The Nansei Islands subtropical evergreen forests cover the Ryukyu (Nansei) Islands of southern Japan, a 1,050-km arc of more than 100 small islands spanning Kagoshima and Okinawa prefectures that reaches southwest from Kyushu toward Taiwan. The characteristic vegetation is broadleaf evergreen forest dominated by chinquapin (Castanopsis sieboldii) alongside oaks, Machilus and Schima, with conifers such as Cryptomeria japonica, Chamaecyparis obtusa and Abies firma mixed in above about 1,200 meters on Yakushima's mountains. Warmed by the offshore Kuroshio Current, the climate is humid and ranges from subtropical in the north to a tropical monsoon regime in the south, receiving roughly 2,000 to 3,500 mm of rain a year and supporting the northernmost mangroves in the western Pacific. Faunal endemism is exceptionally high, the flagship species being the critically endangered Iriomote cat, and the islands host endemic birds including the Ryukyu robin, Ryukyu green pigeon and Okinawa rail. For gardeners, the region is also home to the endemic palm Satakentia liukiuensis, found only on Ishigaki and Iriomote.
Marker placed inside the RESOLVE 2017 polygon at 26.5°N, 128.0°E.
Climate snapshot for this ecoregion
°C
°F
Current zone range (2011–2040)
11b-13b
Plotwright
CHELSA-derived typical winter month at this ecoregion's bbox grid.
Projected (2041–2070)
12a-13b
Plotwright
Where the CHELSA models say the typical winter month is heading.
Average warming this ecoregion is on track for: +3.5°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 Moist Broadleaf Forests
Realm
Indomalayan
Approximate area
1,572 sq mi
Conservation tier
Nature Could Reach Half Protected (Dinerstein NNH 2)
About the tropical & subtropical moist broadleaf forests biome
Warm, wet, highly productive forests — including tropical rainforests — with closed canopies, near year-round growing seasons, and the richest terrestrial biodiversity on Earth. Low seasonality and high rainfall sustain dense, layered vegetation from canopy to forest floor.
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.
These plants fit the ecoregion as it is today, but the mid-century projection moves them outside their stated zone range — plan for them to struggle by 2070.
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 moist broadleaf forests ecoregions to explore: