The Fiji tropical dry forests are a
tropical dry forest ecoregion in
Fiji
Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...
. The dry forests occupy the leeward northwestern portion of Fiji's two largest islands,
Viti Levu and
Vanua Levu.
Geography
The dry forests are in the
rain shadow
A rain shadow is an area of significantly reduced rainfall behind a mountainous region, on the side facing away from prevailing winds, known as its leeward side.
Evaporated moisture from water bodies (such as oceans and large lakes) is carrie ...
of Viti Levu and Vanua Levu's central mountains, which intercept the prevailing southeast trade winds.
[
The Fijian islands are mostly volcanic in origin, with areas of uplifted coral limestone and sedimentary rock. The islands emerged from the sea between 5 and 20 million years ago.][
]
Climate
The climate is tropical and seasonally dry. Rainfall is from 1500 to 2250 mm annually, falling mostly during the December-to-April summer. The other months are relatively dry. Occasionally tropical cyclones hit the islands from the northwest between November and April.[
]
Flora
The natural vegetation of the ecoregion is tropical dry forest. The most widespread dry forest community was characterized '' Dacrydium nidulum'' and ''Fagraea gracilipes
''Fagraea gracilipes'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Gentianaceae. It is endemic to Fiji, where it is known from only four of the islands. It is harvested for its valuable wood. In Fiji, it is threatened by overexploitation
...
'', with ''Myristica castaneifolia
''Myristica'' is a genus of trees in the family Myristicaceae. There are over 150 species, distributed in Asia and the western Pacific.
The type species of the genus, and the most economically important member, is ''Myristica fragrans'' (the nut ...
, Dysoxylum richii, Parinari insularum
''Parinari'' is a genus of plant in the family Chrysobalanaceae.
Species of genus ''Parinari'' are found in Subsaharan Africa from Senegal to Sudan and Kenya and south to Namibia and Natal; in Eastern Madagascar; from Indochina through Indones ...
, Intsia bijuga, Syzygium'' spp., '' Aleurites moluccana, Ficus theophrastoides'', the conifers ''Podocarpus neriifolius
''Podocarpus neriifolius'' is a species of conifer in the family Podocarpaceae. It grows 10–15m tall, though very occasionally taller, in tropical and subtropical wet closed forests, between 650m and 1600m altitude.Dy Phon Pauline, 2000, ''Pla ...
'' and ''Gymnostoma vitiense
''Gymnostoma'' is a genus of about eighteen species of trees and shrubs, constituting one of the four genera of the plant family Casuarinaceae. The species grow naturally in the tropics, including at high altitudes having temperate climates, in ...
'', the cycad '' Cycas seemannii'' and groves of bamboo ('' Bambusa'' spp.). Forests of the endemic sandalwood '' Santalum yasi, Casuarina equisetifolia
''Casuarina equisetifolia'', common names ''Coastal She-oak'' or ''Horsetail She-oak'' (sometimes referred to as the Australian pine tree or whistling pine tree outside Australia), is a she-oak species of the genus ''Casuarina''. The native ...
, Gymnostoma vitiense'' and the climbing fern '' Lygodium scandens'' are found in drier areas.[
Frequent burning of the forest and subsequent erosion have reduced the dry forests to fragments. A sparse grass-fern plant community called talasiqa (meaning "sun burnt") is widespread in degraded areas. Talasiqa is characterized by the grass '' Sporobolus indicus'' and the ferns '' Pteridium aquilinum'' and '']Dicranopteris linearis
''Dicranopteris linearis'' is a common species of fern known by many common names, including Old World forked fern, ''uluhe'' ( Hawaiian), and ''dilim'' (Filipino). It is one of the most widely distributed ferns of the wet Old World tropics and a ...
''. Other formerly-forested areas have been converted to a shrub savanna, with the tree ''Casuarina equisetifolia'' and a brushy understory that includes '' Mussaenda raiateensis, Decaspermum fruticosum
''Decaspermum'' is a genus of the botanical family Myrtaceae, first described as a genus in 1776. It is native to China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populou ...
, Dodonaea viscosa, C. seemannii'', and the palm '' Pritchardia pacifica''.[
]
Protected areas
A 2017 assessment found that 204 km², or 3%, of the ecoregion is in protected areas.[ Protected areas include Koroyanitu National Heritage Park on Viti Levu.
]
External links
*
Tropical Dry Forests of Fiji (UCLA)
References
{{reflist
Ecoregions of Fiji
Oceanian ecoregions
Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests