Guiana wet forests

The ecological region of the Guiana wet forests covers most of Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, covers part of eastern Venezuela and northern Brazil (the states of Para and Amapa ). The total forest area is 51,281,764 ha. ^[one]

Along the Atlantic coast in the east and in the northeast, it borders with Guiana freshwater swamp forests, mangroves of the Amazon-Orinoco-South Caribbean and swamps of the Orinoco delta; in the northwest, it adjoins the ecological region of Llanos , the Guiana foothill and lowland rainforests and the Guiana highland rainforests. In the southwest and sometimes in the south it borders on the Guiana savannah. In the south lies the border with the wet forests of Uatima-Trombetas ^[2] .

The ecological region is located east of the Orinoco Basin and covers about 65% of the north-eastern part of the ancient Guiana Plateau . In the south it is bounded by the Akarai and Tumuk-Umak ranges, the border defines the edge of the Amazon lowland and the northern border of Brazil. A small part of the forests is located in the lower Amazon. The rivers Essexibo , Corantein , Maroni and Oyapok flow through the territory of the Guiana wet forests and flow into the Atlantic Ocean ^[3] .

The terrain is mainly plains or low hills, there are tepui . In the west-central part of the region is Serra Pakaraima - a mountain range with an average height of 1000 meters ^[3] .

Guiana rainforests are located in the neotropics and in the rainforest region. ^[1] This region is part of the global ecological region of Guiana's rainforests, which also includes the Paramaribo wetlands and the swamps of the Orinoco Delta. ^[four]

Climate

According to the Köpplen climate classification - “Af”: equatorial, completely humid. ^[5] Northeastern trade winds bring moisture from the Atlantic Ocean. The annual rainfall ranges from 2000 to 4000 mm with two rainy seasons in December-January and May-August. ^[3] In Suriname Central Reserve, the temperature fluctuates slightly. The minimum average annual temperature is 21.5 ° C, the maximum is 30.5 ° C. with an average of 26C. Annual rainfall is 2700 mm. The monthly rainfall varies from 54.3 mm in October to 406.3 mm in May. ^[five]

Flora

The region is located mainly on the territory of lowland or foothill tropical forests. In total, about 8,000 plant species are known, the plant world is diverse. The upper tiers of the forest can reach a height of 40 meters. Trees are mostly evergreen, but may drop leaves during the dry season. Many epiphytes grow on trees; there is a wide variety of parasites. ^[3]

The most common families are: bignoniaceae , bombaxia , euphorbiaceae , mulberry , sterulaceae, laurel , lice , lapis , lecithis , legumes , combret , cashew , madder , melia , sapindia , annova and palm . ^[3]

A large variety of plants is observed in the south and in the commune of Sayul in the central part of French Guiana. There are more than 150 endemic plants and plants adapted to moderate temperatures in the Sayul commune. Various types of palm trees are also widespread on the territory of the commune, including Astrocaryum mumbaca , Astrocaryum munbaca , Maximiliana maripa , Iriartea excrrhiza and Bactris sphaerocarpa , which are not found in Suriname. ^[3]

Forests contain patches of savannah; this phenomenon is especially common in Suriname, where in the Pleistocene savannah occupied almost the entire territory, with the exception of river valleys and high mountain refugiums . At the beginning of the Holocene, the climate changed to the present, and now savannas occupy only 1% of the country's territory. Despite its small area, Suriname has more than 800 savannah species of plants. ^[3]

Fauna

In Guyana alone, more than 220 species of mammals have been identified, more than a hundred of which are bats. Among the endemic species, one can note the red mouse possum ( Marmosa lepida ), the six-lipped armadillo ( Euphractus sexcinctus ), the red-armed tamarin ( Saguinus midas ), the pale saki ( Pithecia pithecia ), the red-faced koata ( Ateles paniscus ), squirrel- scusi kusiurus ( pusillus albus ), Oligoryzomys delicatus , Guiana bristle mouse ( Neacomys guianae ), Baja porcupine ( Coendou insidiosus ), white-faced wood rat ( Echimys chrysurus ), leaf-bearing Schultz mouse ( Lophostoma schulzi ) and red-headed muzzle ( Molossops neglectus ). ^[3] Among rare mammals, black-backed saki ( Chiropotes satanas ) and the Brazilian otter (Pteronura brasiliensis) can also be noted. ^[6]

These forests are also characterized by a wide variety of bird species: a similar number is observed in Guyana and the northern Andes, among them one can distinguish a Guianian rock cockerel ( Rupicola rupicola ) or goatsin ( Opisthocomus hoazin ) on the Amazon lowland . Among predators there are harpies ( Harpia harpyja ) and crested eagles ( Morphnus guianensis ). ^[3] Solar aratinga ( Aatinga solstitialis ) and yellow-bellied reel oatmeal ( Sporophila nigricollis ) are threatened with extinction. ^[6]

Endangered black caiman ( Melanosuchus niger ) and yellow-spotted river turtles ( Podocnemis unifilis ), tree frogs , tree frogs (Dendrobatidae) and whistle also inhabit the forests. ^[3]

The World Wildlife Fund assessed the state of this ecological region as “relatively stable.” ^[3] In 1996, certain measures were taken to protect the forest from illegal logging. Several nature protection zones were organized in Suriname in connection with the increase in "anthropogenic pressure on the environment." Guyana is a major exporter of wild birds. The main threats come from illegal gold mining and deforestation along the uncontrolled Guyana-Venezuelan and Guyana-Brazilian borders. ^[3]

• Guianan moist forests , Myers Enterprises II , < http://www.globalspecies.org/ecoregions/display/NT0125 > . Retrieved April 3, 2017.  
• Guianan Moist Forests , WWF Global , < http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/ecoregions/guianan_moist_forests.cfm > . Retrieved May 22, 2017.   Archived June 5, 2017 on the Wayback Machine
• Schipper, Jan; Teunissen, Pieter & Lim, Burton, Northern South America: Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, northern Brazil, and eastern Venezuela (NT0125) , < http://www.worldwildlife.org/ecoregions/nt0125 > . Retrieved April 3, 2017.  
• WildFinder , WWF: World Wildlife Fund , < http://www.worldwildlife.org/science/wildfinder/ > . Retrieved March 25, 2017.