Tapajos National Forest, Brazil Photograph by WWF/ J. Natalino   Amazon Basin - Brazil Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests   130,000 square miles (336,600 square kilometers) -- about twice the size of Washington Vulnerable

· Carved by Rivers
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Carved by Rivers

The Tapajós and Xingu rivers flow within the Amazon Basin of central-eastern Brazil, and pour into the mighty Amazon River from the south. Between these rivers lies the Tapajós-Xingu Moist Forests. The rivers are wide enough to act as barriers, preventing the movement of many plants, animals, and even some insects into the adjacent habitats. The rugged hills of Serra do Cachimbo, located in the southern portion of this ecoregion act as another divider for the watershed and moist forests of this region. Here, elevations range from 15 feet (5 m) above sea level near the Amazon River to 650 feet (198 m) above sea level in the south. Between 60 and 80 inches (1,524-2,032 mm) of rain fall each year, adding to the river current.

Special Features

The many rivers that transect this ecoregion occasionally rise and flood the landscape. These dark tannin laden rivers are all "blackwater," meaning that they are stained by tannins and carry few sediments, and the flooded forests that surround them are known as white-sand igapó forests. Evergreen tropical rainforest on terra firme, or dry land, covers most of the region between the rivers and in the foothills, however along the rivers are riparian and flooded forests. . A unique open vine forest, known as a liana forest, grows in the southern and southeastern portion of this ecoregion. Lianas are woody vines that grow in rich soils and create a forest with a low, open understory. These vines grow throughout the forest levels, winding around the trunks and branches of trees such as the Brazil nut and mahogany. In the tapestry of woven vines, a habitat of unequaled structural complexity takes form.

	The white-fronted capuchin monkey lives in the trees along the Tapajós River’s west banks, while on the eastern banks, the bearded saki swings through tree branches. The rushing current of this wide river prevents these primates and many other species from crossing into one another’s habitats.

Wild Side

A hyacinth macaw leaves its perch in the top of a buriti palm to grab a fallen cupuacu fruit from the ground, streaking across the forest with its cobalt wings. Its mate calls to it with a "croak" to warn of an approaching puma. This large cat, however, is in search of a red-brocket deer--one of its favorite foods. The deer can be tough to spot because it blends into the forest cover as it quietly forages for food. An osprey rises from a nearby river with a silver fish glistening in its talons. A harpy eagle beats its enormous wings against the wind as it flies over the high canopy. A family of small gray-necked night monkeys sleeps the day away in a large tree cavity. Meanwhile, a troop of distant relatives, the spider monkeys, swings through the large woody vines in the upper part of the forest, in search of fruit and insects. Their movement through the trees disrupts other species, such as a Hoffman’s woodcreeper that was working its way up the trunk of a mahogany tree, snacking on insects in the bark.

Cause for Concern

Human logging activities and the conversion of forest to agriculture threaten to destroy this ecoregion. Livestock grazes on cleared sections of land where forest once grew. Mines scar the landscape, leaking contaminants into the soil.

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