Cloud forest

A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest, is a special kind of forest found in warm and subtropical areas. These forests grow on mountain slopes and are often covered in low, thick clouds. Because of this constant cloud cover, the air stays very moist, and the ground and plants are often covered in soft, green mosses, earning them the name mossy forests.

Cloud forests form when moist air is pushed up the sides of mountains by the wind. As the air rises, it cools and turns into clouds that wrap around the trees. This keeps the forest very wet and creates a special environment where many plants and animals live that cannot survive anywhere else.

These forests are very important for nature because they are home to many unique plants and animals. They also help provide fresh water. When the clouds touch the leaves of the trees, water drips to the ground, adding to the rivers and streams below. However, cloud forests are in danger. People cut them down for farming, and warmer temperatures caused by climate change may push these forests to higher and higher mountains, making less space for them to grow.

Climate

Cloud forests grow in special places where mountains, oceans, and weather work together. They are usually found between 25° North and 25° South, and between 500 meters and 4,000 meters above sea level. Here, clouds often wrap around the trees.

When moist air from the ocean hits mountains, it rises, cools, and forms clouds. This is called orographic lift. The clouds give the forest its name and keep the area very wet. Trees and plants get water not just from rain, but also from tiny water drops in the clouds that fall to the ground. This can sometimes give the forest more water than rain alone.

Cloud forests get between 500 and 10,000 mm of rain each year, and temperatures stay between 8°C and 20°C. These cool temperatures help keep the soil wet and full of plants that like moisture. Different places call these forests by different names, like yungas in Bolivia or laurisilva on the Atlantic Islands.

Characteristics

Cloud forests are special types of forests found in tropical or subtropical areas at high altitudes. They are often covered in clouds, which gives them their name. The trees in these forests are usually shorter and thicker than trees in lower forests. They have twisty trunks and small, tough leaves.

Because there is always a lot of moisture in the air, many plants called epiphytes grow on the trees. These include mosses, lichens, ferns, and orchids. Sometimes, the weight of these plants on a tree can be more than the weight of the tree’s own leaves. Cloud forests can also have thick layers of peat on the ground.

Distribution of tropical montane cloud forests

Cloud forests are special and rare, making up only about 1% of all the world's woodlands. There are around 736 places where these forests grow in 59 countries, and many of these areas are protected to keep them safe. You can find important cloud forests in places like Central and South America—including countries such as Costa Rica, Venezuela, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Ecuador, and Colombia—as well as in East and Central Africa, India, Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia (Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines), Hawaii, Papua New Guinea, and the Caribbean.

Conservation status

Cloud forests covered about 0.4% of the world's land in 2001. They were home to around 3,700 different types of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and tree ferns, which is about 15% of all these species worldwide. Half of these species only live in cloud forests.

Between 2001 and 2018, about 2.4% of cloud forests were lost, and in some places, more than 8% disappeared. This loss happened especially in areas that are easy to reach. Even though protected areas have helped slow down this loss, many cloud forests continue to disappear despite having protection.

Temperate cloud forests

Some forests in cooler areas look a lot like tropical cloud forests, even though they are not always called cloud forests. These forests grow in places with special weather and plants similar to those in warmer cloud forests.

Distribution by country

• Argentina – Salta, Jujuy, Catamarca and Tucumán (Southern Andean Yungas)

• Australia – Lamington National Park, Springbrook National Park, Mount Bartle Frere and Mount Bellenden Ker (Queensland) and Mount Gower (Lord Howe Island)

• Brazil – Serra do Mar coastal forests

• Chile – Bosque de Fray Jorge National Park

• China – Yunnan Plateau, mountains of southern and eastern China

• Costa Rica – Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. This area has about 10,500 hectares and many different plants, animals, and insects.

• Ethiopia – Harenna Forest, Bale Mountains National Park and Kafa Biosphere Reserve

• Fiji Islands – Tropical montane cloud forests of Taveuni and Gau Island

• Iran – Eastern Alborz mountains, Golestan Province

• Japan – Parts of Yakushima Island

• Portugal – Azores and Madeira

• Sri Lanka – Upper slopes of the Knuckles Mountain Range, Matale

• Taiwan – Yuanyang Lake Nature Reserve, Chatianshan Nature Reserve, and Fuxing District, Taoyuan

Conservation status

Cloud forests cover a tiny part of the Earth, about 0.4% of all land. However, they are very important because they are home to thousands of different birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and plants. Many of these species live only in cloud forests.

Unfortunately, many cloud forests have disappeared over the years. Between 2001 and 2018, about 2.4% of cloud forests were lost. In some places, even more was lost. While protected areas help slow this loss, it still continues in many places.

Human activities such as farming, growing crops like tea and coffee, and cutting down trees have greatly reduced cloud forests. Even with protection, careful care is needed to preserve these special places for future generations.

Importance

Cloud forests are very special places because they are often covered in clouds. These clouds help keep the forest wet, which makes them perfect homes for many plants and animals.

The ground and trees in these forests are usually covered in soft, green moss, making them look magical and mysterious. These forests are important for keeping the environment healthy and balanced.

Watershed function

Cloud forests are very important for water in the environment, even though they cover a small area of the world. These forests catch moisture from clouds that blow by, which adds extra rain, especially during dry times of the year. This helps make sure there is enough water for rivers and underground water supplies, which many people depend on. This is especially true in places like coastal Peru and northern Chile, where cloud forests are a main source of fresh water.

Vegetation

Tropical montane cloud forests may not have as many different types of trees as lowland forests, but they are home to many special plants that grow only there. For example, Cerro de la Neblina, a mountain covered in clouds in southern Venezuela, has shrubs, orchids, and special plants that live only on that mountain.

Cloud forests are especially rich in plants that grow on other plants, like orchids, bromeliads, and filmy ferns. They also have more mosses and similar small plants than most other forests.

Fauna

Cloud forests are very important for many animals that live only in these special places. In Peru, more than one-third of the country's unique birds, mammals, and frogs are found in cloud forests. These forests are especially important for birds, including special species like the resplendent quetzal of Central America, many kinds of hummingbirds, and several tanagers and antpittas.

Among mammals, the spectacled bear, the only bear native to South America, is a well-known cloud forest animal. It helps spread seeds in the forests of the Andes. These forests also have many frogs and salamanders that need cool, moist air to survive, making them very sensitive to changes in temperature.

Impact of climate change

Cloud forests are very sensitive to changes in the world's climate because they need special conditions to survive. As the Earth gets warmer, the clouds that these forests depend on move higher up the mountains. This means there will be less space for cloud forests to grow.

Scientists predict that in places like Mexico, cloud forests will lose much of their space over the next 70 years. Even before the warmth causes big problems, some cloud forests might become drier. This drying can harm plants and animals that need moist air to live. Some animals, like frogs, may struggle to survive in these changing conditions. Climate change can also bring stronger storms that damage these forests, leading to the loss of many plants and animals and even making some cloud forests disappear completely.