The ecoregions of Bolivia and their characteristics

The southwestern Amazon rainforest or southwestern Amazon forest extends across the north of Bolivia and is a refuge for many species that are seriously threatened; as they can be:

• The sinner.
• The jaguar .
• The alligator.

In addition, there are different inventories showing that this ecoregion contains a great diversity of species of butterflies , fish , birds and plants, with many endemic species .

The Beni savannas or flooded savannas , in Peru this area is known as Sabana de Palmeras , they are an ecoregion that is located in the neotropical ecozone , extending through the Benian plain to the southwest of the Amazon basin and northeast of the Andes. It is practically spoken of a grassland formed by seasonal wetlands with large subtropical forests and savannas.

Here we tell you more about what are wetlands, their types and characteristics .

In the ecoregion of the humid tropical forest of Bolivia there is a great biodiversity . It is also characterized by frequent rainfall throughout the year and a climate with average temperatures between 25ºC and 27ºC.

We will tell you more about this type of natural region in these other articles on Tropical Forests: characteristics, flora and fauna and Why the conservation of tropical forests is important .

It is one of the most diverse ecoregions in Bolivia in terms of biodiversity, climate and topography, for example, it contains rainy valleys, mountains, forested and steep areas. The forests of this ecoregion called the Bolivian Yungas are characterized by presenting an altitudinal distribution in different vegetation levels.

The central Andean humid puna is one of the ecoregions of Bolivia formed by montane scrub and grasslands, it is not only found in Bolivia, but also in the Andes of Peru.

Its climate can vary between cold semi-arid and subtropical. The flora that characterizes it is formed by communities of wetlands, bouquets, herbaceous plants, small shrubs and trees. Some of the animal species in Bolivia, more specifically in this ecoregion, are all those species of Andean camelids, such as the llama or the guanaco , large mammals and a great variety of endemic birds.

In this Bolivian ecoregion called Andean central puna, scrublands and mountainous grasslands predominate , it is based on high mountains with permanent ice and snow, lakes, plateaus, preadows and valleys. The climate is cold semi-arid, and its endemic fauna includes the puna mouse and the Darwin area.

The Bolivian montane dry puna or, simply, the dry puna of Bolivia is characterized by being made up of scrub and grasslands. Its climate is cold desert and among its flora is very typical that found in wetlands and desert areas, there is also the presence of swamp vegetation, grassland species of the genus Festuca and Stipa, and there is also the plant woody Polylepis tarapacana. It is dominated by animal species such as camelids, puma and Andean fox, as well as three species of flamingos , among other birds.

The Chiquitano dry forest is the largest tropical dry forest in South America and practically almost its entire extension in the department of Santa Cruz, Bolivia .

Its vegetation ranges from semi-deciduous to deciduous with exclusive species, such as the yellow tararas, the South American oak, the momoqui and the purple, among others. It is an area with special commercial value since approximately more than 75% of the species in this forest are timber.

The Cerrado or Cerrado Bolivian savanna is a tropical savanna that extends in eastern Bolivia, although its greatest extension is in Brazil. In it there is a great biodiversity of animals and plants from Brazil and this area of ​​Bolivia, although this enormous biodiversity is constantly threatened by monocultures, extensive agriculture and the burning of vegetation for the production of charcoal.

The Bolivian chaco is an ecoregion that extends through the southern part of the eastern plains region of Bolivia . This ecoregion is characterized by a semi-arid climate and a low biodiversity of plant and animal species compared to other parts of the country. This area is of great importance to humans due to the concentration of existing oil and gas fields.

In the Bolivian Pantanal there are lagoons and lakes , flooded savannas, swamps, rivers, dry and closed forests. In the area of ​​the Bolivian ecoregion known as the Pantanal there is a great variety of magnificent plant and fish species, large mammals and birds.

In addition, we can find other areas also considered Bolivian ecoregions , such as deserts, lakes and salt flats . Here we mention some of these well-known areas:

• Atacama Desert
• Sechura Desert
• Titicaca lake
• Lago Uru Uru
• Salar de Uyuni
• Salar de Coipasa

After learning about all these natural regions of Bolivia, we encourage you to know these 13 animals in danger of extinction in Bolivia .

If you want to read more articles similar to The ecoregions of Bolivia and their characteristics , we recommend that you enter our Ecosystems category .