Ecoregions of Venezuela

A natural wonder of unparalleled beauty and ecological significance lies along the border between Colombia and Venezuela—the Catatumbo moist forests ecoregion. This enchanting landscape, spanning lush valleys, towering mountains, and winding rivers, captivates the imagination with its rich biodiversity and breathtaking vistas. From its dense rainforests to its mist-shrouded cloud forests, this diverse ecoregion offers a glimpse into a world teeming with life and wonder.

The Guajira-Barranquilla xeric scrub ecoregion, along the Caribbean Sea in northern Venezuela and Colombia, is a unique xerophytic area in the neotropics. Proposed as a bird center of endemism, this arid habitat is dominated by thorn scrub and succulents.

Situated primarily in southeastern Venezuela, the Guianan Highlands moist forests ecoregion is distinct from other ecoregions in Amazonia due to its montane physiography. It hosts vast expanses of tall primary rainforests and open, semi-treeless savannas interrupted by gallery forests.

Located on the northeast coast of South America, the Guianan moist forests are one of the world's most extensive continuous tracts of relatively pristine lowland tropical rainforest. As a result, it holds a wide variety of regional biodiversity with high species endemism and richness levels.

The Guianan savanna is an ecoregion of the Amazon biome in the south of Venezuela, Guyana and Suriname, and the north of Brazil. The savanna covers an area of rolling upland plains on the Guiana Shield between the Amazon and Orinoco basins.

The Orinoco wetlands ecoregion is located north of the Orinoco River Delta in northeastern Venezuela. It consists of several large and small patches of flooded grasslands, which occur in a habitat mosaic with swamp forests and mangroves.

The Pantepui forests and shrublands ecoregion in the Guiana Highlands of northern South America hosts an archipelago of more than 50 tabletop mountains with isolated sandstone plateaus and summits atop nearly vertical escarpments called tepuis.

Nestled along the northeastern coast of Venezuela and extending into Guyana, the Orinoco Delta Swamp Forests ecoregion is a remarkable tapestry of flooded forests, wetlands, and meandering waterways. This vast expanse of inundated landscapes, stretching from the southern reaches of the Paria Peninsula to the Waini River, is a testament to nature's resilience and adaptability.

Nestled within the northern arm of the Venezuelan Andes, a northeastern branch of the mighty Andes Mountains system, lies the Venezuelan Andes montane forests ecoregion – a verdant tapestry of towering peaks, misty cloud forests, and a staggering array of plant and animal life. This unique ecosystem, separated from the Eastern Andes of Colombia by the Tachira depression, is a true gem, a testament to the incredible biodiversity that thrives in the heart of South America.