Ouro Preto, Brazil Photograph by WWF/ Philip Fearnside   Central Amazonia in Brazil and parts of Bolivia Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests   277,900 square miles (719,700 square kilometers) -- about the size of California and New Mexico combined Vulnerable

· Miles of Moist Forest
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Miles of Moist Forest

This ecoregion spans a huge, diverse area in central Amazonia, extending across the lowland Amazon Basin south of the Amazon River, and reaching south to the border between Brazil and Bolivia. Most of this region receives between 80 and 120 inches (2,032-3,048 mm) of rainfall each year, however, as much as 160 inches (4,064 mm) of rain annually drenches the middle Madeira River section! And, along the northern and southern edges of the region, annual rainfall is less than 80 inches (2,032 mm). An incredible range of elevations marks the landscape, going from only about 65 feet (20 m) above sea level at the Amazon River to as high as 3,694 feet (1,126 m), where Chapada dos Parecis, the region’s tallest peak, carves its silhouette against the sapphire sky.

Special Features

Many different habitats stretch across this huge area, each containing a unique type of vegetation. Dense lowland and premontane rainforest, open-canopy premontane rainforest, woodland savanna, grasslands, and semi-deciduous forest all grow here. White-sand igapó forests grow where blackwater rivers, those that lack a sediment load, flood the region. In these forests, large trees such as piranheira, louros-de-igapo, and jacareúbas pierce the sky. The dense lowland rainforest reaches 100 feet (31 m), with some emergent trees rising 50 more feet (15 m) above the carpet of green crowns. The very rare, locally endemic Polygonanthus tree can be found in the lowland rainforest near Maués. In the hill woodlands of upper Marmelos, the dwarf rubber tree, the elegant palm, the enormous Huberodendron tree, and the rare Brachynema grow.

	The hard red wood of the Physocalymma scaberrima may make great furniture. But as the trees are cut down, their showy flowers with amethyst-colored petals disappear, and with them, the sweet nectar that many forest birds rely on for food.

Wild Side

The forest is sleepy this morning, as a small family group of endemic dusty titi monkeys makes its way down to the forest understory to begin seeking fruits. In the sky, a huge harpy eagle soars on pewter-colored wings, peering through the canopy for its next meal. A slight movement in the trees catches its eye. As it descends through the canopy for a closer look, a sloth momentarily attracts its attention, but the bird moves on and alights on a perch high in a Brazil nut tree. Other predators, however, are not going to let the morning slip away. A large, sleek, spotted jaguar mother has cubs to feed. She makes her way along the forest floor, silently stalking a lone red-brocket deer. A colorful creature with naked ears--the endemic squirrel monkey--watches her hunt as it takes a break from the laborious task of searching for insects. Nearby a marmoset (a small endemic primate) munches on a lizard, catching the eye of a collared forest-falcon, which then swoops down to snatch the marmoset!

Cause for Concern

Human activities such as agriculture and ranching, mining, road-building, logging, wildlife exploitation, hydrologic projects, introducing exotic species, hunting, and frequent burning of the savannas all threaten this unique ecoregion.

For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report.