Llanos de Moxos

The Beni savanna, also known as the Moxos plains, is a tropical savanna ecoregion of northern Bolivia.

Setting

The Beni savanna covers an area of 126,100 square kilometers (48,700 square miles) in the lowlands of northern Bolivia, with small portions in neighboring Brazil and Peru. The most of the Beni savanna lies within the departments of El Beni, Cochabamba, La Paz, Pando, and Santa Cruz. The Beni savanna occupies the southwestern corner of the Amazon basin, and the region is crossed by numerous rivers that drain the eastern slope of the Andes Mountains. The low relief of the savannas, coupled with wet season rains and snowmelt from the Andes, cause up to half the land to flood seasonally.

The Beni savanna is surrounded by tropical moist forests; the Southwest Amazon moist forests to the north, west, and south, and the Madeira-Tapajós moist forests to the east.

Climate

The climate of the Beni savanna is tropical, with pronounced wet and dry seasons. The wet season generally extends from December to May, and annual rainfall ranges from 1300 in the east to 2000 mm in the west.

Flora

The ecoregion comprises a mosaic of savannas and wetlands, with islands of forest and gallery forests along rivers. Flooding and fire are important ecological factors.

Sources and external links

Beni savanna (World Wildlife Fund)