Orinoco Delta swamp forests | |
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Ecology | |
Realm | Neotropical |
Biome | Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests |
Geography | |
Area | 27,972 km2 (10,800 sq mi) |
Country | Guyana, Venezuela |
Coordinates | 9°01′41″N 61°23′46″W / 9.028°N 61.396°W |
Climate type | Af: equatorial, fully humid |
The Orinoco Delta swamp forests (NT0147) is an ecoregion of eastern Venezuela and northern Guyana covering the large and shifting Orinoco Delta. The vegetation is mostly permanently flooded rainforest. The ecoregion is relatively intact apart from a large area that was damaged by a failed flood control program in the 1960s. It is inaccessible, so logging is difficult, and the soil is unsuitable for farming. The main threat comes from oil exploration, which would bring an influx of settlers into the delta.