This species was found in a rare patch of well-preserved montane forest in the state of Pernambuco, in an area belonging to the Usina Frei Caneca S/A. The area, characterized as an endemism center of Atlantic forest (Siqueira 2001), supports an outstanding bromeliad flora, as well as a rich vertebrate fauna, being one of the most representative in the state. Unfortunately, the only densely forested areas left in the region are the hilltops at 600-750 m elevation, where Aechmea gustavoi was discovered at higher elevations in the Mata do Jasmim (Serra do Quengo), as one part of the Serra do Urubu is called. Aechmea gustavoi grows in tufts on the uppermost branches of trees 30-40 m in height, just below the upper canopy, or sometimes on rocky outcrops where it forms dense clumps in shady areas. —SeeLeme & Siqueira 2001
