Eua National Park is a
national park
A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...
on the island of
Eua in
Tonga
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania. The country has 171 islands, of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in the southern Pacific Ocean. accordin ...
. It is the country's only national forest park and covers an area of .
The park is located on the east coast of the island and covers an band of tropical
rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by a closed and continuous tree Canopy (biology), canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforests can be generally classified as tropi ...
and is bordered on the west by sheer cliffs to the ocean, which have numerous caves and
chasm
In geology, a rift is a linear zone where the lithosphere is being pulled apart and is an example of extensional tectonics. Typical rift features are a central linear downfaulted depression, called a graben, or more commonly a half-graben w ...
s. It received national park status in 1992.
[ The area is protected by ]IUCN
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...
.
Biodiversity
Endemic flora
* ''Aglaia heterotricha
''Aglaia heterotricha'' is a species of plant in the family Meliaceae. It is endemic to Tonga
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania. The country has 171 islands, of which 45 are inha ...
''
* '' Arytera bifoliata''
* '' Discocalyx listeri''
* '' Dysoxylum tongense''
* ''Guioa lentiscifolia
''Guioa'' is a genus of about 78 rainforest tree species known to science, which constitute part of the plant family Sapindaceae. They have a wide distribution, ranging from throughout Malesia, in Burma, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Malay Peninsu ...
''
* ''Phyllanthus amicorum
''Phyllanthus'' is the largest genus in the plant family Phyllanthaceae. Estimates of the number of species in this genus vary widely, from 750David J. Mabberley. 2008. ''Mabberley's Plant-Book.'' third edition (2008). Cambridge University ...
''
* '' Pittosporum yunckeri''
* '' Podocarpus pallidus'', a rare and endangered conifer (approximately 1,000 trees) found in this location.
* '' Polyalthia amicorum''
* '' Robiquetia tongensis''
* '' Syzygium crosbyi''
* '' Xylosma smithiana''
Endemic fauna
* '' Lepidodactylus euaensis'' (Eua forest gecko), a rare and endangered gecko
Geckos are small, mostly carnivorous lizards that have a wide distribution, found on every continent except Antarctica. Belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, geckos are found in warm climates. They range from .
Geckos are unique among lizards ...
.
* ''Prosopeia tabuensis'' (red shining-parrot or red-breasted Koki), a species of parrot
Parrots (Psittaciformes), also known as psittacines (), are birds with a strong curved beak, upright stance, and clawed feet. They are classified in four families that contain roughly 410 species in 101 genus (biology), genera, found mostly in ...
.
* '' Aerodrarnus spodiopygius'' (white rumped swiftlet)
* ''Phaethon lepturus'' (white-tailed tropicbird)
Further reading
*
*
See also
* National parks of Tonga
*List of National Parks
This is a list of the number of national parks per nation, as defined by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Nearly 100 countries around the world have lands classified as a national park by this definition.
Note that this artic ...
References
National park
A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...
National parks of Tonga
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