The Pernambuco interior forests is an ecoregion

Ecoregion

An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...

 of eastern Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

. It is part of the larger Atlantic forests complex, and lies between the coastal Pernambuco coastal forests

Pernambuco coastal forests

The Pernambuco coastal forests are a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion of northeastern Brazil, part of the larger Atlantic Forest region.-Setting:...

 and the dry Caatinga

Caatinga

Caatinga is a type of vegetation, and an ecoregion characterized by this vegetation in the northeastern part of Brazil. The name "Caatinga" is a Tupi word meaning "white forest" or "white vegetation"...

 shrublands of Brazil's interior.

Setting

The Pernambuco interior forests cover an area of 22700 square kilometres (8,764.5 sq mi), extending across portions of Paraíba

Paraíba

Paraíba Paraíba Paraíba (Tupi: pa'ra a'íba: "bad to navigation"; Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: is a state of Brazil. It is located in the Brazilian Northeast, and is bordered by Rio Grande do Norte to the north, Ceará to the west, Pernambuco to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the east...

, Pernambuco

Pernambuco

Pernambuco is a state of Brazil, located in the Northeast region of the country. To the north are the states of Paraíba and Ceará, to the west is Piauí, to the south are Alagoas and Bahia, and to the east is the Atlantic Ocean. There are about of beaches, some of the most beautiful in the...

, and Alagoas

Alagoas

Alagoas is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil and is situated in the eastern part of the Northeast Region. It borders: Pernambuco ; Sergipe ; Bahia ; and the Atlantic Ocean . It occupies an area of 27,767 km², being slightly larger than Haiti...

 states. They extend from the Curimataú River

Curimataú River

The Curimataú River is a river of Paraíba and Rio Grande do Norte states in western Brazil.-References:*...

 in the north to the São Francisco River

São Francisco River

The São Francisco is a river in Brazil. With a length of , it is the longest river that runs entirely in Brazilian territory, and the fourth longest in South America and overall in Brazil...

 in the south. The Pernambuco interior forests lie inland from the Pernambuco coastal forests

Pernambuco coastal forests

The Pernambuco coastal forests are a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion of northeastern Brazil, part of the larger Atlantic Forest region.-Setting:...

, extending from sedimentary plateaus near the coast up the eastern slopes of the Borborema Plateau

Borborema Plateau

The Borborema Plateau is a plateau in northeastern Brazil which extends across the states of Pernambuco, Paraíba, and Rio Grande do Norte....

. 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

Atlantic Coast restingas

Atlantic Coast restingas are an ecoregion of Brazil, part of the Atlantic Forest region. Restingas are coastal forests which form on sandy, acidic, and nutrient-poor soils, and are characterized by medium sized trees and shrubs adapted to the dry and nutrient-poor conditions found...

.

Climate

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

Flora

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 meters. Many trees shed their leaves during the October to March dry season. Characteristic emergent and canopy trees include Astronium fraxinifolium

Astronium fraxinifolium

Astronium fraxinifolium is a timber tree, which is native to Amazon Rainforest, Atlantic Forest, Caatinga, and Cerrado vegetation in Brazil. This plant is cited in Flora Brasiliensis by Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius...

(family Anacardiaceae

Anacardiaceae

Anacardiaceae are a family of flowering plants bearing fruits that are drupes and in some cases producing urushiol, an irritant. Anacardiaceae include numerous genera with several of economic importance. Notable plants in this family include cashew , mango, poison ivy, sumac, smoke tree, and marula...

), Enterolobium contortisiliquum

Enterolobium contortisiliquum

Enterolobium contortisiliquum, commonly known as the Pacara Earpod Tree, is a species of flowering tree in the pea family, Fabaceae....

(Leguminosae), Cordia trichotoma (Boraginaceae

Boraginaceae

Boraginaceae, the Borage or Forget-me-not family, include a variety of shrubs, trees, and herbs, totaling about 2,000 species in 146 genera found worldwide.A number of familiar plants belong to this family....

), and Tabebuia chrysotricha

Tabebuia chrysotricha

Tabebuia chrysotricha , commonly known as Golden Trumpet Tree, is an evergreen tree from Brazil. It is very similar to and often confused with Tabebuia ochracea. In Portuguese it is called "Ipê amarelo" and is considered the national tree of Brazil.-Growth:T...

(Bignoniaceae

Bignoniaceae

The Bignoniaceae, or Trumpet Creeper Family, is a family of flowering plants comprising about 650-750 species in 116-120 genera. Members of the family are mostly trees and lianas , shrubs and more rarely herbaceous plants. As climber plants, they are twine climbers or tendril climbers, and rarely...

). The Pernambuco interior forests are home to the largest remaining populations of Brazilwood

Brazilwood

Caesalpinia echinata is a species of Brazilian timber tree in the pea family, Fabaceae. Common names include Brazilwood, Pau-Brasil, Pau de Pernambuco and Ibirapitanga . This plant has a dense, orange-red heartwood that takes a high shine, and it is the premier wood used for making bows for...

 or Pau-Brasil, (Caesalphinia echinata)

Fauna

Many species are endemic to the Pernambuco interior and coastal forests. Bird species include the Buff-breasted Tody-tyrant

Buff-breasted Tody-tyrant

The Buff-breasted Tody-Tyrant is a species of bird in the Tyrannidae family.It is endemic to Brazil.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests....

 (Hemitriccus mirandae), White-winged Cotinga

White-winged Cotinga

The White-winged Cotinga is a species of bird in the Cotingidae family. It is endemic to Brazil. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:...

 (Xipholena atropurpurea), Seven-coloured Tanager

Seven-coloured Tanager

The Seven-coloured Tanager is a vulnerable species of bird in the Thraupidae family. It is endemic to forests in north-eastern Brazil. It resembles the overall greener Green-headed Tanager; a species confusingly known as the Seven-coloured Tanager in Portuguese.-References:* BirdLife...

 (Tangara fastuosa), and Yellow-faced Siskin

Yellow-faced Siskin

The Yellow-faced Siskin is a species of finch in the Fringillidae family.It is found in Brazil and Venezuela....

 (Carduelis yarrellii).

Conservation and threats

Only 5% of the original forest remains; the rest has been cleared for timber and fuel wood, agriculture, or cattle ranching. Most of the remaining forest remnants are small (1-10 hectares) and species-impoverished.

As of 1997, only three protected areas covered portions of the ecoregion, protecting an area of 90 square kilometers of forest. The Pedra Talhada Biological Reserve

Pedra Talhada Biological Reserve

Pedra Talhada Biological Reserve is a biological reserve in Brazil....

, in Quebrangulo

Quebrangulo

Quebrangulo is a municipality located in the Brazilian state of Alagoas. Its population was 12,215 and its area is 300 km²....

, Alagoas, is an important refuge for the endangered and threatened birds of the ecoregion.