Chocó–Darién moist forests

The Chocó–Darién moist forests (NT0115) is a largely forested, tropical ecoregion of northwestern South America and southern Central America. The ecoregion extends from the eastern Panamanian province of Darién and the indigenous region of Guna Yala to almost the entirety of Colombia's Pacific coast, including the departments of Cauca, Chocó, Nariño and Valle del Cauca.

This largely untouched, inaccessible expanse of jungle receives some of the planet's highest rates of precipitation, with the average rainfall measuring anywhere from 4,000 mm to 9,000 mm (around 13-30 ft) per year. Combined with high humidity and daily average temperatures of around 23.89°C (75° F), the foundation is set for a lush landscape brimming with species, harboring a huge wealth of plant, animal and fungal biodiversity. Many of the dominant tree species within the north of the ecoregion belong to such genera as the bongo (Cavanillesia), wild cashew (Anacardium), rubber trees (Havea) and kapok fiber trees (Ceiba). In more wet, flooded areas, the cativo (Prioria copaifera)—a hardwood tree in the legume family, Fabaceae—is common. Numerous epiphytic lianas (vines and crawlers) belonging to the family Araceae use these trees for support systems (such as Anthurium, Monstera and Philodendron). Growing along the sheltered forest floor are unique and varied species of plant families like Marantaceae, Piperaceae, Orchidaceae and Bromeliaceae, as well as many ferns, jungle cacti, mosses and lichens, among others.

However, while most of the forest is relatively in-tact, many of its human inhabitants endure some of the highest levels of poverty within Colombia and Panamá, respectively. With such a difficult environment to access, and with relatively few options to climb the socioeconomic "ladder", certain areas of the forest have been significantly altered for ranching and agriculture, and the land is continuously being threatened by the prospects of oil, logging and paper pulp industries, as well as the unregulated mining of gold (and other metals), coca growing (with armed guards) and more—both official and clandestine. Thankfully, much of the forest, especially the central part of the ecoregion, is currently still pristine and relatively untouched.