List of freshwater ecoregions of Latin America and the Caribbean
This is a list of freshwater ecoregions in Latin America and the Caribbean, as identified by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
The WWF divides the Earth's land surface into ecoregions, defined as "large area[s] of land or water containing a distinct assemblage of natural communities and species". Ecoregions are grouped into complexes and bioregions, defined as, "a complex of ecoregions that share a similar biogeographic history, and thus often have strong affinities at higher taxonomic levels (e.g. genera, families)." The Earth's land surface is divided into eight biogeographic realms. Latin America corresponds, roughly, to the Neotropical realm, although northern Mexico lies within the Nearctic.
Each ecoregion is also classified into major habitat types, or biomes.
Many consider this classification to be quite decisive, and some propose these as stable borders for bioregional democracy initiatives.
By complex[]
Baja California Complex[]
- Baja California (Mexico)
Colorado River Complex[]
- Colorado Delta (Mexico)
- (Mexico)
Sinaloan Coastal Complex[]
- (Mexico)
Rio Bravo Complex[]
- Río Bravo (Mexico, United States)
- Pecos (United States)
- Guzman (Mexico, United States)
- Mapimí (Mexico)
- Cuatro Ciénegas (Mexico)
- Llanos El Salado (Mexico)
- Conchos (Mexico)
- (Mexico)
- Rio San Juan (Mexico)
- Rio Salado (Mexico)
Lerma/Santiago Complex[]
Rio Panuco Complex[]
- Rio Panuco (Mexico)
Balsas Complex[]
- Balsas (Mexico)
Pacific Central Complex[]
- Tehuantepec (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua)
Atlantic Central Complex[]
- (Mexico)
- (Belize, Guatemala, Mexico)
- (Honduras, Nicaragua)
- (Costa Rica, Panama)
- Catemaco (Mexico)
- Coatzacoalcos (Mexico)
- (Guatemala, Mexico)
- Yucatán (Mexico)
- Guatemalan Highlands (Guatemala)
- (Belize, Guatemala)
- (Honduras, Nicaragua)
- Lake Nicaragua (Costa Rica, Nicaragua)
Isthmus Atlantic Complex[]
- (Panama)
Isthmus Pacific Complex[]
- (Costa Rica, Panama)
Bahama Archipelago Complex[]
- Bahamas (Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Islands)
Western Insular Caribbean Complex[]
- Cuba (Cuba)
- Hispaniola (Dominican Republic, Haiti)
- Jamaica (Jamaica)
- Cayman Islands (Cayman Islands)
- Florida Keys (United States)
Eastern Insular Caribbean Complex[]
- (British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands)
- (Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Montserrat, Saba, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sint Eustatius)
Choco Complex[]
South American Caribbean Complex[]
- Magdalena (Colombia)
- (Colombia)
- Cienega Grande de Santa Marta (Colombia)
- (Colombia, Venezuela)
- Maracaibo Basin (Venezuela)
High Andean Complex[]
- Páramos (Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela)
- (Bolivia, Peru)
- (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile)
- (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Peru)
- (Argentina, Bolivia)
- (Argentina, Bolivia)
Inter-Andean Dry Valleys Complex[]
- Inter-Andean Dry Valleys (Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru)
North Andean Montane Complex[]
- (Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela)
- (Bolivia, Peru)
- (Bolivia)
- (Argentina)
- Sierra de Córdoba (Argentina)
Puyango-Tumbes Complex[]
- (Ecuador, Peru)
Atacama/Sechura Complex[]
- (Chile, Peru)
Pacific Coastal Desert Complex[]
- (Peru, Chile)
Lake Titicaca/Poopo Complex[]
- Lake Titicaca (Bolivia, Peru)
- Lake Poopo (Bolivia)
Galápagos Complex[]
- Galápagos (Ecuador)
Mediterranean Chile Complex[]
- (Chile)
- (Chile)
Juan Fernández Islands Complex[]
- Juan Fernández Islands (Chile)
Southern Chile Complex[]
- (Chile)
- Chiloe Island (Chile)
- Chonos Archipelago (Chile)
- (Chile)
Subantarctic Complex[]
Venezuelan Coast/Trinidad Complex[]
- (Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela)
- Caroni Swamp (Trinidad and Tobago)
- Nariva Swamp (Trinidad and Tobago)
Llanos Complex[]
- Llanos (Colombia, Venezuela)
Guiana/Orinoco Complex[]
- (Venezuela)
- Orinoco Delta (Venezuela)
- (Venezuela)
- (Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela)
Amazon Complex[]
- Amazon Delta (Brazil)
- (Brazil, Peru)
- (Brazil)
- Rio Negro (Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela)
- (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru)
- (Bolivia, Brazil, Peru)
- (Bolivia, Brazil)
- (Brazil)
Northeast Atlantic Complex[]
- Maranhao (Brazil)
Mata-Atlantica Complex[]
- (Brazil)
- (Brazil)
- (Brazil)
São Francisco Complex[]
Upper Parana Complex[]
- (Brazil)
Beni Complex[]
- Beni (Bolivia)
Paraguay-Parana Complex[]
Southern Atlantic Complex[]
- (Brazil, Uruguay)
- (Brazil, Uruguay)
Chaco Complex[]
- Chaco (Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay)
Pampas Complex[]
- (Argentina)
- (Argentina)
- (Argentina)
- (Argentina)
- (Argentina)
Patagonia Complex[]
- Rio Colorado (Argentina)
- (Argentina)
- (Argentina)
- (Argentina)
- Rio Deseado (Argentina)
- (Argentina)
- (Argentina)
- Rio Gallegos (Argentina)
- (Argentina, Chile)
By major habitat type[]
Large rivers[]
- (Brazil, Peru)
- Río Bravo (Mexico, United States)
- (Bolivia, Brazil)
- (Venezuela)
- (Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela)
- (Mexico)
- Rio Negro (Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela)
- (Brazil)
- (Brazil)
- (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay)
- (Brazil)
- (Venezuela)
- (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru)
- (Bolivia, Brazil, Peru)
Large river deltas[]
- Amazon Delta (Brazil)
- Colorado Delta (Mexico)
- Orinoco Delta (Venezuela)
- (Argentina)
Montane rivers and streams[]
- (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile)
- (Bolivia)
- (Bolivia, Peru)
- Inter-Andean Dry Valleys (Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru)
- (Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela)
- (Bolivia, Peru)
- (Argentina)
- Sierra de Córdoba (Argentina)
- (Argentina, Bolivia)
- (Costa Rica, Panama)
Wet-Region rivers and streams[]
- Bahamas (Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Islands)
- Balsas (Mexico)
- (Belize, Guatemala, Mexico)
- Cayman Islands (Cayman Islands)
- (Honduras, Nicaragua)
- (Belize, Guatemala)
- Cerrado (Brazil)
- Chaco (Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay)
- Chiloe Island (Chile)
- Choco (Colombia, Ecuador, Panama)
- Chonos Archipelago (Chile)
- (Argentina)
- Cienega Grande de Santa Marta (Colombia)
- Coatzacoalcos (Mexico)
- Rio Colorado (Argentina)
- (Argentina)
- Cuba (Cuba)
- Rio Deseado (Argentina)
- (Brazil)
- Florida Keys (United States)
- Rio Gallegos (Argentina)
- (Guatemala, Mexico)
- Hispaniola (Dominican Republic, Haiti)
- (Honduras, Nicaragua)
- (Panama)
- (Costa Rica, Panama)
- (Brazil, Uruguay)
- Jamaica (Jamaica)
- Juan Fernández Islands (Chile)
- (Brazil, Uruguay)
- (Argentina)
- Magdalena (Colombia)
- (Mexico)
- Maracaibo Basin (Venezuela)
- Maranhao (Brazil)
- (Colombia)
- Rio Panuco (Mexico)
- (British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands)
- (Ecuador, Peru)
- (Argentina)
- Santiago (Mexico)
- (Mexico)
- (Brazil)
- (Mexico)
- Tehuantepec (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua)
- (Argentina, Chile)
- (Chile)
- (Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela)
- (Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Montserrat, Saba, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sint Eustatius)
- Yucatán (Mexico)
Xeric-Region rivers and streams[]
- (Chile, Peru)
- Baja California (Mexico)
- Caatinga (Brazil)
- Chapala (Mexico)
- Conchos (Mexico)
- Galápagos (Ecuador)
- (Colombia, Venezuela)
- (Chile)
- (Brazil)
- (Peru, Chile)
- Pecos (United States)
- Rio Salado (Mexico)
- Rio San Juan (Mexico)
- (Mexico)
- (Chile)
- (Mexico)
Xeric-Region endorheic (closed) basins[]
- (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Peru)
- Cuatro Ciénegas (Mexico)
- Guzman (Mexico, United States)
- Lerma (Mexico)
- Llanos El Salado (Mexico)
- Mapimí (Mexico)
- (Argentina)
- (Argentina)
- (Argentina)
- (Argentina, Bolivia)
Flooded grasslands and savannas[]
- Beni (Bolivia)
- Llanos (Colombia, Venezuela)
- (Argentina)
- Pantanal (Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay)
- (Argentina)
Cold streams, bogs, swamps, and mires[]
Large lakes[]
- Catemaco (Mexico)
- Guatemalan Highlands (Guatemala)
- Lake Nicaragua (Costa Rica, Nicaragua)
- Lake Poopo (Bolivia)
- Lake Titicaca (Bolivia, Peru)
References[]
- Olson, D., Dinerstein, E., Canevari, P., Davidson, I., Castro, G., Morisset, V., Abell, R., and Toledo, E.; eds. (1998). Freshwater biodiversity of Latin America and the Caribbean: A conservation assessment. Biodiversity Support Program, Washington, D.C..
- Freshwater ecoregions
- Ecoregions of the Caribbean
- Ecoregions of Central America
- Ecoregions of North America
- Ecoregions of South America
- Lists of ecoregions
- Caribbean-related lists
- Central America-related lists
- Latin America-related lists
- North America-related lists
- South America-related lists
- Natural history of Central America
- Natural history of the Caribbean
- Ecoregions of the Americas
- Neotropical ecoregions