The Guianan moist forests (NT0125) is an

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 l ...

in the east of Venezuela, north of Brazil and the Guyanas (Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana). It is in the

Amazon biome The Amazon biome ( pt, Bioma Amazônia) contains the Amazon rainforest, an area of tropical rainforest, and other ecoregions that cover most of the Amazon basin and some adjacent areas to the north and east. The biome contains blackwater and white ...

. The climate is hot and humid, with two rainy seasons each year. As of 1996 the tropical rainforest habitat was relatively intact, although there were mounting threats from

illegal logging Illegal logging is the harvest, transportation, purchase or sale of timber in violation of laws. The harvesting procedure itself may be illegal, including using corrupt means to gain access to forests; extraction without permission, or from a pro ...

and gold mining.

Location

The Guianan moist forests ecoregion covers most of Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana. It covers part of eastern Venezuela and parts of the north of the Brazilian states of

Pará Pará is a Federative units of Brazil, state of Brazil, located in northern Brazil and traversed by the lower Amazon River. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins (state), Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas (Brazilian state) ...

and

Amapá Amapá () is one of the 26 states of Brazil. It is in the northern region of Brazil. It is the second least populous state and the eighteenth largest by area. Located in the far northern part of the country, Amapá is bordered clockwise by Fr ...

. It has a total area of . Along the Atlantic coast to the east and northeast the ecoregion adjoins strips of Guianan freshwater swamp forests, Amazon-Orinoco-Southern Caribbean mangroves and

Orinoco Delta swamp forests The Orinoco Delta swamp forests (NT0147) is an ecoregion of eastern Venezuela and northern Guyana covering the large and shifting Orinoco Delta. The vegetation is mostly permanently flooded rainforest. The ecoregion is relatively intact apart fro ...

. To the northwest it adjoins the

Llanos The Llanos (Spanish ''Los Llanos'', "The Plains"; ) is a vast tropical grassland plain situated to the east of the Andes in Colombia and Venezuela, in northwestern South America. It is an ecoregion of the tropical and subtropical grasslands, sav ...

ecoregion, the

Guianan piedmont and lowland moist forests The Guianan piedmont and lowland moist forests (NT0182) is an ecoregion in the south of Venezuela and the north of Brazil. It is in the Amazon biome. The ecoregion is relatively intact, largely protected by conservation units or indigenous territor ...

and

Guianan Highlands moist forest The Guayanan Highlands moist forests (NT0124) is an ecoregion in the south of Venezuela and the north of Brazil and in Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana. It is in the Amazon biome. It encompasses an upland region with diverse fauna and flora, which ...

. Scattered patches of this last ecoregion are found on higher ground within the Guianan moist forests ecoregion. To the southwest and in places along its southern border it adjoins large areas of

Guianan savanna The Guianan savanna (NT0707) is an ecoregion in the south of Venezuela, Guyana and Suriname and the north of Brazil. It is in the Amazon biome. The savanna covers an area of rolling upland plains on the Guiana Shield between the Amazon and Orinoco ...

. Most of the southern border adjoins the Uatuma-Trombetas moist forests.

Physical

The ecoregion lies to the east of the lower

Orinoco The Orinoco () is one of the longest rivers in South America at . Its drainage basin, sometimes known as the Orinoquia, covers , with 76.3 percent of it in Venezuela and the remainder in Colombia. It is the fourth largest river in the wor ...

basin and covers about 65% of the northeast part of the ancient

Guiana Shield The Guiana Shield (french: Plateau des Guyanes, Bouclier guyanais; nl, Hoogland van Guyana, Guianaschild; pt, Planalto das Guianas, Escudo das Guianas; es, Escudo guayanés) is one of the three cratons of the South American Plate. It is a ...

. It is bounded to the south by the line of the Acarai and Tumuk Humak mountains, which defines the rim of the

Amazon basin The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about , or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries of Bolivi ...

and the northern border of Brazil. A small part of the ecoregion in the east is in the lower Amazon basin. The Essequibo, Courantyne, Maroni and

Oyapock The Oyapock or Oiapoque (; ; ) is a long river in South America that forms most of the border between the French overseas department of French Guiana and the Brazilian state of Amapá. Course The Oyapock runs through the Guianan moist fores ...

rivers run through the region to the Atlantic Ocean. The terrain is mostly plains or low hills, with some steep slopes in river valleys and the bases of

tepui A tepui , or tepuy (), is a table-top mountain or mesa found in South America, especially in Venezuela and western Guyana. The word tepui means "house of the gods" in the native tongue of the Pemon, the indigenous people who inhabit the Gran S ...

s. In the west-central area the ecoregion surrounds the

Pacaraima Mountains The Pacaraima or Pakaraima Mountains ( pt, Serra de Pacaraima, es, Sierra de Pacaraima) are a mountain range primarily in southwestern Guyana, and into northern Brazil and eastern Venezuela. Geography The range extends from west to east for over ...

, a sandstone plateau with an average elevation of . It also surrounds tepuis, or tabletop mountains, the highest being

Mount Roraima Mount Roraima ( es, Monte Roraima; Tepuy Roraima; Cerro Roraima pt, Monte Roraima ) is the highest of the Pakaraima chain of tepuis (table-top mountain) or plateaux in South America. It is located at the junction of Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana. ...

with an elevation of . The highlands and tepuis have a distinct

ecosystem.

Ecology

The Guianan moist forests ecoregion is in the

Neotropical realm The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone. Definition In bioge ...

and the

tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests 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 ...

biome. The ecoregion is part of the Guianan Moist Forests Global Ecoregion, which also includes the Paramaribo swamp forests and the

Climate

The

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

is "Af": equatorial, fully humid. The northeastern trade winds carry humidity from the Atlantic Ocean, fluctuating annually due to the effects of the

Intertropical Convergence Zone The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ ), known by sailors as the doldrums or the calms because of its monotonous windless weather, is the area where the northeast and the southeast trade winds converge. It encircles Earth near the thermal e ...

(doldrums). Annual rainfall ranges from , with two rainy seasons in December–January and May–August. At a sample location () in the

Central Suriname Nature Reserve The Central Suriname Nature Reserve ( nl, Centraal Suriname Natuurreservaat (CSNR)) is a conservation unit in Suriname. It preserves an area of tropical rainforest. The reserve is in pristine condition. History The Central Suriname Nature Reserv ...

temperatures vary little throughout the year, slightly warmer in October and slightly cooler in January. Yearly average temperatures are minimum and maximum with a mean of . Annual rainfall is . Monthly rainfall varies from in October to in May.

Flora

The ecoregion is mainly covered by lowland or submontane rainforest, including marsh forest along the rivers. There are an estimated 8,000 vascular plant species, of which half may be endemic. The plant species in the forests change from east to west, with species dominant in one area completely missing from another. There are also patches of savanna, and the coastal lowlands have patches of herbaceous swamp. The flora is diverse. The upper tiers of the forest may reach a height of . The trees are mainly evergreen, but may shed leaves in the dry season. The trees hold many epiphytes and parasites, and shrubs and herbaceous plants cover the forest floor. The main plant families are

Bignoniaceae Bignoniaceae is a family of flowering plants in the order Lamiales commonly known as the bignonias or trumpetvines.Vernon H. Heywood, Richard K. Brummitt, Ole Seberg, and Alastair Culham. ''Flowering Plant Families of the World''. Firefly Books: ...

Bombacaceae Bombacaceae were long recognised as a family of flowering plants or Angiospermae. The family name was based on the type genus ''Bombax''. As is true for many botanical names, circumscription and status of the taxon has varied with taxonomic point ...

Euphorbiaceae Euphorbiaceae, the spurge family, is a large family of flowering plants. In English, they are also commonly called euphorbias, which is also the name of a genus in the family. Most spurges, such as ''Euphorbia paralias'', are herbs, but some, e ...

Moraceae The Moraceae — often called the mulberry family or fig family — are a family of flowering plants comprising about 38 genera and over 1100 species. Most are widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, less so in temperate climates; however ...

Sterculiaceae Sterculiaceae was a family of flowering plant based on the genus ''Sterculia''. Genera formerly included in Sterculiaceae are now placed in the family Malvaceae, in the subfamilies: Byttnerioideae, Dombeyoideae, Helicteroideae and Sterculioideae. A ...

Lauraceae Lauraceae, or the laurels, is a plant family that includes the true laurel and its closest relatives. This family comprises about 2850 known species in about 45 genera worldwide (Christenhusz & Byng 2016 ). They are dicotyledons, and occur ma ...

Vochysiaceae Vochysiaceae is a plant family belonging to the order of Myrtales. Description Trees or shrubs with opposite leaves; flowers are zygomorph 1-(3)-5 merous; ovary inferior or superior; one fertile stamen; fruits samara or capsules. Biogeograp ...

Sapotaceae 240px, '' Madhuca longifolia'' var. ''latifolia'' in Narsapur, Medak district, India The Sapotaceae are a family (biology), family of flowering plants belonging to the order (biology), order Ericales. The family includes about 800 species of ev ...

Lecythidaceae The Lecythidaceae comprise a family (biology), family of about 20 genera and 250–300 species of woody plants native to tropical South America, Africa (including Madagascar), Asia and Australia. The most important member of the family in wor ...

Fabaceae The Fabaceae or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomenc ...

Combretaceae The Combretaceae, often called the white mangrove family, are a family of flowering plants in the order Myrtales. The family includes about 530 species of trees, shrubs, and lianas in ca 10 genera. The family includes the leadwood tree, ''Combre ...

Anacardiaceae The Anacardiaceae, commonly known as the cashew family or sumac family, are a family of flowering plants, including about 83 genera with about 860 known species. Members of the Anacardiaceae bear fruits that are drupes and in some cases produce ...

Rubiaceae The Rubiaceae are a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the coffee, madder, or bedstraw family. It consists of terrestrial trees, shrubs, lianas, or herbs that are recognizable by simple, opposite leaves with interpetiolar stipules ...

Meliaceae Meliaceae, the mahogany family, is a flowering plant family of mostly trees and shrubs (and a few herbaceous plants, mangroves) in the order Sapindales. They are characterised by alternate, usually pinnate leaves without stipules, and by syncarp ...

Sapindaceae The Sapindaceae are a family of flowering plants in the order Sapindales known as the soapberry family. It contains 138 genera and 1858 accepted species. Examples include horse chestnut, maples, ackee and lychee. The Sapindaceae occur in tempera ...

Annonaceae The Annonaceae are a Family (biology), family of flowering plants consisting of trees, shrubs, or rarely lianas commonly known as the custard apple family or soursop family. With 108 accepted genera and about 2400 known species, it is the largest ...

and

Arecaceae The Arecaceae is a family of perennial flowering plants in the monocot order Arecales. Their growth form can be climbers, shrubs, tree-like and stemless plants, all commonly known as palms. Those having a tree-like form are called palm trees ...

. Common species include ''

Calophyllum brasiliense ''Calophyllum brasiliense'' (guanandi) is a species of plant in the family ''Calophyllaceae''. It is native to subtropical and tropical regions of Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean. Description It is an evergreen tree grow ...

'', ''

Carapa guianensis ''Carapa guianensis'' is a species of tree in the family Meliaceae, also known by the common names andiroba or crabwood. Description Andiroba is native to the Amazon and is widely used by the indigenous populations of the northern region of ...

'', ''

Ceiba pentandra ''Ceiba pentandra'' is a tropical tree of the order Malvales and the family Malvaceae (previously emplaced in the family Bombacaceae), native to Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, northern South America, and (as the variety ''C. pentandr ...

'', ''

Couroupita guianensis ''Couroupita guianensis'', known by a variety of common names including cannonball tree, is a deciduous tree in the flowering plant family Lecythidaceae. It is native to the tropical forests of Central and South America, and it is cultivated in m ...

'',

Eschweilera ''Eschweilera'' is a genus of woody plants in the family Lecythidaceae first described as a genus in 1828.Guarea trichiloides ''Guarea'' is a genus of evergreen trees or shrubs in the family Meliaceae, native to tropical Africa and Central and South America. At their largest, they are large trees 20–45 m tall, with a trunk over 1 m diameter, often buttressed at the ba ...

'',

Luehea ''Luehea'' is a genus of trees in the family Malvaceae. Its native range stretches from Mexico to southern tropical America and Cuba. It is native to the countries of; Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Sa ...

species, ''

Parkia pendula ''Parkia pendula'' is a species of neotropical evergreen tree found throughout Central and South America.Hopkins, H.C., Parkia (Leguminosae: Mimosoideae). Flora Neotropica, 1986: p. 1-123. It is part of the ''Parkia'' genus, a group of flowering ...

'', ''

Pentaclethra macroloba ''Pentaclethra macroloba'' is a large and common leguminous tree in the genus ''Pentaclethra'' native to the wet tropical areas of the northern Neotropics, which can form monoculture, monocultural stands in some seasonally flooded habitats. It ha ...

'', '' Protium'' species, '' Schwartzia'' species and ''

Trichilia ''Trichilia'' is a flowering plant genus in the family Meliaceae. These plants are particularly diverse in sub-Saharan Africa and tropical South America. Several species are used in folk medicine and shamanism – e.g. '' T. rubescens'' agai ...

'' species. ''

Cedrela fissilis ''Cedrela fissilis'' is a species of tree in the family Meliaceae. It is native to Central and South America, where it is distributed from Costa Rica to Argentina.Coumourana punctata'', '' Coumourana punctata'' and ''

Warszewiczia coccinea ''Warszewiczia coccinea'' (or chaconia, wild poinsettia and pride of Trinidad and Tobago) is a species of flowering plant in the family Rubiaceae. It is the national flower of Trinidad and Tobago because it blooms on 31 August, which coincides wit ...

'' are common in some areas but are not found in Suriname. There are centers of plant diversity in the south and in the Saül region of central French Guiana. The Saul region is a dry belt of semi-open forest and patches of savanna that are more characteristic of the Guayana Lowland province. This region has more than 150 endemic vascular plants, with plants adapted to moderate temperatures in the higher areas and along watercourses. There are many palm species including '' Astrocaryum mumbaca'', '' Astrocaryum munbaca'', '' Maximiliana maripa'', '' Iriartea excrrhiza'' and '' Bactris sphaerocarpa'', which is not found in Suriname. The forests contain patches of savanna, particularly in Suriname, which may be remnants of the savanna that covered all of Suriname in the

Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological Epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fina ...

epoch apart from the river valleys and the high-altitude refugia of rainforest. In the early

Holocene The Holocene ( ) is the current geological epoch. It began approximately 11,650 cal years Before Present (), after the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene togethe ...

epoch the climate changed to favor the present rainforest, and remnants of savanna now cover just 1% of Suriname. There are more than 800 species of savanna plants. SciurusPusillusSmit

Fauna

More than 220 species of mammals have been identified in Guyana alone, of which more than 100 are bats. Endemic species include

rufous mouse opossum The rufous mouse opossum (''Marmosa lepida'') or little rufous mouse opossum is an opossum species from South America. The species has been found in Bolivia, Suriname, French Guinea, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru and Suriname in l ...

(''Marmosa lepida''),

six-banded armadillo The six-banded armadillo (''Euphractus sexcinctus''), also known as the yellow armadillo, is an armadillo found in South America. The sole extant member of its genus, it was first described by Swedish zoologist Carl Linnaeus in 1758. The six-b ...

(''Euphractus sexcinctus''),

red-handed tamarin The golden-handed tamarin (''Saguinus midas''), also known as the red-handed tamarin or Midas tamarin, is a New World monkey belonging to the family Callitrichidae. Distribution and habitat This species is native to wooded areas north of the Ama ...

(''Saguinus midas''),

white-faced saki The white-faced saki (''Pithecia pithecia''), called the Guianan saki and the golden-faced saki, is a species of the New World saki monkey. They can be found in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname and Venezuela. This species lives in the und ...

(''Pithecia pithecia''),

red-faced spider monkey The red-faced spider monkey (''Ateles paniscus'') also known as the Guiana spider monkey or red-faced black spider monkey, is a species of spider monkey found in the rain forests in northern South America. The species faces issues with hunting a ...

(''Ateles paniscus''),

Neotropical pygmy squirrel The Neotropical pygmy squirrel (''Sciurillus pusillus'') is a South American species of tree squirrel, being the only living species in the genus ''Sciurillus'' and the subfamily Sciurillinae. Genetic analysis has shown it to be the sister group ...

(''Sciurillus pusillus''), delicate pygmy rice rat (''Oligoryzomys delicatus''), Guiana bristly mouse ('' Neacomys guianae''),

Bahia porcupine The Bahia porcupine (''Coendou insidiosus''), is a New World porcupine species in the family Erethizontidae endemic to the Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil. It was formerly sometimes assigned to ''Sphiggurus'', a genus no longer recognized ...

(''Coendou insidiosus''), white-faced spiny tree-rat (''Echimys chrysurus''),

Schultz's round-eared bat Schultz's round-eared bat (''Lophostoma schulzi'') is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae. It is found in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, and Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, ...

(''Lophostoma schulzi''), and rufous dog-faced bat (''Molossops neglectus''). Endangered mammals include the

black bearded saki The black bearded saki (''Chiropotes satanas'') is a species of New World monkey, native to the Amazon rainforest of South America, specifically to an area of north-eastern Brazil. It is one of five species of bearded saki. Bearded sakis are med ...

(''Chiropotes satanas'') and

giant otter The giant otter or giant river otter (''Pteronura brasiliensis'') is a South American carnivorous mammal. It is the longest member of the weasel family, Mustelidae, a globally successful group of predators, reaching up to . Atypical of musteli ...

(Pteronura brasiliensis). There are many birds species, often the same as in the Guyana Highlands and northern Andes, such as

Guianan cock-of-the-rock The Guianan cock-of-the-rock (''Rupicola rupicola'') is a species of cotinga, a passerine bird from South America. It is about in length and weighs about . It is found in tropical rainforests, near its preferred habitat of rocky outcrops. The f ...

(''Rupicola rupicola''), or the Amazon lowlands, such as

hoatzin The hoatzin ( ) or hoactzin ( ), (''Opisthocomus hoazin''), is the only species in the order Opisthocomiformes. It is a species of tropical bird found in swamps, riparian forests, and mangroves of the Amazon and the Orinoco basins in South Ameri ...

(''Opisthocomus hoazin''). Raptors include

harpy eagle The harpy eagle (''Harpia harpyja'') is a neotropical species of eagle. It is also called the American harpy eagle to distinguish it from the Papuan eagle, which is sometimes known as the New Guinea harpy eagle or Papuan harpy eagle. It is the ...

(''Harpia harpyja'') and

crested eagle The crested eagle (''Morphnus guianensis'') is a large Neotropical eagle. It is the only member of the genus ''Morphnus''. The crested eagle can grow up to long, with a wingspan up to , and weigh up to . The plumage varies between a light br ...

(''Morphnus guianensis''). Endangered birds include the

sun parakeet The sun parakeet (''Aratinga solstitialis''), also known in aviculture as the sun conure, is a medium-sized, vibrantly colored parrot native to northeastern South America. The adult male and female are similar in appearance, with black beaks, pre ...

(''Aratinga solstitialis'') and

yellow-bellied seedeater The yellow-bellied seedeater (''Sporophila nigricollis'') is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae, formerly placed with the American sparrows in the Emberizidae. Taxonomy and systematics Hooded seedeater The hooded seedeater was a proposed ...

(''Sporophila nigricollis''). Reptiles include the threatened

black caiman The black caiman (''Melanosuchus niger'') is a species of large crocodilian and is the largest species of the family Alligatoridae. It is a carnivorous reptile that lives along slow-moving rivers, lakes, seasonally flooded savannas of the Amazon ...

(''Melanosuchus niger'') and

yellow-spotted river turtle The yellow-spotted Amazon river turtle (''Podocnemis unifilis''), also known commonly as the yellow-headed sideneck turtle and the yellow-spotted river turtle, and locally as the taricaya, is one of the largest South American river turtles. It ...

(''Podocnemis unifilis''). There are diverse amphibians in the families

Hylidae Hylidae is a wide-ranging family of frogs commonly referred to as "tree frogs and their allies". However, the hylids include a diversity of frog species, many of which do not live in trees, but are terrestrial or semiaquatic. Taxonomy and s ...

Dendrobatidae Poison dart frog (also known as dart-poison frog, poison frog or formerly known as poison arrow frog) is the common name of a group of frogs in the Family (biology), family Dendrobatidae which are native to tropical Central and South America. T ...

and

Leptodactylidae The southern frogs form the Leptodactylidae, a name that comes from Greek meaning a bird or other animal having slender toes. They are a diverse Family (biology), family of frogs that most likely diverged from other hyloidea, hyloids during the C ...

Status

The

World Wildlife Fund The World Wide Fund for Nature Inc. (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the Wo ...

classes the ecoregion as "Relatively Stable/Intact". As of 1996 relatively little deforestation had occurred, and conservation efforts were being made, but apart from Suriname there were few conservation areas and rising human pressure on the environment. Guyana is a major exporter of wild birds. The main threats come from illegal gold mining and logging along the unpoliced borders between the Guyanas and Venezuela and Brazil. A mounting drive to promote tourism might motivate the people to preserve the environment as a source of revenue.

IUCN protected area category IUCN protected area categories, or IUCN protected area management categories, are categories used to classify protected areas in a system developed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The enlisting of such areas is part ...

II (National Park) conservation units include the

Kaieteur National Park Kaieteur National Park is a national park located in the Potaro-Siparuni Region of Guyana. The Park's boundaries and purpose are defined in the Kaieteur National Park Act, and was created to preserve the natural scenery (including Kaieteur Falls), ...

in Guyana and the

Brownsberg Nature Park Brownsberg Nature Park is a nature park located in Suriname. The site measures 12,000 ha and is located in the district of Brokopondo around 130 km south from the capital city Paramaribo. The 500 meter high Brownsberg is the central point of t ...

in Suriname. Other protected areas include the Imataca Forest Reserve,

Iwokrama Forest The Iwokrama Forest is a nature reserve of central Guyana located in the heart of the Guiana Shield, one of the four last pristine tropical forests in the world ( Congo, New Guinea, and the Amazon rainforest are the others). It represents an im ...

Reserve and Raleigh Falls - Voltzberg Nature Reserve.

Notes

Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Guianan moist forests Amazon biome Ecoregions of Brazil Ecoregions of Guyana Ecoregions of Suriname Ecoregions of Venezuela Neotropical tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests