The Cordillera Oriental montane forests stretch along the eastern slopes of the Andean Cordillera Oriental across Colombia and Venezuela, taking in distinct sections such as the Serranía del Perijá in the north and the Serranía de la Macarena to the south. At lower elevations the slopes carry dense premontane and montane moist forest that gives way upslope to temperate oak forests and then stunted elfin forests, before yielding to ericaceous scrub and high-altitude páramo near the peaks. The climate is warm and humid through the lower belts, cooling steadily with the steep elevational gradient that runs from foothills up toward snow-touched summits. The ecoregion is notably rich, holding hundreds of bird species and a high diversity of palms (family Arecaceae) along with members of the mahogany family (Meliaceae); it shelters fauna such as the spectacled bear and Andean condor, yet the World Wildlife Fund rates it Vulnerable, with roughly 60% of its original Colombian ecosystems already altered. For gardeners, the region is home to Andean oak forests and a wealth of native palms, hinting at the montane plant lineages that thrive in its cool, moist conditions.
Marker placed inside the RESOLVE 2017 polygon at 5.1°N, 73.2°W.
Climate snapshot for this ecoregion
°C
°F
Current zone range (2011–2040)
11b-13b
Plotwright
CHELSA-derived typical winter month at this ecoregion's bbox grid.
Projected (2041–2070)
11b-13b
Plotwright
Where the CHELSA models say the typical winter month is heading.
Average warming this ecoregion is on track for: +3.3°F by mid-century. SSP3-7.0 (current trajectory) · CHELSA v2.1 bio06 sampled across 10 of 10 points within this ecoregion's bounding box.
At a glance
Dominant biome
Tropical & Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests
Realm
Neotropic
Approximate area
26,228 sq mi
Conservation tier
Nature Could Reach Half Protected (Dinerstein NNH 2)
About the tropical & subtropical moist broadleaf forests biome
Warm, wet, highly productive forests — including tropical rainforests — with closed canopies, near year-round growing seasons, and the richest terrestrial biodiversity on Earth. Low seasonality and high rainfall sustain dense, layered vegetation from canopy to forest floor.
Catalog plants suited to this ecoregion
Computed from each plant's stated USDA zone range against this ecoregion's CHELSA-derived current zone range, with the CHELSA mid-century warming delta applied for the projection. Plants whose stated range falls outside both the current and projected zone end up dropped; the rest land in one of the three buckets below.
Climate-resilient picks · 52
These plants fit this ecoregion today AND remain in range under the mid-century SSP3-7.0 projection. Lead with these for a planting that holds up as the climate shifts.
No curated collection's plants all fit this ecoregion's zone range. We surface a collection only when every member would grow here — partial fits get filtered out rather than mislead. As the catalog and the curated set both grow, this section will fill in.
Related ecoregions
Other tropical & subtropical moist broadleaf forests ecoregions to explore: