Americas and the Caribbean is a diverse region brimming with natural wonders. Its landscapes range from rugged mountains and arid deserts to lush and fertile rainforests, and from cold, turbulent oceanic waters and roaring rivers to warm, crystal-clear tropical seas. The Neotropical realm (Central and South America and the Caribbean) in particular boasts some of the world’s richest areas for biodiversity, with 10% of the world’s species found in the Amazon Rainforest alone.
This is the land of the jaguar, spectacled bear, ocelot and anaconda. Its tropical forests are decorated with brightly coloured birds such as toucans and macaws, while New World monkeys provide an atmospheric soundtrack as they call to one another in the treetops. The region is also critical for sea turtles, with leatherback, hawksbill and olive ridley turtles all coming ashore to nest here.
The Caribbean, meanwhile, supports a richness of biodiversity that may be surprising to some. Its tropical coral reefs are teeming with life, and many of its islands are home to an array of species found nowhere else on Earth. Particularly startling is the level of reptile endemism, with 6% of the world’s reptiles found in the West Indies alone.