between the north of the Cochabamba Department and t ...

Madidi National Park Madidi () is a national park in the upper Amazon Basin, Amazon river basin in Bolivia. Established in 1995, it has an area of 18,958km². Along with the nearby protected (though not necessarily contiguous) areas Manuripi-Heath, Apolobamba, and th ...

Pilón Lajas Biosphere Reserve and Communal Lands Pilón Lajas Biosphere Reserve and Communal Lands (''Reserva de Biosfera y Tierra Comunitaria de Origen Pilón Lajas'') is a protected area in Bolivia located in the departments of La Paz La Paz (), officially known as Nuestra Señora de La P ...

Tunari National Park Tunari National Park is a national park located in the Cochabamba Department Cochabamba ( ay, Quchapampa Jach'a Suyu, es, Departamento de Cochabamba , qu, Quchapampa Suyu), from Quechua ''qucha'' or ''qhucha'', meaning "lake", ''pampa'' me ...

References

{{Coord missing, Peru

Bolivian Yungas The Bolivian Yungas is a tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion in the Yungas of central Bolivia. Setting The ecoregion occurs in elevations ranging from on the eastern slopes of the Andes in Bolivia, extending into a small p ...

Ecoregions of the Andes Ecoregions of Peru Ecoregions of Bolivia Forests of Bolivia Forests of Peru Neotropical tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Montane forests