The Clipperton Island shrub and grasslands ecoregion is confined to a single tiny coral atoll administered by France, lying in the eastern Pacific roughly 965 kilometers southwest of mainland Mexico and recognized as the only coral island in that ocean. Its vegetation is sparse and low, dominated by spiny grass and thickets together with creeping morning glories (Ipomoea) and scattered groves of coconut palm, the cover often standing barely 30 centimeters high after land crabs repeatedly reset the plant community. The climate is tropical, with average temperatures between about 20 and 32 degrees Celsius and frequent tropical storms passing the island. Despite its bleak greenery, the atoll teems with life, supporting thousands of breeding seabirds, including the world's largest masked booby colony, alongside millions of the bright-orange Clipperton land crab that gives the ecoregion its flagship species. The atoll currently has no formal legal protection, leaving this isolated ecosystem reliant on its sheer remoteness.
Marker placed inside the RESOLVE 2017 polygon at 10.3°N, 109.2°W.
Climate snapshot for this ecoregion
°C
°F
Current zone range (2011–2040)
13b
Plotwright
CHELSA-derived typical winter month at this ecoregion's bbox grid.
Projected (2041–2070)
13b
Plotwright
Where the CHELSA models say the typical winter month is heading.
Average warming this ecoregion is on track for: +2.8°F by mid-century. SSP3-7.0 (current trajectory) · CHELSA v2.1 bio06 sampled across 10 of 10 points within this ecoregion's bounding box.
About the tropical & subtropical grasslands, savannas & shrublands biome
Warm grasslands and savannas where grasses dominate and trees are scattered, maintained by seasonal rainfall, grazing, and fire. They support large herbivore communities and respond sharply to wet–dry cycles.
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 tropical & subtropical grasslands, savannas & shrublands ecoregions to explore: