Catatumbo moist forests
| Catatumbo moist forests (NT0108) | |
|---|---|
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| Ecology | |
| Realm | Neotropical |
| Biome | Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests |
| Geography | |
| Area | 8,029 km2 (3,100 sq mi) |
| Countries | Venezuela, Colombia |
| Coordinates | 8°37′30″N 72°39′25″W / 8.625°N 72.657°WCoordinates: 8°37′30″N 72°39′25″W / 8.625°N 72.657°W |
| Climate type | Aw: equatorial, winter dry |
The Catatumbo moist forests (NT0108) is an ecoregion in Venezuela and Colombia to the west and east of Lake Maracaibo. It includes four regions of moist forest on slightly higher ground than the dry forest and mangroves that surround the lake. The forest has unique flora related to the flora of the Amazon basin. It is badly degraded due to farming, livestock grazing and oil exploration.
The Catatumbo moist forests ecoregion is in western Venezuela and northeastern Colombia found on both sides of Lake Maracaibo. To the west it extends to the foothills of the Cordillera Oriental of the Colombian Andes, and in the south reaches the foothills of the Venezuelan Andes. It has an area of 802,896 hectares (1,984,000 acres). In Venezuela the forest is in the states of Zulia and Lara. In Colombia it is in the Norte de Santander Department.
The moist forests are mainly found to the southwest of Lake Maracaibo, but include two patches to the east of the lake surrounded by Maracaibo dry forests. A strip of these dry forests runs through the western section of the Catatumbo moist forests. To the west the forests give way to the Cordillera Oriental montane forests and to the south to the Venezuelan Andes montane forests. Along the west shore of Lake Maracaibo the forests adjoin a belt of Amazon-Orinoco-Southern Caribbean mangroves.
The moist forest is found on higher land among the dry forests of the southern Maracaibo basin, and on the foothills of the mountains to the west and south. The largest block has a V shape, covering the foothills and lower valleys of the Cordillera Oriental and the Cordillera de Merida, which extend to the north and east respectively. Between this block and Lake Maracaibo there is another block on land with elevations of 100–300 metres (330–980 ft). On the east side of the lake there are blocks of moist forest on the 1,900 metres (6,200 ft) Cerro Cerrón and on a hill reaching 1,578 metres (5,177 ft) in the northern foothills of the Cordillera de Mérida. Rivers crossing the south and west of the ecoregion include the Catatumbo, Bravo and Onia. The Palmar, Apón and Santa Ana rivers have their sources in the Serranía del Perijá.
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Wikipedia