The Guianan freshwater swamp forests form a narrow, near-coastal strip across northern Suriname, running from the Corantijn River on the Guyana border to the Marowijne River on the French Guiana border. This is a low, flat coastal plain of poorly drained, peat-covered soils that stay almost permanently flooded, producing freshwater swamp forests alongside swamp scrub and herbaceous swamp; characteristic trees include baboonwood (Virola surinamensis), chewstick (Symphonia globulifera), and the açaí palm (Euterpe oleracea), with peat often stunting the forest into a short-statured canopy. The climate is hot and wet and fully humid, with mean temperatures around 26 to 28 degrees Celsius and two rainy seasons (December to January and May to August) separated by short dry spells. Biodiversity is notable for its primates, with species such as the red-handed (Midas) tamarin, squirrel monkey, Guianan saki, brown capuchin, and red howler monkey, while the coastal plain is internationally important for waterbirds like the scarlet ibis; the brilliant-thighed poison frog is the ecoregion's flagship species. For gardeners, the native palm flora is the horticultural draw, including the ornamental açaí palm (Euterpe oleracea) and the buriti or moriche palm (Mauritia flexuosa).
Marker placed inside the RESOLVE 2017 polygon at 5.7°N, 55.7°W.
Climate snapshot for this ecoregion
°C
°F
Current zone range (2011–2040)
13b
Plotwright
CHELSA-derived typical winter month at this ecoregion's bbox grid.
Projected (2041–2070)
13b
Plotwright
Where the CHELSA models say the typical winter month is heading.
Average warming this ecoregion is on track for: +3.0°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
2,982 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
No catalog plants intersect this ecoregion's zone range. As the catalog grows to cover this region's climate band, suggestions will surface here.
Collections for this ecoregion
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: