Bolivia Photograph by WWF/ Liselotte Methfessel   South America: In the mountain valleys of southern central Bolivia Tropical and Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests   31,000 square miles (80,300 square kilometers) -- about the size of Maine Critical/Endangered

· High and Dry
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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High and Dry

The Bolivian Montane Dry Forests ecoregion is located in the dry montane valleys of southern central Bolivia and extends in patches along the central and eastern Andes Mountains to western Bolivia. This ecoregion is extremely rugged, with many steep hillsides, cliffs, and countless valleys and gullies. This dry forest habitat is the transition area between puna grasslands at higher elevations to the west and Chaco scrub to the east. Habitat types in these arid valleys consist mainly of seasonal dry forest, wetland forest along rivers, and dry, sparsely vegetated slopes with shrubs and columnar cactus formations.

Special Features

The dry climate that characterizes this ecoregion is caused by a rain shadow effect from the mountains to the east. Moisture-laden clouds climb the slopes on the far side of the mountains, dropping rain or snow as they rise toward the peaks. The air that finds its way into the Bolivian Montane Dry Forests ecoregion is therefore extremely dry, so precipitation is rare. Among the plants growing here are the unusual rose-like Polylepis, locally known as queñoa, which grows in pure stands at high and low elevations along rivers. Throughout this ecoregion, you can find locally and regionally endemic plants and animals that live in the isolated patches of dry forest in the mountain valleys.

	The tree genus Polylepis, a member of the rose family, is endemic to the Andean páramos. Polylepis grows at elevations higher than any other tree species.

Wild Side

In a small patch of low-stature queñoa forest high in the mountains, resident birds such as wedge-tailed hillstars and Cochamba mountain finches seek shelter from the blowing wind. In an acacia-covered valley below, Andean rice rats and vole-like animals called pericote andinos scurry about collecting seeds and nesting materials. Open grassy areas are home to vicuñas--small relatives of llamas--that graze peacefully on low foliage and grass. Hidden behind a tuft of bunchgrass, a quail-like bird called Darwin’s nothura cautiously searches the ground for seeds and insects. Another endemic bird called the Bolivian earthcreeper sits poised among a patch of terrestrial bromeliads. An Andean cat bounds elegantly up a rock face with a rat clamped firmly in its jaws, while loud squawks overhead announce a pair of endangered red-fronted macaws flying across the valley.

Cause for Concern

Settlement and agricultural conversion have already had a dramatic effect on this dry montane ecoregion. Continued settlement and urban sprawl threaten the area in the near future. Other causes for concern are wood collection for use as firewood and building materials, hunting, and collection of wild animals for sale as pets, especially the red-fronted macaw.

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