· A Formidable Forest
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
· Looking Ahead

Global 200 Snapshot

The southwestern Amazon rainforests are among the richest tropical forests in the world. This Global 200 ecoregion is made up of these terrestrial ecoregions: Juruá-Purus moist forests; Southwest Amazon moist forests; Purus-Madeira moist forests; Madeira-Tapajós moist forests

A Formidable Forest

Large, intact rainforest areas are a rarity these days, so the Southwestern Amazon moist forests ecoregion is truly a wonder. Ninety-four percent of this remarkable region's original forested area is still intact, with lowland tropical moist forests, unique flooded savannas dotted with palm trees, and bamboo-dominated forests blanketing an area the size of England. Together they support the world's highest diversity of freshwater fish, birds, and butterflies, as well as many other kinds of organisms.

Special Features

If you walked through these forests you'd find them humid and warm, though occasionally cooled by winds sweeping down from the nearby Andes. You'd see unusual oxbow lakes and meandering river systems that create a mosaic of different habitats within the region. High rainfall, relatively complex topography, and varied soils also contribute to the variety and abundance of life within these forests.

	Though southern two-toed sloths spend almost all of their time high in the forest canopy, they climb down to ground level when they need to defecate.

Wild Side

The Southwestern Amazonian Moist Forests ecoregion is one of the last refuges in the world for jaguars, harpy eagles, and giant river otters. If you were to visit the region, you might see a small mammal called a short-eared forest dog, which moves through the forest with a cat-like grace. And you'd see a lot of action in the treetops. Southern two-toed sloths feed on leaves and fruit high in the canopy. Small monkeys called pygmy marmosets make repeated visits to certain trees, feeding on the sap that oozes from holes they've bitten into the bark. Saddleback tamarins jump through the tree branches, while Goeldi's monkeys leap from trunk to trunk.

Cause for Concern

Though once sparsely populated, this region is now home to growing numbers of people. Road building, mining, logging, hunting and collecting of wildlife, introduction of exotic species, mercury pollution, hydroelectric projects, and deforestation related to agriculture and ranching all threaten to degrade and fragment the vast forests.

Looking Ahead

The good news about the Southwestern Amazonian Moist Forests is that this ecoregion is part of the world’s largest intact rain forest. However, threats to the ecoregion are increasing rapidly, from roads, logging, agriculture, and extraction of oil and gas. The conservation goals for this ecoregion include protecting blocks of closed canopy forest that are big enough to sustain viable populations of wildlife and assure that the forests can bounce back in the face of large-scale disturbances. WWF, rubber tapper associations, Pronaturaleza, Fundación Amigos de la Naturaleza, and many other local, national, and international conservation partners are working to expand the protected areas system, consolidate conservation in existing protected areas, and develop sustainable resource management in forest areas. They are also promoting policies at the international and national levels to address overarching threats to the ecoregion such as road development, unsustainable logging, illegal timber and wildlife trade, and oil and gas development.