The Sumba deciduous forests cover the single Indonesian island of Sumba, in the Lesser Sunda Islands of East Nusa Tenggara province, within the biologically distinctive Wallacea region where Asian and Australasian faunas mix. Deciduous monsoon forest covers most of the island, while moister south-facing slopes that stay green through the dry season hold lowland evergreen rainforest; sandalwood (Santalum) was historically a common element of these woods. The climate is tropical and seasonally dry, with a pronounced dry season from roughly May to November and a rainy season from December to April. Despite the island's small size and modest vertebrate diversity, it supports a notably high level of bird endemism, with the Sumba hornbill serving as the ecoregion's flagship species. Much of the original forest has been cleared for crops and grazing, and repeated fires and grazing now maintain fire-resistant Casuarina and eucalypt savannas across the island. Two national parks, Laiwangi Wanggameti and Manupeu Tanah Daru, were designated in 1998 to protect endangered wildlife.
Marker placed inside the RESOLVE 2017 polygon at 9.8°S, 119.9°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: +3.0°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
Australasia
Approximate area
4,155 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: