This ecoregion lies at 400-1,800 m on the Paraná Plateaus and in the Serra da Mantiqueira in southern Brazil, barely reaching into northern Argentina (Map). The climate is subtropical with frequent frosts and without a dry season; annual precipitation 1,300-3,000 mm. Soils range from fertile red latosols to impoverished shallow soils. These forests are dominated by the Candelabra Tree/Brazilian Araucaria (Araucaria angustifolia), and the lower stratum is formed by trees from the Lauraceae (Ocotea spp.), Myrtaceae (e.g., Campomanesia xanthocarpa), and Fabaceae (e.g., Parapiptadenia rigida). Other noteworthy species include Podocarpus lambertii, Ilex paraguariensis, I. theezans, and tree ferns Dicksonia sellowiana. The forests intersperse with upland grasslands at higher elevation. Up to 14% of vascular plants are endemic. Avifauna is typical of montane Atlantic forests. Notable threatened vertebrates include Red-spectacled Amazon (Amazona petrei), Vinaceous-breasted Amazon (A. vinacea), and Brown Howler (Alouatta fusca).

Logging and conversion to agriculture reduced the Araucaria moist forests to 12.6% of the original extent. The largest remaining blocks are found in the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, including São Joaquim (49,300 ha) and Araucárias (12,841 ha) national parks, Mata Preta Ecological Station (6,563 ha), and Caçador Forest Reserve (1,157 ha). Other large protected areas are Campos do Jordão State Park in São Paulo (8,341 ha), and Irati National Forest in Paraná (3,495 ha). Many remaining fragments are small (1-100 ha) and surrounded by pastures and agriculture.

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