The Pernambuco coastal forests occupy an 80-kilometer-wide strip along the Atlantic coast of northeastern Brazil, spanning the states of Pernambuco, Alagoas, and Paraiba between the Goiana River to the north and the Mundau River to the south. Part of the South American Atlantic Forest, this is a four-stratum evergreen Atlantic moist forest with emergent trees exceeding 35 meters and a canopy of legumes, evergreens, and Brazil nut, rising from near sea level to the windward slopes of the Borborema Plateau at 600 to 800 meters. The climate is tropical, with annual rainfall of roughly 1,750 to 2,000 millimeters and a dry period from October through January. The ecoregion is a recognized endemic bird area that harbors thirteen threatened bird species and shelters the last Atlantic Forest populations of the red-handed howler monkey and the blond capuchin. Centuries of clearing, first for pau-brasil and later for sugarcane, have left only small, scattered forest remnants, most under ten square kilometers, making this one of the most heavily reduced forests on the continent.
Marker placed inside the RESOLVE 2017 polygon at 8.9°S, 35.6°W.
Climate snapshot for this ecoregion
°C
°F
Current zone range (2011–2040)
13a-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: +2.7°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 Moist Broadleaf Forests
Realm
Neotropic
Approximate area
6,785 sq mi
Conservation tier
Nature Could Recover (Dinerstein NNH 3)
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: