The Fiji tropical dry forests are a

tropical dry forest The tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forest is a habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature and is located at tropical and subtropical latitudes. Though these forests occur in climates that are warm year-round, and may receive ...

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of ...

in Fiji. The dry forests occupy the leeward northwestern portion of Fiji's two largest islands,

Viti Levu Viti Levu (pronounced ) is the largest island in the Republic of Fiji. It is the site of the nation's capital, Suva, and home to a large majority of Fiji's population. Geology Fiji lies in a tectonically complex area between the Australian ...

and

Vanua Levu Vanua Levu (pronounced ), formerly known as Sandalwood Island, is the second largest island of Fiji. Located to the north of the larger Viti Levu, the island has an area of and a population of 135,961 . Geology Fiji lies in a tectonically ...

Geography

The dry forests are in the rain shadow 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 cyclone A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depen ...

s 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 ''Dacrydium nidulum'' is a species of conifer in the family Podocarpaceae. It is found in Fiji, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent ...

'' 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 O ...

'', with '' Myristica castaneifolia, Dysoxylum richii, Parinari insularum,

Intsia bijuga ''Intsia bijuga'', commonly known as Borneo teak, Johnstone River teak, Kwila, Moluccan ironwood, Pacific teak, scrub mahogany and vesi, is a species of flowering tree in the family Fabaceae, native to the Indo-Pacific. It ranges from Tanzania a ...

Syzygium ''Syzygium'' () is a genus of flowering plants that belongs to the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. The genus comprises about 1200 species, and has a native range that extends from Africa and Madagascar through southern Asia east through the Pacific. ...

'' 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'', the cycad ''

Cycas seemannii ''Cycas seemannii'' is a species of cycad found in Fiji, Vanuatu (in Efate), Tonga, and New Caledonia.Whitelock, Loran M. 2002. ''The Cycads''. Portland: Timber Press. In Vanuatu, the cycad is known as namele and is an important symbol of tra ...

'' and groves of bamboo (''

Bambusa ''Bambusa'' is a large genus of clumping bamboos. Most species of ''Bambusa'' are rather large, with numerous branches emerging from the nodes, and one or two much larger than the rest. The branches can be as long as 11 m (35 ft). The ...

'' spp.). Forests of the endemic sandalwood ''

Santalum yasi ''Santalum yasi'' is a species of flowering plant in the mistletoe family, Santalaceae, that is native to Fiji, Tonga and Niue Niue (, ; niu, Niuē) is an island country in the South Pacific Ocean, northeast of New Zealand. Niue's la ...

, Casuarina equisetifolia, 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 ''Sporobolus indicus'' is a species of grass known by the common name smut grass. Distribution This bunchgrass is native to temperate and tropical areas of the Americas. It can be found in more regions, as well as on many Pacific Islands, as an ...

'' and the ferns ''

Pteridium aquilinum ''Pteridium aquilinum'' (bracken, brake or common bracken), also known as eagle fern, is a species of fern occurring in temperate and subtropical regions in both hemispheres. Originally native to Eurasia and North America, the extreme lightness o ...

'' and '' Dicranopteris linearis''. 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,

Dodonaea viscosa ''Dodonaea viscosa'', also known as the broadleaf hopbush, is a species of flowering plant in the '' Dodonaea'' (hopbush) genus that has a cosmopolitan distribution in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate regions of Africa, the Americas, sout ...

, C. seemannii'', and the palm ''

Pritchardia pacifica ''Pritchardia pacifica'', the Fiji fan palm, or piu, is a species of palm tree in the genus '' Pritchardia'' that is native to Tonga. It is also found on Fiji, Samoa, and the Marquesas however these populations are likely to be human introductio ...

''.

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