- Bahia coastal forests
The Bahia coastal forests are a tropical moist broadleaf forest
ecoregion of easternBrazil , part of the largerAtlantic Forest region.etting
The Bahia coastal forests occupy a belt approximately 150 km (90 miles) wide along the Atlantic coast of eastern Brazil, in the states of
Bahia andEspirito Santo . TheItapicuru River forms the northern boundary of the ecoregion, which extends south to near theItapemirim River . The ecoregion is bounded on the east by theAtlantic Ocean and the enclaves of theAtlantic Coast restingas forests andBahia mangroves . To the west, the forests transition to the drierBahia interior forests .The forests cover Tertiary sedimentary plateaus extending from near the seacoast westward to the lower slopes of the
Serra da Mantiqueira . The prevalent soils are tropical nutrient-poor yellow-redlatosol andpodzol s.Climate
The ecoregion has a
tropical climate with annual rainfall ranging from 1,200 to 1,800 mm, evenly distributed throughout the year. The southern portion of the ecoregion may experience a dry period from May through September.Flora
The four-tiered Atlantic evergreen moist forests are the predominant vegetation type.
Fauna
Endangered mammals in the ecoregion include the
Maned Three-toed Sloth "(Bradypus torquatus)" andGolden-headed Lion Tamarin "(Leontopithecus chrysomelas)."Conservation and threats
Less than 5% of the original forest cover remains intact. Protected areas in the ecoregion include
Sooretama Biological Reserve andLinhares Forest Reserve .References and external links
* [http://www.worldwildlife.org/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/nt/nt0103_full.html Bahia coastal forests (World Wildlife Fund)]
* [http://www.nationalgeographic.com/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/nt/nt0103.html Bahia coastal forests (National Geographic)]
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