Southern America

Located in the Andes & Pacific Coast subrealm if Southern America, this bioregion is the upper half of the Andes mountain range, stretching from the very top of the continent to northern Argentina. The bioregion is defined by tropical and subtropical broadleaf forests with 17 unique ecoregions which run along the more humid eastern side of the Andes.

The Ecuadorian Coastal Forests & Flooded Grasslands bioregion is part of the Andes & Pacific Coast subrealm in Southern America and is made up of five ecoregions.

The South American Coastal Deserts bioregion, located in the Southern America (Neotropical) realm, occupies a narrow band west of the Andes Mountains, running along the Peruvian and northern Chilean coast. It contains two arid ecoregions and adjacent marine areas in the Pacific Ocean.

This small group of islands off the coast of Chile, located in the Southern America (Neotropical) realm, make up a unique bioregion, consisting of temperate broadleaf forests and grasslands containing many endemic plant species. It also includes the rocky Desventuradas Islands, two ecoregions in total and the surrounding marine areas, which contain a unique mix of tropical, subtropical, and temperate marine species and were recently designated as one of the largest marine parks in the Americas.

The Chilean Matorral, located in the Southern America (Neotropical) realm, is South America’s only Mediterranean biome, a mix of hardwoods, shrubs, cacti, and grassland. It is made up of one single ecoregion and includes many alpine lakes and adjacent marine areas in the Pacific Ocean.

The Andean Mountain Grasslands bioregion, located in the Southern America (Neotropical) realm, is centered on the Altiplano, the world’s second highest plateau. It contains five ecoregions and incorporates Lake Titicaca, the largest lake in South America and one of the world’s highest bodies of water.

The Galapagos bioregion, located in the Southern America realm, contains an archipelago of 61 volcanic islands and islands 520 nautical miles off the coast of Ecuador. The bioregion is dominated by one ecoregion but this belies the diversity of plant life present here, with over 500 native plant species, 180 of which are endemic.

Comprising the western half of Patagonia at the bottom of South America and located in the Southern America (Neotropical) realm, the Chilean bioregion is defined by a myriad of waterways intertwined with coastal rainforests and includes Chile’s Lake District and several large glaciers at the southernmost extent of the Andes Mountains. The bioregion contains two ecoregions.

The Chaco bioregion, located in the Southern America (Neotropical) realm, covers much of Paraguay and northern Argentina and contains two ecoregions incorporating several large salt flats in the south.

The Rio de la Plata bioregion, located in the Southern America (Neotropical) realm, extends from the Espinal drylands east of the Andes Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean, encompassing Argentina’s humid pampas grasses and the flooded savannas formed by the Parana´ River and its tributaries. This bioregion also includes Uruguay’s subtropical savanna, which forms the Northern border of the Río de la Plata estuary, containing five ecoregions in total.

The Patagonia Steppe bioregion, located in the Southern America (Neotropical) realm, incorporates most of the temperate grassland biome of South America, between the Andes Mountains to the west and the Espinal drylands to the east. The bioregion contains two ecoregions and includes the Islas Malvinas (Falkland Islands) and adjacent marine areas in the southern Atlantic Ocean.

The Brazilian Atlantic Dry Forests bioregion, located in the Southern America (Neotropical) realm, incorporates Brazil’s southeastern cape and adjacent marine areas. With it’s hot and dry climate, it is defined by a mosaic of shrublands, cacti, and thorny woodlands containing four distinct ecoregions.

The Cerrado bioregion, located in the Southern America (Neotropical) realm, covers more than one-fifth of Brazil’s total land area and consists of two ecoregions with gallery forests running along the streams and rivers.

Located in the Brazil Cerrado & Atlantic Coast subrealm, this bioregion lies just below the Amazon Basin, straddling the border between Brazil and Bolivia. It consists of two intertwined ecoregions fed by the Paraguay River and hundreds of small lakes.

The Brazilian Atlantic Moist Forests (Mata Atlântica) bioregion, located in the Southern America (Neotropical) realm, spans nearly the entire length of Brazil’s eastern coast and consists almost entirely of tropical broadleaf forests, which extend into the heart of the Cerrado. It contains 12 ecoregions.

The Northern Amazonian bioregion lies between the Amazon River and the Guiana Shield and includes the Rio Negro, the principal northern tributary of the Amazon. It consists entirely of moist tropical forests and contains five ecoregions.

The Western Amazonian bioregion, located in the Southern America (Neotropical) realm, stretches north from Bolivia to the Amazon river in Peru, contained by the Andes Mountains to the west. The bioregion contains four ecoregions.

The Southern Amazonian Forests bioregion, located in the Amazonia subrealm in Southern America, stretches from the Marajó Archipelago to Bolivia, south of the Amazon River, and contains four ecoregions.

The Amazon River Estuary bioregion, located in the Amazonia subrealm of Southern America, includes a huge river delta formed at the end of the Amazon River’s 4000-mile journey to the sea in northern Brazil where it meets up with the Tocantins river, encompassing the Marajó Archipelago. It contains four ecoregions.

The Central Amazonian Forests bioregion, located in the Southern America (Neotropical) realm, contains the central mainstem of the Amazon River and includes three major tributaries—the Japurá in the north and the Madeira and Purus in the south—forming what some call the “heart” of the Amazon. This bioregion is divided into eastern and western halves with seven ecoregions.

The Venezuelan Coast bioregion, located in the Southern America (Neotropical) realm, runs the length of South America’s Caribbean coastline and contains 12 ecoregions.

The Llanos bioregion, located in the Southern America (Neotropical) realm, extends from the northern Andes above the Guiana Shield. It consists almost entirely of open, grassy plains called (llanos) with dry tropical forests at the foothills of the Andes. It has two ecoregions and includes much of the Orinoco and Apure rivers.

Located in the Upper South America subrealm of Southern America, this bioregion extends from the eastern edge of the Guiana shield, at the border of Venezuela and Colombia, to the Atlantic coast. The bioregion is covered in dense tropical forest and also includes the Guianan savannas, with 11 ecoregions.