Ecuadorian dry forests
| Ecuadorian dry forests (NT0214) | |
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Coast of Machalilla National Park
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Location in northwest South America
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| Ecology | |
| Realm | Neotropical |
| Biome | Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests |
| Geography | |
| Area | 21,238 km2 (8,200 sq mi) |
| Countries | Ecuador |
| Coordinates | 1°20′56″S 80°19′59″W / 1.349°S 80.333°WCoordinates: 1°20′56″S 80°19′59″W / 1.349°S 80.333°W |
| Climate type | Aw: equatorial, dry winter |
| Conservation | |
| Global 200 | Tumbesian-Andean Valleys Dry Forests |
The Ecuadorian dry forests (NT0214) is an ecoregion near the Pacific coast of the Ecuador. The habitat has been occupied by people for centuries and has been severely damaged by deforestation, overgrazing and hillside erosion due to unsustainable agriculture. Only 1% of the original forest remains. The patches of forest, mostly secondary growth, are fragmented. They are home to many endemic species at risk of extinction.
The Ecuadorian dry forests have an area of 2,123,790 hectares (5,248,000 acres). The ecoregion is mainly along the Pacific coast of central Ecuador to the north and west of Guayaquil, with a section to the east of Guayaquil. The western area is in the Cordillera de la Costa (Coastal Range) mountains. The western portion is bounded to the east by Western Ecuador moist forests. It adjoins South American Pacific mangroves along sections of the coast. The eastern portion is also bounded to the east by Western Ecuador moist forests, but to the west is bounded by Guayaquil flooded grasslands. Further south the similar Tumbes-Piura dry forests extend across the border with Peru.
The ecoregion covers land that slopes down from the western foothills of the Andes to the Pacific Ocean. The higher land receives more rain. The Köppen climate classification is "Aw": equatorial, dry winter. At a sample location at coordinates 1°15′S 80°15′W / 1.25°S 80.25°W average monthly temperatures ranged from 24.9 °C (76.8 °F) in June to 26.1 °C (79.0 °F) in February. Mean annual temperature was about 25.5 °C (77.9 °F).
The Ecuadorian dry forests are in the neotropical realm, in the tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests biome. The ecoregion is part of the Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena biodiversity hotspot, one of 25 biogeographic regions globally that have with a significant reservoir of biodiversity under threat from humans. The ecoregion is part of the 103,000 square kilometres (40,000 sq mi) Tumbesian-Andean Valleys Dry Forests global ecoregion, which holds six terrestrial ecoregions: Tumbes-Piura dry forests, Ecuadorian dry forests, Patía Valley dry forests, Magdalena Valley dry forests, Cauca Valley dry forests and Marañón dry forests. The fauna and flora of the global ecoregion have high levels of endemism.
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Wikipedia