Vanuatu rain forests
Vanuatu rain forests | |
---|---|
Solomons-Vanuatu-Bismarck moist forests | |
Protected | 515 km² (4%)[1] |
The Vanuatu rain forests are tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests ecoregion which includes the islands of Vanuatu, as well as the Santa Cruz Islands group of the neighboring Solomon Islands. It is part of the Australasian realm, which includes neighboring New Caledonia and the Solomon Islands, as well as Australia, New Guinea, and New Zealand.[2] [3] [4] [5]
Geography
The islands were created by the subduction of the northward-moving Australian Plate beneath the Pacific Plate. The surface geology of Vanuatu consists mostly of Pliocene-Pleistocene volcanic rocks and uplifted coral limestone. The Santa Cruz Islands have areas of both uplifted limestone and volcanic ash over limestone. The oldest rocks in Vanuatu are 38 million years old. The Santa Cruz islands are younger, with the oldest rocks less than 5 million years old.[2]
Most of the islands are low-lying. The largest island is Espiritu Santo (3,955.5 km2). The highest peak is Mount Tabwemasana on Espiritu Santo (1,879 m).
Smaller islands in the group include
Climate
The ecoregion has a tropical wet climate. The windward southeastern sides of the islands receive more rainfall. The leeward northwestern slopes of islands have a distinct dry season between April and October. Tropical cyclones occur regularly.[2]
Flora
The natural plant communities on the islands include lowland rain forest, montane rain forest, seasonal forest and scrub, coastal strand, mangroves, vegetation on recent volcanic rocks, and secondary vegetation.[2]
Lowland rain forest occurs on the southeastern, or windward, sides of Vanuatu's islands. There are several lowland rain forest types. Complex forest scrub densely covered with lianas is the most widespread forest type on the larger northern islands. Other types include high- and medium-stature forests, alluvial and floodplain forests, and mixed-species forests without conifers. Agathis-Calophyllum lowland forest is found on the southern islands of Erromango and Aneityum.[2]
Lowland rainforest is the predominant plant community on the Santa Cruz Islands, and has some differences from the lowland rain forests on the islands further south. Typical species include
In Vanuatu, montane rain forests extent from as low as 500 meters elevation up to patches of stunted cloud forest on the islands' highest peaks. They include the conifers Agathis macrophylla and
Seasonal forest, scrub, and grassland grow on the leeward sides of the islands. Semideciduous Kleinhovia hospita-Castanospermum australe forests are a transition between rain forest and dry forest, and include some rain forest species. Forest of gaiac (Acacia spirorbis) is found in drier areas, with a canopy up to 15 meters high. Thickets and savannas of the introduced tree Leucaena leucocephala and grasslands are also found on the leeward sides of the islands.[2]
Littoral forests include Casuarina equisetifolia, Pandanus spp., Barringtonia asiatica, Terminalia catappa, Hernandia spp., and Thespesia populnea.[2]
Coastal mangrove forests are found on some islands, and contain species of Rhizophora, Avicennia, Sonneratia, Xylocarpus, and Ceriops.[2]
Fauna
Bats are the only native mammals in the ecoregion. There are twelve species – four
The
There are 79 native bird species in Vanuatu. Fifteen species are
Conservation
4.3%, or approximately 515 km2, of the ecoregion is in protected areas.[1][4] Protected areas include:
- Ambrym Megapode Reserve
- Central Efate (Teouma) Forest Conservation Area
- Erromango Kauri Forest Conservation Area
- Lasenuwi Forest Conservation Area
- Loru Protected Area
- Pankumo Protected Area
- Vatthe Forest Conservation Area
- Western Peninsular Forest Conservation Area
- Wiawi Conservation Area
External links
- "Vanuatu rain forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
- Vanuatu and Temotu endemic bird area BirdLife International.
References
- ^ a b Eric Dinerstein, David Olson, et al. (2017). An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm, BioScience, Volume 67, Issue 6, June 2017, Pages 534–545; Supplemental material 2 table S1b. [1]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Vanuatu rain forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
- ^ "Map of Ecoregions 2017". Resolve. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
- ^ a b "Vanuatu rain forests". Digital Observatory for Protected Areas. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
- ^ "Vanuatu rain forests". The Encyclopedia of Earth. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
- ^ a b c Mueller-Dombois, Dieter, and Francis Raymond Fosberg (1998). Vegetation of the tropical Pacific islands, pp. 84-161. Springer. ISBN 9780387983134, 0387983139
- . Retrieved 7 January 2024.
- ^ Pillon, Yohan (2018). A new species of Metrosideros (Myrtaceae) from Vanuatu and notes on the genus. Phytotaxa Vol. 347 No. 2: 13 April 2018: 197–200. DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.347.2.10
- ^ BirdLife International (2020) Endemic Bird Areas factsheet: Vanuatu and Temotu. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 02/06/2020.