The Bolivian Yungas is a

tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forest Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests (TSMF), also known as tropical moist forest, is a subtropical and tropical forest habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. Description TSMF is generally found in large, disco ...

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas o ...

in the

Yungas The Yungas ( Aymara ''yunka'' warm or temperate Andes or earth, Quechua ''yunka'' warm area on the slopes of the Andes) is a bioregion of a narrow band of forest along the eastern slope of the Andes Mountains from Peru and Bolivia, and extends i ...

of central

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

Setting

The ecoregion occurs in elevations ranging from on the eastern slopes of the

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

in Bolivia, extending into a small portion of southeastern Peru. It forms a transition zone between the

Southwest Amazon moist forests The Southwest Amazon moist forests (NT0166) is an ecoregion located in the Upper Amazon basin. The forest is characterized by a relatively flat landscape with alluvial plains dissected by undulating hills or high terraces. The biota of the south ...

to the northeast and the

Central Andean puna The Central Andean puna is a montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregion in the Andes of southern Peru, Bolivia, and northern Argentina. Setting The landscape in this ecoregion consists of high mountains with permanent snow and ice, meadows, lake ...

and wet puna to the southwest.

Climate

The climate in this ecoregion varies from

tropical rainforest Tropical rainforests are rainforests that occur in areas of tropical rainforest climate in which there is no dry season – all months have an average precipitation of at least 60 mm – and may also be referred to as ''lowland equatori ...

tropical monsoon An area of tropical monsoon climate (occasionally known as a sub-equatorial, tropical wet climate or a tropical monsoon and trade-wind littoral climate) is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification category ...

. Fog and rain deposited by northern trade winds contribute to the high humidity and precipitation of the Yungas.

Flora

Epiphytes are abundant and include

bromeliad The Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) are a family of monocot flowering plants of about 80 genera and 3700 known species, native mainly to the tropical Americas, with several species found in the American subtropics and one in tropical west Africa ...

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...

s, and tree-ferns (''

Cyathea ''Cyathea'' is a genus of tree ferns, the type genus of the fern order Cyatheales. The genus name ''Cyathea'' is derived from the Greek ''kyatheion'', meaning "little cup", and refers to the cup-shaped sori on the underside of the fronds. D ...

''). ''

Chusquea ''Chusquea'' is a genus of evergreen bamboos in the grass family. Most of them are native to mountain habitats in Latin America, from Mexico to southern Chile and Argentina. They are sometimes referred to as South American mountain bamboos. Unl ...

'' bamboo is an indicator species of the ecoregion.

Fauna

Mammals found in this ecoregion include the spectacled bear (''Tremarctos ornatus''),

Geoffroy's cat Geoffroy's cat (''Leopardus geoffroyi'') is a small wild cat native to the southern and central regions of South America. It is about the size of a domestic cat. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List because it is widespread and a ...

(''Leopardus geoffroyi''),

lowland tapir The South American tapir (''Tapirus terrestris''), also commonly called the Brazilian tapir (from the Tupi ''tapi'ira''), the Amazonian tapir, the maned tapir, the lowland tapir, the ''anta'' (Portuguese), and ''la sachavaca'' (literally "bushco ...

(''Tapirus terrestris''),

jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the thi ...

(''Panthera onca''),

jaguarundi The jaguarundi (''Herpailurus yagouaroundi'') is a wild cat native to the Americas. Its range extends from central Argentina in the south to northern Mexico, through Central and South America east of the Andes. The jaguarundi is a medium-siz ...

(''Herpailurus yagouaroundi''),

pacarana The pacarana (''Dinomys branickii'') is a rare and slow-moving hystricognath rodent indigenous to South America. Native Tupi people call it the ''pacarana'' (false paca) because it is superficially similar to the paca, a different rodent which is ...

(''Dinomys branickii''), and dwarf brocket deer (''Mazama chunyi''). Interesting bird species include the diademed tapaculo (''Scytalopus schulenbergi''),

green-capped tanager The green-capped tanager (''Stilpnia meyerdeschauenseei'') is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is endemic to forest edge and gardens at altitudes of 1450–2200 m. in Puno, Peru, and La Paz, Bolivia. It is fairly common and pos ...

(''Stilpnia meyerdeschauenseei''),

Andean cock-of-the-rock The Andean cock-of-the-rock (''Rupicola peruvianus''), also known as ''tunki'' ( Quechua), is a large passerine bird of the cotinga family native to Andean cloud forests in South America. It is widely regarded as the national bird of Peru. It ...

(''Rupicola peruvianus''), and

southern helmeted curassow The horned curassow (''Pauxi unicornis''), or southern helmeted curassow, is a species of bird in the family Cracidae found in humid tropical and subtropical forests. It was first described by James Bond and Rodolphe Meyer de Schauensee in 1939 f ...

(''Pauxi unicornis'').

Human use

The Bolivian Yungas is the center of the

Afro-Bolivian Afro-Bolivians are Bolivian people of Sub-Saharan African heritage and therefore the descriptive "Afro-Bolivian" may refer to historical or cultural elements in Bolivia thought to emanate from their community. It can also refer to the combining o ...

community. The

Yungas Road The Yungas Road is a cycle route about 60 km long that links the city of La Paz and the Yungas region of Bolivia. It draws about 25,000 tourists per year and is a major La Paz tourist attraction. Many tour operators cater to downhill moun ...

, known for being dangerous, connects

La Paz La Paz (), officially known as Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Spanish pronunciation: ), is the seat of government of the Plurinational State of Bolivia. With an estimated 816,044 residents as of 2020, La Paz is the third-most populous city in Bo ...

to the Bolivian Yungas.

Protected areas

Steep terrain, high precipitation, and difficult access have kept much of this ecoregion in a natural state. 49.37% of the ecoregion is in protected areas. They include: * Amboró National Park * Bahuaja-Sonene National Park *

Carrasco National Park Carrasco National Park is a national park in Cochabamba Department, Bolivia. It has a surface area of 6,226 square kilometers. More than 5,000 plant species have been registered in the area, placing the park among Bolivia's most biologically divers ...

Cotapata National Park and Integrated Management Natural Area Cotapata National Park and Integrated Management Natural Area (''Parque Nacional y Área Natural de Manejo Integrado Cotapata'') is a protected area in the Yungas of La Paz Department, Bolivia. It is situated in the northwest of the department, i ...

* Espejillos Natural Monument * Incacasani Altamachi National Park *

Isiboro Sécure National Park and Indigenous Territory Isiboro Sécure National Park and Indigenous Territory (''Territorio Indígena y Parque Nacional Isiboro Secure,'' TIPNIS) is a protected area and Native Community Land in Bolivia situated between the north of the Cochabamba Department and the ...

Madidi National Park Madidi () is a national park in the upper Amazon river basin in Bolivia. Established in 1995, it has an area of 18,958km². Along with the nearby protected (though not necessarily contiguous) areas Manuripi-Heath, Apolobamba, and the Manu Biosph ...

Pilón Lajas Biosphere Reserve and Communal Lands Pilón Lajas Biosphere Reserve and Communal Lands (''Reserva de Biosfera y Tierra Comunitaria de Origen Pilón Lajas'') is a protected area in Bolivia located in the departments of La Paz (Sud Yungas, Larecaja and Franz Tamayo provinces) and Beni ...

Tunari National Park Tunari National Park is a national park located in the Cochabamba Department, Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) w ...

References

{{Coord missing, Peru Bolivian Yungas Ecoregions of the Andes Ecoregions of Peru Ecoregions of Bolivia Forests of Bolivia Forests of Peru Neotropical tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Montane forests