The Fiji tropical dry forests occupy the leeward, northwestern lowlands of Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, the two largest islands of Fiji, extending onto smaller islands in the Yasawa and Lau groups. Their canopy is typically dominated by Dacrydium nidulum and Fagraea gracilipes, with Garuga floribunda and Gyrocarpus americanus prevailing in the driest sites, alongside the cycad Cycas seemannii and the endemic sandalwood Santalum yasi. Sitting in the rain shadow of the islands' central mountains, the climate is tropical and strongly seasonal, with most rain falling between December and April and a long dry season that gives the trees a shorter, gnarled, vine-draped character; tropical cyclones occasionally strike from November to April. These are among the most endangered forests in the Pacific, with much of the original cover long ago burned and cleared into sparse grass-fern talasiga savanna, leaving only a small fraction protected. The ecoregion is the flagship habitat of the Fiji crested iguana and supports a flora that is overwhelmingly endemic to the archipelago. For gardeners, the native sandalwood Santalum yasi is a notable regional genus prized for its fragrant heartwood.
Marker placed inside the RESOLVE 2017 polygon at 17.7°S, 177.7°E.
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: +2.4°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
Tropical & Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests
Realm
Oceania
Approximate area
2,669 sq mi
Conservation tier
Nature Could Recover (Dinerstein NNH 3)
About the tropical & subtropical dry broadleaf forests biome
Tropical forests that pass through a pronounced dry season, when many trees drop their leaves to conserve water. They hold high biodiversity but are among the most threatened tropical habitats, sensitive to fire and to clearing 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 tropical & subtropical dry broadleaf forests ecoregions to explore: