Tumbes-Piura dry forests
| Tumbes-Piura dry forests (NT0232) | |
|---|---|
Tumbes Region dry forest
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| Ecology | |
| Realm | Neotropical |
| Biome | Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests |
| Geography | |
| Area | 41,180 km2 (15,900 sq mi) |
| Countries | Ecuador, Peru |
| Coordinates | 5°44′10″S 80°21′40″W / 5.736°S 80.361°WCoordinates: 5°44′10″S 80°21′40″W / 5.736°S 80.361°W |
| Climate type | BWh: arid; desert; hot arid |
| Conservation | |
| Global 200 | Tumbesian-Andean Valleys Dry Forests |
The Tumbes-Piura dry forests (NT0232) is an arid tropical ecoregion along the Pacific coasts of southern Ecuador and northern Peru. The ecoregion contains many endemic species of flora and birds adapted to the short wet season followed by a long dry season. Threats include extraction of wood for fuel or furniture, and capture of wild birds for sale.
The Tumbes-Piura dry forests ecoregion has an area of 4,118,081 hectares (10,176,000 acres). The northern tip is in the southern coastal plain of Ecuador, while most of the ecoregion is in the northwestern coastal plain of Peru. It covers all or part of the regions of Tumbes, Piura, Lambayeque and Cajamarca in northern Peru. Further north the similar Ecuadorian dry forests extend along the coast of central Ecuador. The Andes rise to the east.
The northern tip of the ecoregion adjoins the Guayaquil flooded grasslands. In the north it is bounded to the west by a stretch of South American Pacific mangroves and to the east by Northwestern Andean montane forests. Further south the ecoregion reaches to the Pacific Ocean to the west, and adjoins Eastern Cordillera real montane forests to the east. Further south again it is bordered by Sechura Desert to the west and to the east by patches of Marañón dry forests, Peruvian Yungas and Cordillera Central páramo.
The terrain includes coastal lowlands, low undulating hills and the foothills of the Andes. The soils in the lower regions are mostly sand and clay formed during the recent Holocene epoch. Higher up the soils are made of Precambrian amphibolites, Paleozoic granites, Devonian quartzites and black slate, and Carboniferous dark limestone, sandstone and lutites. The main rivers, which mostly rise in Ecuador and flow throughout the year, are the Guayas, Zarumilla, Tumbes, Piura and Chira rivers. Other streams are seasonal, flowing only in the rainy season.
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