The Pernambuco coastal forests 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 ...
of the
Tropical 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
A biome () is a biogeographical unit consisting of a biological community that has formed in response to the physical environment in which they are found and a shared regional climate. Biomes may span more than one continent. Biome is a broader ...
, and the South American
Atlantic Forest biome. It is located in northeastern
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
.
Geography
The Pernambuco coastal forests occupy an 80 km-wide strip along the
Atlantic
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
coast of northeastern Brazil in the states of
Pernambuco
Pernambuco () is a States of Brazil, state of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast region of the country. With an estimated population of 9.6 million people as of 2020, making it List of Brazilian states by population, sev ...
and
Alagoas
Alagoas (, ) is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil and is situated in the eastern part of the Northeast Region. It borders: Pernambuco (N and NW); Sergipe (S); Bahia (SW); and the Atlantic Ocean (E). Its capital is the city of Maceió. ...
. The forests extend from near sea level to in elevation, on the windward slopes of the
Borborema Plateau.
The
Goiana River
The Goiana River is a river in Pernambuco state of northeastern Brazil. It is formed by the confluence of the Tracunhaém and Capibaribe Mirim rivers, and drains eastward into the Atlantic Ocean.
The Goiana River marks the northern extent of th ...
of Pernambuco marks the forests' northern extent, and the
Mundaú River of Alagoas the southern extent.
The ecoregion is bounded on the east by the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
and the coastal
Atlantic Coast restingas forests and
Rio Piranhas mangroves. To the east, the forests transition to the drier
Pernambuco interior forests and
Caatinga
Caatinga (, ) is a type of semi-arid tropical vegetation, and an ecoregion characterized by this vegetation in interior northeastern Brazil. The name "Caatinga" is a Tupi word meaning "white forest" or "white vegetation" (''caa'' = forest, v ...
.
Climate
The ecoregion has a
tropical climate
Tropical climate is the first of the five major climate groups in the Köppen climate classification identified with the letter A. Tropical climates are defined by a monthly average temperature of 18 °C (64.4 °F) or higher in the cool ...
with annual rainfall ranging from 1,750 to 2,000 mm. There is a dry period from October through January.
Natural history
Flora
The four-tiered evergreen Atlantic moist forests are the predominant vegetation type.
Fauna
The ecoregion is an
endemic bird area that harbors 13 threatened species of birds. It also harbors the last populations of the
red-handed howler monkey ''(Alouatta belzebul)'' and
blond capuchin ''(Sapajus flavius)'' in the Atlantic Forests.
Conservation and threats
Coastal forests in Pernambuco have a long history of
deforestation
Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. The most concentrated ...
. The first cycle of destruction was due to "Pau-brasil" ''(
Caesalpinia echinata
''Paubrasilia echinata'' is a species of flowering plant in the legume family, Fabaceae, that is endemic to the Atlantic Forest of Brazil. It is a Brazilian timber tree commonly known as Pernambuco wood or brazilwood ( pt, pau-de-pernambuco, ...
)'' extraction. After the extraction of Pau-brasil, through the mid-20th century, the
sugarcane industry was mainly responsible for the forest clearing.
Forests remnants are small, most with less 10 km² and surrounded by sugarcane fields. There is only 87 km² of isolated conservation units. It isn't an enough amount to maintain biodiversity and key ecological processes.
The largest reserve is
Murici Ecological Station
The Murici Ecological Station ( pt, Estação Ecológica de Murici) is an ecological station in the state of Alagoas, Brazil.
It preserves a rugged area of Atlantic Forest that is important as a home for several species of rare or endangered birds ...
(6132 ha).
See also
*
List of plants of Atlantic Forest vegetation of Brazil — ''flora of its diverse ecoregions''.
*
Ecoregions in the Atlantic Forest biome
*
List of ecoregions in Brazil
The following is a list of ecoregions in Brazil as identified by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). Terrestrial ecoregions by major habitat type Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
*Alto Paraná Atlantic forests (Argentina, Brazil, ...
References
{{Reflist
Atlantic Forest
Ecoregions of Brazil
Forests of Brazil
Environment of Alagoas
Environment of Pernambuco
.
*
*
Geography of Alagoas
Geography of Pernambuco
Neotropical tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests