The Maranhão Babaçu forests stretch across northeastern and central Maranhão state and northern Piauí state in eastern Brazil, where they form a transition zone between the equatorial forests of the Amazon to the west, the Cerrado savannas to the south, and the Caatinga shrublands to the east. The defining plant is the babassu oil palm (Attalea speciosa), which forms extensive high-density stands; the western reaches hold tall moist evergreen and semi-deciduous forest, while the drier east grades into open woodlands, shrublands, and patches of dry savanna. The climate is strongly seasonal, with roughly 1,000 to 1,500 mm of rain falling over about six months followed by five to six months of drought. Much of the original forest has been lost to deforestation, and the ecoregion is classed as critically endangered; it is the stronghold of the critically endangered black bearded saki, a primate endemic to this corner of Brazil. Gardeners in suitable warm, seasonally dry climates may recognize a native here in the carnauba palm (Copernicia prunifera), the source of carnauba wax.
Marker placed inside the RESOLVE 2017 polygon at 4.3°S, 43.7°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: +3.7°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 Dry Broadleaf Forests
Realm
Neotropic
Approximate area
54,919 sq mi
Conservation tier
Nature Could Reach Half Protected (Dinerstein NNH 2)
About the tropical & subtropical dry broadleaf forests biome
Tropical forests that pass through a pronounced dry season, when many trees drop their leaves to conserve water. They hold high biodiversity but are among the most threatened tropical habitats, sensitive to fire and to clearing for agriculture.
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 dry broadleaf forests ecoregions to explore: