The Enriquillo Wetlands ecoregion occupies a low-lying depression in southwestern Hispaniola, straddling both the Dominican Republic and Haiti and centered on a chain of lakes that includes hypersaline Lake Enriquillo, the largest lake in the Caribbean and one whose surface sits roughly 44 meters below sea level. Wetland margins are dominated by salt-tolerant plants such as buttonwood mangrove (Conocarpus erectus), cattails (Typha domingensis), and saltwort (Batis maritima), grading into surrounding dry subtropical thorn forest with guayacán, almácigo, bayahonda, and yarey and Palma cacheo palms. The climate is arid for the tropics, with low annual precipitation in the range of 400 to 500 millimeters and warm water temperatures from about 24 to 29 degrees Celsius, while elevated, sulfurous salinity shapes the lake itself. The wetlands support the island's largest population of the American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus), the critically endangered Ricord's iguana found only around Lake Enriquillo, the rhinoceros iguana, and the endemic Hispaniolan slider turtle, with American flamingos and roseate spoonbills among the birds, and three IUCN category II national parks protect parts of the region. For gardeners in similarly hot, dry settings, native drought-hardy genera of this landscape such as Guaiacum (guayacán) and Bursera (almácigo) point to plants suited to arid, saline-influenced ground.
Marker placed inside the RESOLVE 2017 polygon at 18.5°N, 71.6°W.
Climate snapshot for this ecoregion
°C
°F
Current zone range (2011–2040)
12b-13b
Plotwright
CHELSA-derived typical winter month at this ecoregion's bbox grid.
Projected (2041–2070)
12b-13b
Plotwright
Where the CHELSA models say the typical winter month is heading.
Average warming this ecoregion is on track for: +3.1°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.
At a glance
Dominant biome
Flooded Grasslands & Savannas
Realm
Neotropic
Approximate area
243 sq mi
Conservation tier
Half Protected (Dinerstein NNH 1)
About the flooded grasslands & savannas biome
Grasslands and savannas subject to seasonal or year-round flooding, including large wetland complexes. Exceptionally productive, they concentrate waterbirds and aquatic life.
Catalog plants suited to this ecoregion
Computed from each plant's stated USDA zone range against this ecoregion's CHELSA-derived current zone range, with the CHELSA mid-century warming delta applied for the projection. Plants whose stated range falls outside both the current and projected zone end up dropped; the rest land in one of the three buckets below.
Climate-resilient picks · 4
These plants fit this ecoregion today AND remain in range under the mid-century SSP3-7.0 projection. Lead with these for a planting that holds up as the climate shifts.
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 flooded grasslands & savannas ecoregions to explore: