Pernambuco interior forests

The Pernambuco interior forests is an ecoregion of eastern Brazil. It is part of the larger Atlantic forests complex, and lies between the coastal Pernambuco coastal forests and the dry Caatinga shrublands of Brazil's interior.

etting

The Pernambuco interior forests cover an area of 22,700 square kilometers (8,800 square miles), extending across portions of Paraíba, Pernambuco, and Alagoas 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 Pernambuco coastal forests, 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 35 meters. Many trees shed their leaves during the October to March dry season. Characteristic emergent and canopy trees include "Astronium fraxinifolium" (family Anacardiaceae), "Enterolobium contortisiliquum" (Leguminosae), "Cordia trichotoma" (Boraginaceae), and "Tabebuia chrysotricha" (Bignoniaceae). 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-coloured Tanager "(Tangara fastuosa)", and Yellow-faced Siskin "(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, Alagoas, is an important refuge for the endangered and threatened birds of the ecoregion.

References and external links

* [http://www.worldwildlife.org/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/nt/nt0152_full.html Pernambuco interior forests (World Wildlife Fund)]
* [http://www.nationalgeographic.com/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/nt/nt0152.html Pernambuco interior forests (National Geographic)]