Northeastern Brazil restingas

The Northeastern Brazil restingas are an ecoregion of northeastern Brazil. Restingas are coastal forests which form on sandy, acidic, and nutrient-poor soils, and are characterized by medium-sized trees and shrubs adapted to the dry and nutrient-poor conditions found there.

Setting

The ecoregion covers an area of 10,100 square kilometers (3,900 sq mi) along the Atlantic coast of eastern Maranhão, Piauí, and western Ceará states. The ecoregion includes the Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, where patches of restinga are interspersed with some of the most extensive coastal dunes in the world.

Flora

The flora of the Northeastern Brazil restingas includes many species with affinities to Amazonia, which distinguishes them from the Atlantic Coast restingas of Brazil's eastern coast, whose flora is mostly derived from the Atlantic forest of eastern Brazil.