The "Pernambuco" interior forests (in reality Paraiba and Pernambuco forest/states and not only "Pernambuco") 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 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, discon ...

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 lies in eastern

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 ...

between the coastal

Pernambuco coastal forests The Pernambuco coastal forests is an ecoregion of the Tropical moist broadleaf forests Biome, and the South American Atlantic Forest biome. It is located in northeastern Brazil. Geography The Pernambuco coastal forests occupy an 80 km-wide s ...

and the dry

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 ...

shrublands of Brazil's interior.

Setting

The Pernambuco interior forests cover an area of , extending across portions of Paraíba,

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. ...

states. They extend from the Curimataú River in the north to the São Francisco River in the south. The Pernambuco interior forests lie inland from the

, extending from sedimentary plateaus near the coast up the eastern slopes of the Borborema Plateau. In the northern portion of the ecoregion, the interior forests lie close to the coast, just behind the coastal Rio Piranhas mangroves and Atlantic coast restingas.

Climate

The climate is tropical. Annual rainfall ranges from 1,250 to 1,750 mm, with a dry season from October to March.

Flora

The predominant forest type is the four-tiered (emergent, canopy, understory, and forest floor) Atlantic semi-deciduous forest, with emergent trees reaching up to . Many trees shed their leaves during the October to March dry season. Characteristic emergent and canopy trees include ''

Astronium fraxinifolium ''Astronium fraxinifolium'' is a timber tree, which is native to Amazon Rainforest, Atlantic Forest, Caatinga, and Cerrado vegetation in Brazil. Common names include kingwood, locustwood, tigerwood, and zebrawood. It is known in Portuguese as Gon ...

'' (family

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 ...

), '' Enterolobium contortisiliquum'' ( Leguminosae), '' Cordia trichotoma'' (

Boraginaceae Boraginaceae, the borage or forget-me-not family, includes about 2,000 species of shrubs, trees and herbs in 146, to 156 genera with a worldwide distribution. The APG IV system from 2016 classifies the Boraginaceae as single family of the or ...

), and '' Tabebuia chrysotricha'' (

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 Book ...

). The Pernambuco interior forests are home to the largest remaining populations of Brazilwood or Pau-Brasil, ''(Caesalphinia echinata)''

Fauna

Many species are endemic to the Pernambuco interior and coastal forests. Bird species include the buff-breasted tody-tyrant ''(Hemitriccus mirandae)'', white-winged cotinga ''(Xipholena atropurpurea)'', seven-colored tanager ''(Tangara fastuosa)'', and

yellow-faced siskin The yellow-faced siskin (''Spinus yarrellii'') is a species of finch in the family Fringillidae. It is found in Brazil and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist mountains, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, arable ...

''(Carduelis yarrellii)''.

Conservation and threats

Only 5% of the original forest remains; the rest has been cleared for timber and fuel wood, agriculture, or cattle ranching. Most of the remaining forest remnants are small (1-10 hectares) and species-impoverished. As of 1997, only three protected areas covered portions of the ecoregion, protecting an area of 90 square kilometers of forest. The Pedra Talhada Biological Reserve, in

Quebrangulo Quebrangulo (Brazilian Portuguese: Help:IPA/Portuguese, /kebɾɐ̃ˈgulu/) is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality located in the States of Brazil, Brazilian state of Alagoas. Its population was 11,248 (2020) and its area is 300 km². The ...

, Alagoas, is an important refuge for the endangered and threatened birds of the ecoregion.

References

External links

* * {{- Atlantic Forest Ecoregions of Brazil Forests of Brazil . Environment of Alagoas Environment of Paraíba Environment of Pernambuco * * * Geography of Alagoas Geography of Paraíba Geography of Pernambuco Neotropical tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests