The greater tropical forest of the world

The forest occupies an area of 5 million km2, of which 80% are in Brazilian territory, it includes 5% of the terrestrial surface of the world and 40% of South America. It is the major and more preserved tropical forest of the world. Its fluvial river basin is made up of more than thousand rivers, with 20% of the superficial fresh water of the world, turns which it into the greater hydrographic network of the planet. Is thought that the forest owns 30% of the biodiversity of the world (especially of plants and insects), turns which it into the greater reserve of biodiversity of the world, and near a 50% of its species they have been only identified by science.

Regal Vitoria Amazonia

Geologic and geomorphological processes of make million years are what they have originated the present topography. In past times the Amazonian river basin was covered by a great lake with the name of “Belterra�. The shock of the South American plate with another one in the Pacific Ocean makes 80 million years caused that the $andes rose and the modern rivers began to dig their beds, thus arose three types characteristic of bioma of the Amazonia: plateaus of height (planaltos), plains and depressions.

The ecosystem of the called Amazonia Mainland occupies the majority of the 5 million km2 gives Amazonia. This is a floresta that never is flooded and it extends on a great plain of up to 130 - 200 ms of altitude, until the skirts of mountains. This ecosystem of the Amazonia has innumerable adaptations to the poverty in nutrients, since the trees compose that it are able to supply themselves with nitrates through fijadoras nitrogen bacteria, that are ligatures to their roots. This especially rich amazonian floresta in epifitas aráceas, is, comparing it with the Atlantic Forest, relatively poor in it jokes them and orchids. In the subforest of the floresta, they honor especially the palms and lianas.

The ecosystem of the called Amazonia Várzea is areas periodically flooded by white or turbid waters of rivers, like the Solimões, the Amazon or the Madeira. These rivers cross rich mineral earth and organic suspensions. The white fertility of this water and aluvionales grounds brought by the same does that the flora and fauna of this part of the Amazonia are one of richest and productive. The rivers are rich in fish and are several species of aquatic mammals, like the dolphins of river, peixe-boi, ariranha and the otters. In the birds the aquatic birds predominate, such as the herons, biguás, jaçanãs, mucurungos and ducks. The high productivity of the Amazonian Floresta of várzea made an indigenous population possible, quite dense in the days of the discovery.

The ecosystem of the called Amazonia Igapó is areas permanently flooded by clear waters of rivers that lower of the Central Plateau in the North direction like the Tapajós, the Tocantins, Xingu or Araguaia and by waters of black rivers which they lower of the Plateau of Guianas in the South direction, like the Negro river. As much the clear water rivers as the black water rivers are poor in minerals and nutrients. Consequently, the flora and fauna of this part give Amazonia, different from the várzea, also are one of poorest. Some trees own great resistance to the prolonged floods and survive several years of permanent immersion.

The ecosystem of the called Amazonia Igarapé is characterized by small rivers that cross the florestas of Várzea. There enormous trees develop, like a maparajuba, that gets to have 40 ms of height.

The ecosystem of the called Amazonia Closed has a floresta loss with trees small and doublings. This floresta is in the northeast and the Central Plateau gives Amazonia, with an area of approximately 200 million of you have.
The ecosystem of the called Amazonia Caatinga appears as a formation of a bush and thorny layer with hard leaves, located on white sands of the Negro river.

The numbers of the biodiversity of the amazonian flora and the fauna make an impression. The scientists suppose that the biodiversity of high plants is of more than 30,000 species. Many of these species have economic value like wood, food or medicine.

In waters of the Amazon they live more than 2000 species on fish, even primitive arapaima giant, the fish pavón, fish and electrical eels, pirañas and many beautiful fish, the favorites in the tropical aquariums.
More than 200 species of reptiles they include the great black cayman and the famous serpent anaconda. They are more than 300 species of amphibians, among them pretty frogs.

Also they have been identified in the forest more than 300 species of mammals. Some are aquatic, like the dolphins of river and the manatíes, others live near the water like the otters, tapires, the capybaras and pacas, and others live more in the trees, like the arborícolas monkeys, sluggish and rats.

To the observers of birds they will enchant to them more than 1000 species than they can be seen and be heard in the Amazonia, between which primitive hoatzin, the gallito of the rock, the Capucin bird with his mugido and uirapuru with its tuna trill. And there are, by all means, very many insects.

The main front doors to the Brazilian Amazonian river basin are Manaus, Santarém and Bethlehem (in the opening of the Amazon), but those that wish to also see a different Amazonia must consider Porto Velho (Rondônia), Cuiabá (I kill Grosso) and Palms (Tocantins).

In the neighborhood of the great cities the primary forest does not exist more; it is necessary to penetrate more to see the true jungle. For this, it is possible to be stayed in the hotels of the forest, to make cruises in boat, expeditions in canoe, a trip in small airplanes to the cities of the border, from where an exploration can be begun. The visits to the indigenous reserves require special permissions. There are also communitarian projects of eco-tourism for which they want to feel the true Amazonia. 

 

The most threatened the more important Tropical Forest and

The six Atlantic Mata is most important of biomas Brazilian, due to the exceptional wealth in biodiversity of its ecosystems, their natural beauty and to the universal value for the humanity, although to a great extent it has been deforested and at present she is one of the threatened forests more of the world. It of all the Brazilian coast extended long occupying a region of near 1,1 million km2. To cover a so great area, one is made up of several secondary ecosystems: plateaus (Bay), plateaus, low earth, hills, tropical and subtropical forest (inner of Sao Paulo, Parana), dense forest. It is possible also to be seen bogs, mangles, restingas and beaches, where the forest finds the sea.

In spite of being less well-known internationally than the Amazonia, and forming with her the two majors and more important tropical florestas of the South American continent, the Atlantic Forest is the floresta-mother of the Brazilian nation. At the time of the arrival of the Portuguese, in 1500, this floresta extended continuous by more than 1.300.000 km2s, area twice greater than France, which corresponds to approximately 15% of the Brazilian present territory. Of the original cover of 1.300.000 km2s they are nowadays only 8% in the coast of the states of San Pablo, Rio de Janeiro and Parana (Reserves of the Southeast) and a small part in the south of Bay (Coast of the Discovery).

It kills Atlantic

Still today, which is of the forest testifies its past glory and competes with the Amazonia with regard to the biodiversity and to its beauty. As most of the present forest is located in hills and mountains, more light penetrates in its diverse layers and many trees are full of epifitos. The enormous variety of orchids and bromelias is typical of an Atlantic forest preserved good. Half of the trees and two thirds of bromelias and palms are endemic only species. With more than 450 especies/ha in some places, the biodiversity is major that in the Amazonia. Its structure and composition vary as grounds and the found climatic conditions in a determining topographic gradient.

Due to extreme environmental variations in this bioma, its biodiversity is extremely high. The Atlantic Forest shelters near 250 species of mammals, 340 amphibians, 1023 birds and approximately 20,000 trees. Half of the species of trees and 80% of the primates are endemic.

There are more than 800 species of birds registered in Atlantic Mata, from the majestic and very rare eagle arpia to the very small small hermit rufo (a colibrí of 8 cm.). Colorful groups of tángaras fly of tree in tree in search of fruits foods; trepatroncos and anthills look for insects in trunks and branches and the sad one whistled of anambé black and gilded resonates by the dense forest.

The list of mammals of Atlantic Mata has more than 150 species, but many are aloof nocturnes and. More of a third of the mammals in danger in Brazil they are endemic of this unique ecosystem. They stand out seriously threatened titíes lion the golden and the greatest monkey of Suramérica, “muriqui� or coal monkey. Atlantic Mata is also rich in reptiles, amphibians and butterflies.

Great part of the forest that covered the region to the north with Salvador does not exist more. The states of River, San Paulo and Parana have the greater portion than it is of the forest, thanks, partly, to the inaccessibility of some of these areas. In the south of Bay, the fact that the cacao plantations needed shade has helped very many the survival of the forest, because only the weeds were cleared to establish the plantations.

 

The Brazilian savannahs

The heart of Brazil, the Closed one, covers an equal area to the one with Western Europe (2 million km2) and it assumes that he is one of the oldest ecosystems of the South-American continent. For a long time it was seen like a “empty space�, but not only it is an area of enormous ecological importance, but it has many places of spectacular beauty.

It is located in the great plate of planalto central Brazilian. To make border with biomas Atlantic Forest, Caatinga, Amazonía and Pantanal, the fauna and flora of the Closed one are extremely rich. The climate of the Closed one is very hot and semi-humid.

Flowers of the Closed Bioma

The Closed one is the second Brazilian major bioma with a total area of approximately 2 million km2 (20% of the Brazilian territory), of which 300,000 km2s were recognized in 1993 like Biosphere Reserve.

The Closed one is a formation of very old vegetation and some scientists even affirm that he could have existed in a prototype form before the separation between Suramérica and Africa. What yes it is certain is that there was a dynamic interaction between the Closed one and the tropical forest during the age of the ice.

The Closed one is characterized by great extensions covered with phantasmagoric vegetation, an apparently barren ground and little life visible animal. Their trees and shrubs have the appearance that we were used to attributing to a vegetation that lives in atmospheres where the water is little. But the water is not the limiting factor of the Closed one (different from the Caatinga). Until in the dry station, the ground contains an appreciable amount of humidity, from 2 ms of depth. The problem of the Closed one is the lack of nutrients in the ground, the excessive acidity and the great amount of aluminum, toxic substance for the majority of vegetables. All these factors give to the plants the xeromórfico aspect: heavy crust, twisted roosters and small bearing.

The Closed one is a true mosaic of formation vegetal, that goes from “cerradão� (with high trees, densidad greater and different composition), happening through the common closed one but of central Brazil (with low trees and you scatter), until the “closed field�, “dirty field� and “clean field� (with progressive reduction of the arboreal densidad). Along the rivers there are forest fisiognomías, well-known as “florestas of ciliary gallery� or “bushes�.

Another important factor in the characterization of the Closed one is the fire, that gets to appear in the form of spontaneous fires at times of drought. The vegetation of the Closed one already is adapted to the burned ones, as it demonstrates the later sprouts again, mainly of the pulses. Like any savannah, the ecosystem of the Closed one has adapted to fires, the trees have resistant crusts to the fire and many plants have deep roots allow that them to resurge of ashes.

The springs of many of the main rivers of Brazil, with the remarkable exception of the Amazon, that is born in the $andes, can be found in the plateaus of the Closed one.

The Brazilian Closed one is recognized as the richest savannah of the world in biodiversity with the presence of diverse ecosystems, riquísima flora with more than 10,000 species of plants, with 4,400 endemic ones (exclusive) of this area. The fauna of the Closed one presents/displays 837 species of birds; 67 sorts of mammals, 150 species of amphibians, of which 45 endemic ones; 120 species of reptiles, of which 45 endemic ones. There are 90 species of ants, 1000 species of butterflies and 500 species of bees.

The list of birds of the Closed one is extensive, very varied and includes more than 800 species. The typical typical great birds of the Closed one are the great ñandú and chuña of red legs. Many they appear in other ecosystems, but this one is not the case of rare birds like the Brazilian serreta and churrín of Brasilia.
For the majority of the great South-American mammals, the Closed one is a very important habitat. This includes the elegant wolf of horsehair, the impressive giant armadillo, the giant anteater, tapir, several species of red deers and felines like jaguars and pumas. The monkeys as titíes and the howling black also can be found in the areas of denser vegetation.

Very visible in the Closed one they are the knolls of thermites and cutting ants of leaves. The thermites and the ants are not only food for many animal, but also responsible for the re-engineering of the landscape, providing new opportunities for the plants.

There are many wonderful destinies in the Brazilian Closed one. It has, by all means, a variable fauna. But also they impress the uneven landscapes, old cliffs and high high cascades. The variety of the vegetation also will surprise to him: the pretty paths (areas flooded grassy with elegant palms of fish glue), gardens of many colorful wild flowers and kitchen gardens of small trees that produce exotic fruits.

The white forest

Caatinga in the indigenous language tupi-guarani means White Forest, is located in the Brazilian northeastern region between the Atlantic Forest and the Closed one. The Caatinga is a savannah with appearance of desert, that characterizes by a semi-arid climate with few and irregular precipitations, quite fertile grounds and a vegetation apparently dries.

In the long dry station, the majority of the thorny shrubs, scrubs and contorcidos trees of the Caatinga loses their leaves and a set of trunks and gray and white small branches is seen. But it is enough with raining and the streams begin to flow, the pools fill and the Caatinga everything becomes a delicate green carpet suddenly.

Flowers Cactus of Caatinga

Bioma Caatinga includes near 850,000 km2s (10% of the Brazilian territory), of which 200,000 km2s, in 2001, were recognized like Biosphere Reserve.

The Caatinga presents/displays three extracts: arboreal (8 to 12 ms), bush (2 to 5 ms) and herbaceous (below 2 ms). The vegetation adapted to the dry climate to protect itself. The leaves, for example, are fine or nonexistent. Some plants store water, like the cactus, others are characterized to have roots in the surface of the ground to practically absorb the maximum of rain. The majority of the animal of the Caatinga has habits nocturnes.

Although the ecosystem or bioma Caatinga is little well-known, the existing studies identify a quite ample range of species until now. The biodiversity of the Caatinga is made up of minimum 1200 species of plants you will tilt, 185 species of fish, 44 lizards, 9 amphisbaenians, 47 serpents, 4 tartarugas, 3 crocodilos, 49 amphibians, 350 birds and 80 mammals. The percentage of endemismo is very high between the plants you will tilt (apr. 30%), and minor in the case of the vertebrates (up to 10%).

In spite of its prohibitive aspect, the Caatinga is a fascinating place to visit by virtue of its flora and fauna, of its showy geologic landscapes and important formation, its archaeological deposits and their importance in history and the Brazilian culture.

The region occupies near 11% of the Brazilian territory, but a considerable part has been altered by the human occupation: in spite of the dry climate, the Caatinga has relatively fertile grounds.
Near a third of 1200 species of plants you will tilt of the Caatinga are endemic, many of them are medicinal.

The flora of the Caatinga includes many species of the cactus. Some of them grow as much that they reach a height greater than the other vegetation. Mandacaru, a cactus that blooms at night, reaches the size of a small tree (up to 8 meters). Another great cactus, the Xique-xique, has long and acute white thorns that give a silver-plated brightness him. It tends to grow less than mandacuru, but it can arrive at 4 ms. The third great cactus common in the region, is facheiro, that very combustible and is used as it makes a torch.

The Caatinga is also the Earth of the famous nut of Brazil and the bougainvillea.
The Caatinga drought is an ideal habitat for the reptiles (near 100 species), can be observed many types of lizards crawling by rocks. Although mammalian greater, such as pumas also circulates around the region, it is easier to see mammalian smaller like the graceful Guinea pig snot, that lives in groups near rocky places and is endemic in the Brazilian Northeast.

The birds are relatively easy to see themselves in this rustic earth. The list of birds of the Caatinga has 350 species and includes birds of prey as the eagle dwells, the real condor and the hawk guaicuru, whose song supposedly announces the dry station, guacamayo Indian, in extinction danger, the bell founder blacksmith, with a song that sounds to a hammer striking an anvil, the typical magpie of white neck, the red cardinal of hood, chuña of red legs and trepatronco mustached.

In Brazil you also can find tracks of the past distant throughout. There are many deposits with engravings (Ingá) or cave paintings (Mountain range of Capivara, Sete Cidades, Lajedo de Soledade) and fossils of dinosaurios or other enormous prehistoric animal (Souza, São Rafael, Plated of Araripe).
Many of the interesting sites of the Caatinga can easily be visited in short trips from the coast of the Northeast. 

 

The greater internal delta of the world

With its 250,000 km2s the greater easily flooded surface of the world, divided between Brazil (60%), Paraguay and Bolivia is considered. The Brazilian part is located in the Barber's bowl of the High Paraguay River, in the Region Center - the West. Due to its proximity to the ecosystem Amazonia, the biodiversity of the Pantanal is spectacular. The origins of these humid earth probably go back to the time at which there was a great inner sea in the South-American continent, that was known him like: “Sea of the Xaraes�.

In the Pantanal the life follows a cycle annual of ascents and slopes of waters, dictated in rains and the course of the river of Paraguay and its many affluents. In the rainy season - harder of October to March - the rivers slowly raise and flood the level ones with an average of one to three meters of water. At the end of the rainy season only small islands and hills follow droughts.

The level ground of the alluvial one of the Pantanal is very thick, 83 ms of sediment, and permeable have been registered. Therefore, as soon as they stop rains and the rivers diminish their volume, the Earth begins to dry itself quickly, the small landscape changes and we see Lagos and pools in means of the grass and forests.

Pantanal

The Pantanal is a complex of ecosystems, where plants and animal of the several converge around biomas of his. In its southwestern border, Bolivia and Paraguay, are the Chaco, a dry forest, characterized by the trees of quebrachoy white quebracho, both of the family of the nut of Brazil, the cactus and bromelias. Its northwest is influenced by the amazonian species like the regal victory, whereas its Northeast is stuck to the Brazilian savannah (Closed), another dry forest.

The diversity of the vegetation, the rich ground and the abundance of water attract and maintain the variety and the great abundance of animal. Most of the fauna also can be found in other parts of Brazil, but only in the Pantanal in so great amounts.

The nature repeats, annually, the spectacle of the fillings, providing to the Pantanal the renovation of the fauna and local flora. This enormous volume of water, that practically covers all the region with the Pantanal, forms a true fresh water sea where millares of fish proliferates. Small fish serve as food to the species majors or the birds and animal. When the period of the evacuating begins, a great amount of fish is in lagoons or bays, not being able to return to the rivers. During months, carnivorous birds and animal (jacares, ariranhas and others), have a rich food to their disposition.

The jacare of the Pantanal, is practically inoffensive to the human being, reaches 2.5 meters in length and it is fed on fish. Another jacare, the denominated one: açu, is greater reaches 6 ms of length, can change of color to camouflage itself and it only attacks when it feels threatened. Where there is many jacares are few pirañas. Another important predator aquatic and semi-terrestrial is sucuri amarela (species of anaconda) that measures up to 4.5 ms compared with sucuri amazonian, that measures up to 10 ms, rarely attacks people. The greater fish of the Pantanal is the jaú, a giant catfish that weighs up to 120 kg, and arrives at 1.5 ms of length. Typical birds of the Pantanal are the tuiuiú (bird symbol of the Pantanal), colhereiro and it would plow blue. Although the king of the Pantanal is the jaguar (Panthera onca). A species threatened, although still relatively abundant in moist soils, is recovering slowly by virtue of the diminution of the hunting, consequently more visitors have the luck to see this impressive feline. Other great mammals are the giant anteater, tapir and two species of red deers. The mammals of medium size include the capybara (the greatest rodent of the world), the wild mount dog, pigs, smaller armadillos, otters and several felines. Of the monkeys, greatest it is the howling black, whose shout can be heard of very far.

The waters and the fish attract diverse species of birds in amounts, like great storks and herons, elegant ibis, ducks, chajás, tuna and noisy guacamayos, papagayos, periquitos and toucans. There are also impressive birds of prey and charmers small birds. Throughout, the abundance of birds is impressive, with many nests in enormous colonies, which supposes to go and to come constant throughout the day. When the waters are low and the fish remain in Lagos, all the aquatic birds concentrate themselves in the borders.

The inhabitants of the Pantanal dedicate their activity to the cattle ranch, the alluvial grounds are excellent for I graze, the life style has not changed there in excess from century XVII. The pantaneiros, cattle tenders of the Pantanal are those that take care of of near 6 million heads. The cattle coexists pacifically with the fauna of the region. Another activity also practiced as half of survival is the fishing.
A paradise that we must take care of between all, reason why the bet must of always responsible being supported on a sustainable tourism, that in the long term benefits to all, since luckyly today we counted on a paradise of the nature, and we want to continue counting in the future on this wonder of the nature, and that the visitors can enjoy the photographic eco-tourism and safaris.

 

The region gaucha of Brazil

Quechua is a word, hibridado with plural the Castilian that the Spaniards gave the natives who populated Pampas. In quechua, the term Pampas (or bamba) means plain, especially plain between mountains. Of this form the Spaniards who lowered in century XVI from the Andean region called thus to the great plains without you afforest important that they exist in center of the South Cone (by metonimia, thus also they called to the natives that in them lived, the Pampas).

It is the Brazilian ecosystem with smaller surface compared with the rest of biomas. They are placed in the end his of Brazil, his territory one confines to the state of Rio Grande do Sul and occupies a 63% of the territory of this State, these tuna pastures limit the north with forests of araucaria and guns.

Pampas

The Pampas of Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil, represent one of the regions of pastures greater temperings of the world. The biodiversity of these pastures is conspicuous, and includes, among others, to the deer of Pampas. They also live here more than 300 species of birds, of which 60 are considered endemic at least. Between the plants the grass or pulses excels, with hundreds of native species pertaining to highly diverse sorts like Stipa, Piptochaetium or Paspalum.

They own fertile grounds, and from the European colonization they progressively became main the area of farming production of South America, to point like already for beginnings of century XX Pampas were considered one of the sources keys of the world-wide food production. The development of the farming activity brought prepared a transformation of the landscape that took to the loss from its pastures, at least in its original form.

 
The inhabitants of Brazilian Pampas have acquired customs influenced by their neighbors of the region of the river of the Silver, especially of Argentina and Uruguay, the examples are several: the habit of chimarrão (grass mate taken in pumpkins, with pump, a silver cane species), the use of the baggy pants (I brought typical, with wide pants to mount to horse), preparation of churrasco in live coals (churrasco gaucho is prepared with whole pieces - picanha, costela, cupim, etc. - that spends hours roasting over live coals in the ground) and the Castilian incorporation to the language of the “Che� and other expressions.

By some constructions the track left by the English is observed, that settled down in this good region, houses and taken care of gardens of cities like Rio Grande, Sunday Pedrito, São Gabriel, Rosary do Sul and Bagé. And also of the Portuguese, especially in Brown River, big rambling houses and constructions influenced by the Portuguese architecture.

Although it is a region of fields, the Pampas also take places of caverns and grottos, like the Pedra do Segredo, in Caçapava do Sul, and archaeological zones, as the one of the city of Bush, where there is unit of trees petrified of does thousands of years.