The Southeastern Papuan rain forests cover the southeastern peninsula of New Guinea, lying entirely within Papua New Guinea and spanning the rugged Owen Stanley Range together with surrounding lowland, swamp, and coastal areas. Dense evergreen rain forest dominates the lowlands and hills, with tree genera such as Pometia, Canarium, Anisoptera, Ficus, and Hopea, giving way at higher elevations to montane forests of southern beech (Nothofagus) and stands of the conifer Araucaria along the ridges. The climate is tropical and wet in the humid lowlands, cooling steadily with elevation until the highest peaks of the Owen Stanley Range experience regular freezing temperatures. This ecoregion is renowned as the home of Queen Alexandra's Birdwing, the world's largest butterfly, and supports a rich endemic fauna of birds and mammals, with the brown-headed paradise kingfisher serving as a flagship species. For gardeners, the region is the native ground of ornamental favorites including the southern beeches and the architectural Araucaria conifers.
Marker placed inside the RESOLVE 2017 polygon at 8.8°S, 147.8°E.
Climate snapshot for this ecoregion
°C
°F
Current zone range (2011–2040)
13a-13b
Plotwright
CHELSA-derived typical winter month at this ecoregion's bbox grid.
Projected (2041–2070)
13a-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 Moist Broadleaf Forests
Realm
Australasia
Approximate area
29,865 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
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 moist broadleaf forests ecoregions to explore: