The Paramaribo swamp forests is an ecoregion in the coastal plain of Suriname covering a strip of land that is almost always flooded by fresh waters. It transitions into saline mangrove swamps towards the coast, and into submontane forests towards the interior.
Geography
Location
The Paramaribo swamp forests ecoregion is a long, narrow strip of land between the coastal mangroves and the foothills of the coastal mountains in the north of Suriname. Flora include seasonally flooded forests and permanently flooded swamp forests. It has an area of. Most of the population of Suriname lives near the ecoregion, and Paramaribo, the capital of the country, is in the ecoregion.
Terrain
The ecoregion extends across the north of Suriname from the border with Guyana along the Corantijn River to the border with French Guiana along the Marowijne River. Both Guyana and French Guiana also have elements of swamp forest. The flat coastal plain was formed from marine sediments in the Holocene epoch, and has elevations from above sea level. The soils are hygromorphic and are almost permanently flooded. In the rainy season the water in the southern areas may be over deep.
Climate
The climate is hot and moist. There is a rainy season in December–January, a drier season in February–April, another wet season in May–August and another dry season in August–November. At a sample location at coordinates the Köppen climate classification is "Af": equatorial, fully humid. Mean temperatures range from in January to in September. Total annual rainfall is about. Monthly rainfall ranges from in October to in May.
The trees are generally shorter and less diverse than the terra firme moist forests further inland. Towards the coast they transition into mangroves. The forests contain many species of flora adapted to the swampy conditions, including several endemic species. Vegetation includes swamp forest, swamp wood, swamp scrub and herbaceous swamp. The soils are mostly covered in a layer of peat, and peat fires often prevent vegetation from reaching the climax stage. Where fires do not occur, the greatest diversity of flora is found in the shallower swamps. In the shallower northern swamps in the climax phase characteristic trees include baboonwood, chewstick and açaí palm. In the deeper southern swamps there are fewer species of flora. Climax species include Crudia glaberrima, arapari and piritu. Swamp woods in shallower waters often contains stands with one or two dominant tree species. These include purple coraltree, dragon blood tree growing with white cedar, and paradise plum growing with pond apple, buriti palm or mulato tree. The northern scrub and herbaceous swamps are often dominated by a few plants such as southern cattail, southern cutgrass and piripiri in the north and giant spikerush, burr sedge and golden beaksedge in the south.
The World Wildlife Fund gives the ecoregion the status of "Vulnerable". The swamp forests are inhospitable, so large areas are fairly intact. However, they can be accessed via the waterways, roads and dykes for the purpose of logging and capturing primates and birds for sale as pets. Threats come from grass and peat fires, draining the swamps for farming, damming the rivers to form reservoirs for agriculture, logging and firewood collection, subsistence hunting, bauxite mining and industry. The forests are also damaged by urban sprawl, roads and canals, exotic plants and agrochemicals. Protected areas include the Galibi, Wia Wia, Peruvia, Boven Coesewijne, Copi, and Wane kreek nature reserves.
