Pernambuco interior forests

Pernambuco interior forests
Pernambuco interior forest in Pedra Talhada Biological Reserve, Brazil.
Pernambuco interior forests ecoregion as defined by WWF.
Ecology
Biome	Atlantic Forest
Borders	Caatinga, Pernambuco coastal forests and Southern Atlantic mangroves
Bird species	343
Mammal species	132
Geography
Area	22,792 km2 (8,800 sq mi)
Country	Brazil
States	Sergipe, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Paraíba and Rio Grande do Norte
Conservation
Conservation status	Critical/Endangered
Habitat loss	95%
Protected	0,39%

The "Pernambuco" interior forests (in reality Paraiba and Pernambuco forest/states and not only "Pernambuco") is an ecoregion of the Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Biome, and the South American Atlantic Forest biome. It lies in eastern Brazil between the coastal Pernambuco coastal forests and the dry Caatinga shrublands of Brazil's interior.

The Pernambuco interior forests cover an area of 22,700 square kilometers (8,800 sq mi), extending across portions of Paraíba, Pernambuco, and Alagoas states. They extend from the Curimataú River in the north to the São Francisco River in the south.

The Pernambuco interior forests lie inland from the Pernambuco coastal forests, extending from sedimentary plateaus near the coast up the eastern slopes of the Borborema Plateau. In the northern portion of the ecoregion, the interior forests lie close to the coast, just behind the coastal Rio Piranhas mangroves and Atlantic coast restingas.

The climate is tropical. Annual rainfall ranges from 1,250 to 1,750 mm, with a dry season from October to March.

The predominant forest type is the four-tiered (emergent, canopy, understory, and forest floor) Atlantic semi-deciduous forest, with emergent trees reaching up to 35 metres (115 ft). Many trees shed their leaves during the October to March dry season.

Characteristic emergent and canopy trees include Astronium fraxinifolium (family Anacardiaceae), Enterolobium contortisiliquum (Leguminosae), Cordia trichotoma (Boraginaceae), and Tabebuia chrysotricha (Bignoniaceae). The Pernambuco interior forests are home to the largest remaining populations of Brazilwood or Pau-Brasil, (Caesalphinia echinata)