The Miskito pine forests stretch across the Caribbean lowlands of the Mosquito Coast in northeastern Nicaragua and southeastern Honduras, with the northern section centered on the Coco River that divides the two countries. This is the largest tract of pine savanna in the Neotropics: Caribbean pine (Pinus caribaea) dominates the higher, well-drained ground, while wetter zones give way to evergreen palm thickets, palmetto, sedges, and grasses such as Paspalum. The climate is wet and tropical, with more than 2,500 mm of rain a year and fairly even temperatures, a marked dry season from mid-February to May, and a hurricane peak in September and October; recurring ground fires keep the savanna open without killing grass and sedge roots. The ecoregion is an important corridor for open-habitat wildlife including puma, jaguar, jaguarundi, and white-tailed deer, and roughly 16% lies within protected areas such as the Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve. For gardeners, the drought- and fire-hardy Caribbean pine is the signature native conifer of this landscape.
Marker placed inside the RESOLVE 2017 polygon at 14.7°N, 83.8°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: +3.2°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: