The Jamaican dry forests are a Neotropical tropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion confined to the island of Jamaica, where they make up roughly 15 percent of the land area across the northwestern, western, and southern coastal lowlands. The ecoregion forms three discontinuous blocks, the largest running along the south coast from Morant Point to Black River Bay, much of it on rugged limestone hills such as the Hellshire Hills and Portland Ridge. Vegetation is a dry woodland dominated by plants in the Rubiaceae, Euphorbiaceae, and Myrtaceae families, including the native Bauhinia divaricata. These areas stay dry because they sit in the orographic rain shadow of the Blue Mountains, lying below 213 meters with annual rainfall that usually does not exceed 1,270 millimeters. Despite its small footprint it is rich in endemics, with over 271 plant species recorded in the Hellshire Hills including 53 found only in Jamaica, and it is the last stronghold of the critically endangered Jamaican iguana, much of the remaining forest now safeguarded within the Portland Bight Protected Area.
Marker placed inside the RESOLVE 2017 polygon at 17.9°N, 77.4°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: +2.9°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
Neotropic
Approximate area
894 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: