This tiny temperate-grassland ecoregion covers Île Amsterdam and Île Saint-Paul, two remote French volcanic islands in the southern Indian Ocean lying roughly 3,000 km from any continent, in the open ocean between Australia, Antarctica, and southern Africa. At lower elevations the volcanic slopes are clothed in tussock grasslands and sedge meadows, while Amsterdam Island also harbors the small evergreen tree Phylica, the only native tree, growing among ferns; shrubs, bogs, and mosses take over on the higher plateau. The climate is cool and oceanic, with mild temperatures that swing only narrowly between winter and summer, abundant year-round rainfall near 1,100 mm, persistent westerly winds, and high humidity. As an isolated island system it combines relatively few species with high endemism, and it is a vital breeding ground for seabirds, subantarctic fur seals, and penguins; its flagship is the critically endangered, endemic Amsterdam albatross, with only about 30 breeding pairs in a given year. Past woodland clearing by whalers and sealers and introduced grazing animals (since removed) reshaped the native vegetation, and several endemic birds have already been lost since human arrival.
Marker placed inside the RESOLVE 2017 polygon at 37.9°S, 77.5°E.
Climate snapshot for this ecoregion
Climate snapshot not available at this resolution — this ecoregion sits outside our detailed climate coverage (typically Antarctic interior or far-ocean island chains).
At a glance
Dominant biome
Temperate Grasslands, Savannas & Shrublands
Realm
Afrotropic
Approximate area
27 sq mi
Conservation tier
Nature Imperiled (Dinerstein NNH 4)
About the temperate grasslands, savannas & shrublands biome
Temperate prairies, steppes, and pampas of grasses and forbs with few trees, under continental climates of hot summers and cold winters. Their deep, fertile soils have made them among the most extensively converted biomes for agriculture.
Catalog plants suited to this ecoregion
No catalog plants intersect this ecoregion's zone range. As the catalog grows to cover this region's climate band, suggestions will surface here.
Collections for this ecoregion
No curated collection's plants all fit this ecoregion's zone range. We surface a collection only when every member would grow here — partial fits get filtered out rather than mislead. As the catalog and the curated set both grow, this section will fill in.
Related ecoregions
Other temperate grasslands, savannas & shrublands ecoregions to explore: