The Vogelkop montane rain forests cover the mountains rising above 1,000 metres on the Bird's Head (Vogelkop) and Bomberai peninsulas of western New Guinea, in Indonesia's West Papua province, taking in the Arfak and Tamrau ranges and the smaller Fakfak and Kumawa mountains, with Mount Arfak (2,955 m) the highest point. The forest changes with altitude: lower montane slopes are dominated by New Guinea oak (Castanopsis, including Castanopsis acuminatissima) alongside Lithocarpus and trees of the laurel and myrtle families, giving way to moss- and epiphyte-draped Antarctic beech (Nothofagus) and, higher still, to conifers such as Podocarpus, Dacrycarpus, and Papuacedrus. The climate is a montane tropical rain forest one, cooler and drier than the surrounding lowlands, with frost and even rare snow on the highest summits. The ecoregion is a stronghold of New Guinea endemics, home to the western long-beaked echidna and tree-kangaroos, and more than half of it lies within protected areas. For gardeners, several of its native conifer genera, including Podocarpus and Dacrycarpus, are grown ornamentally elsewhere.
Marker placed inside the RESOLVE 2017 polygon at 1.0°S, 133.2°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)
13b
Plotwright
Where the CHELSA models say the typical winter month is heading.
Average warming this ecoregion is on track for: +3.1°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
8,473 sq mi
Conservation tier
Half Protected (Dinerstein NNH 1)
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: