The Vanuatu rain forests are

tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests (TSMF), also known as tropical moist forest, is a subtropical and tropical forest habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. Description TSMF is generally found in large, discont ...

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 l ...

which includes the islands of

Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of no ...

, as well as the

Santa Cruz Islands The Santa Cruz Islands are a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean, part of Temotu Province of the nation of Solomon Islands discovered by the Spaniards. They lie approximately 250 miles (400 km) to the southeast of the Solomon Islands ...

group of the neighboring

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capita ...

. It is part of the

Australasian realm The Australasian realm is a biogeographic realm that is coincident with, but not (by some definitions) the same as, the geographical region of Australasia. The realm includes Australia, the island of New Guinea (comprising Papua New Guinea and ...

, which includes neighboring

New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of New Caledonia , map_caption = Location of New Caledonia , mapsize = 290px , subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...

and the

, as well as

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea). It is a simplified version of ...

, and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

Geography

The islands were created by the subduction of the northward-moving

Australian Plate The Australian Plate is a major tectonic plate in the eastern and, largely, southern hemispheres. Originally a part of the ancient continent of Gondwana, Australia remained connected to India and Antarctica until approximately when India broke ...

beneath the

Pacific Plate The Pacific Plate is an oceanic tectonic plate that lies beneath the Pacific Ocean. At , it is the largest tectonic plate. The plate first came into existence 190 million years ago, at the triple junction between the Farallon, Phoenix, and Iza ...

. The surface geology of Vanuatu consists mostly of Pliocene-Pleistocene volcanic rocks and uplifted coral limestone. The Santa Cruz Islands have areas of both uplifted limestone and volcanic ash over limestone. The oldest rocks in Vanuatu are 38 million years old. The Santa Cruz islands are younger, with the oldest rocks less that 5 million years old. Most of the islands are low-lying. The largest island is

Espiritu Santo Espiritu Santo (, ; ) is the largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, with an area of and a population of around 40,000 according to the 2009 census. Geography The island belongs to the archipelago of the New Hebrides in the Pacific region o ...

(3,955.5 km²). The highest peak is

Mount Tabwemasana Mount Tabwemasana is the highest peak in Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The arc ...

on Espiritu Santo (1,879 m). Nendö is the largest of the Santa Cruz Islands. The highest peak in the Santa Cruz islands (924 m) is on

Vanikoro Vanikoro (sometimes wrongly named ''Vanikolo'') is an island in the Santa Cruz group, located to the Southeast of the main Santa Cruz group. It is part of the Temotu Province of the Solomon Islands. The name ''Vanikoro'' is always used as thoug ...

Climate

The ecoregion has a tropical wet climate. The windward southeastern sides of the islands receive more rainfall. The leeward northwestern slopes of islands have a distinct dry season between April and October. Tropical cyclones occur regularly.

Flora

The natural plant communities on the islands include lowland rain forest, montane rain forest, seasonal forest and scrub, coastal strand, mangroves, vegetation on recent volcanic rocks, and secondary vegetation. Lowland rain forest occurs on the southeastern, or windward, sides of Vanuatu's islands. There are several lowland rain forest types. Complex forest scrub densely covered with lianas is the most widespread forest type on the larger northern islands. Other types include high- and medium-stature forests, alluvial and floodplain forests, and mixed-species forests without conifers. ''

Agathis ''Agathis'', commonly known as kauri or dammara, is a genus of 22 species of evergreen tree. The genus is part of the ancient conifer family Araucariaceae, a group once widespread during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, but now largely re ...

Calophyllum ''Calophyllum'' is a genus of tropical flowering plants in the family Calophyllaceae. They are mainly distributed in Asia, with some species in Africa, the Americas, Australasia, and the Pacific Islands. History Members of the genus ''Calophyllu ...

'' lowland forest is found on the southern islands of

Erromango Erromango is the fourth largest island in the Vanuatu archipelago. With a land area of it is the largest island in Tafea Province, the southernmost of Vanuatu's six administrative regions. Name The Exonym and endonym, endonym for Erromango in Er ...

and Aneityum. Lowland rainforest is the predominant plant community on the Santa Cruz Islands, and has some differences from the lowland rain forests on the islands further south. Typical species include ''

Campnosperma brevipetiolatum ''Campnosperma brevipetiolatum'' is a species of tree in the Anacardiaceae family. It is native to an area in the west Pacific and Malesia from the Santa Cruz Islands to the Caroline Islands and Sulawesi. It is commonly used for its timber, inclu ...

Calophyllum vitiense ''Calophyllum'' is a genus of tropical flowering plants in the family Calophyllaceae. They are mainly distributed in Asia, with some species in Africa, the Americas, Australasia, and the Pacific Islands. History Members of the genus ''Calophyllu ...

, Gmelina salomonensis, Parinari corymbosa, Paraserianthes falcataria,

Pterocarpus indicus ''Pterocarpus indicus'' (commonly known as Amboyna wood, Malay padauk, Papua New Guinea rosewood, Philippine mahogany, Andaman redwood, Burmese rosewood, narra and asana in the Philippines, angsana, or Pashu padauk) is a species of ''Pterocarpus ...

'', and '' Endospermum medullosum''. There is no well-developed montane forest, but the trees '' Metrosideros ornata,

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. I ...

'' spp., and the conifers ''

'' and ''

Dacrydium elatum ''Dacrydium elatum'' is a species of conifer in the family Podocarpaceae. It is found in Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., ...

'', which elsewhere are montane species, occur in the islands' lowland forests. Montane rain forests extent from as low as 500 meters elevation up to patches of stunted cloud forest on the islands' highest peaks. They include the conifers ''

'' and ''

Podocarpus ''Podocarpus'' () is a genus of conifers, the most numerous and widely distributed of the podocarp family, the Podocarpaceae. The name comes from Greek πούς (poús, “foot”) + καρπός (karpós, “fruit”). ''Podocarpus'' species ...

'', together with broadleaf evergreen trees ''Metrosideros ornata, Syzygium'' spp., ''

Weinmannia ''Weinmannia'' is a genus of trees and shrubs in the family Cunoniaceae. It is the largest genus of the family with about 150 species. It is also the most widespread genus, occurring in Central and South America including the Caribbean, Madagasc ...

'' spp., '' Geissois'' spp., ''

Quintinia ''Quintinia'' is a genus of about 25 evergreen trees and shrubs native to the Philippines, New Guinea, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Australia. Plants have alternate leaves. White or lilac flowers form at the end of stalks or on leaf ax ...

'' spp., and ''

Ascarina ''Ascarina'' is an ancient, woody, Flowering plant, angiosperm genus. It is a distinct genus of ''Chloranthaceae'' consisting of less than twenty species, found in the Australian region, the Pacific Islands and Madagascar. They can grow up to six ...

'' spp. The tree ferns ''

Cyathea ''Cyathea'' is a genus of tree ferns, the type genus of the fern order Cyatheales. The genus name ''Cyathea'' is derived from the Greek ''kyatheion'', meaning "little cup", and refers to the cup-shaped sori on the underside of the fronds. Des ...

'' and ''

Dickinsonia ''Dickinsonia'' is an extinct genus of basal animal that lived during the late Ediacaran period in what is now Australia, China, Russia and Ukraine. The individual ''Dickinsonia'' typically resembles a bilaterally symmetrical ribbed oval. Its a ...

'' are common, and the endemic palm '' Clinostigma harlandii'' is found on the islands

Ambrym Ambrym is a volcanic island in Malampa Province in the archipelago of Vanuatu. Volcanic activity on the island includes lava lakes in two craters near the summit. Etymology Ambrym (also known as ''Ambrin'', ''"ham rim"'' in the Ranon language ...

, Aneityum, and Erromango. Seasonal forest, scrub, and grassland grow on the leeward sides of the islands. Semideciduous '' Kleinhovia hospita-

Castanospermum australe ''Castanospermum australe'' (Moreton Bay chestnut or blackbean), the only species in the genus ''Castanospermum'', is a flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, native to the east coast of Australia in Queensland and New South Wales, and to the ...

'' forests are a transition between rain forest and dry forest, and include some rain forest species. Forest of gaiac ('' Acacia spirorbis'') is found in drier areas, with a canopy up to 15 meters high. Thickets and savannas of the introduced tree ''

Leucaena leucocephala ''Leucaena leucocephala'' is a small fast-growing Mimosoideae, mimosoid tree native to southern Mexico and northern Central America (Belize and Guatemala) and is now naturalized throughout the tropics including parts of Asia. Common names inc ...

'' and grasslands are also found on the leeward sides of the islands. Littoral forests include ''

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 ...

Pandanus ''Pandanus'' is a genus of monocots with some 750 accepted species. They are palm-like, dioecious trees and shrubs native to the Old World tropics and subtropics. The greatest number of species are found in Madagascar and Malaysia. Common names ...

'' spp., ''

Barringtonia asiatica ''Barringtonia asiatica'' (fish poison tree, putat or sea poison tree) is a species of ''Barringtonia'' native to mangrove habitats from islands of the Indian Ocean in the west to tropical Asia and islands of the western Pacific Ocean. It is g ...

Terminalia catappa ''Terminalia catappa'' is a large tropical tree in the leadwood tree family, Combretaceae, native to Asia, Australia, the Pacific, Madagascar and Seychelles. Common names in English include country almond, Indian almond, Malabar almond, sea almon ...

Hernandia ''Hernandia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Hernandiaceae. It was named after the Spanish botanist Francisco Hernández de Toledo. Species , ''Plants of the World Online'' accepted the following species: * ''Hernandia albiflora'' ...

'' spp., and ''

Thespesia populnea ''Thespesia populnea'', commonly known as the portia tree (), Pacific rosewood, Indian tulip tree, or milo, among other names, is a species of flowering plant belonging to the mallow family, Malvaceae. It is a tree found commonly on coasts ar ...

''. Coastal

mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evoluti ...

forests are found on some islands, and contain species of ''

Rhizophora ''Rhizophora'' is a genus of tropical mangrove trees, sometimes collectively called true mangroves. The most notable species is the red mangrove (''Rhizophora mangle'') but some other species and a few natural hybrids are known. ''Rhizophora'' sp ...

Avicennia ''Avicennia'' is a genus of flowering plants currently placed in the bear's breeches family, Acanthaceae. It contains mangrove trees, which occur in the intertidal zones of estuarine areas and are characterized by its "pencil roots", which are ...

Sonneratia ''Sonneratia'' is a genus of plants in the family Lythraceae. Formerly the Sonneratia were placed in a family called Sonneratiaceae which included both the ''Sonneratia'' and the ''Duabanga'', but these two are now placed in their own monotyp ...

Xylocarpus ''Xylocarpus'' is a genus of plants in the mahogany family (Meliaceae). It includes two or three species of mangroves, native to coastal mangrove forests of the Western and Central Indo-Pacific, from eastern Africa to Tonga Tonga (, ; ) ...

'', and '' Ceriops''.

Fauna

Bats are the only native mammals in the ecoregion. There are twelve species – four

megabat Megabats constitute the family Pteropodidae of the order Chiroptera (bats). They are also called fruit bats, Old World fruit bats, or—especially the genera ''Acerodon'' and ''Pteropus''—flying foxes. They are the only member of the su ...

s and eight

microbat Microbats constitute the suborder Microchiroptera within the order Chiroptera (bats). Bats have long been differentiated into Megachiroptera (megabats) and Microchiroptera, based on their size, the use of echolocation by the Microchiroptera a ...

s – five of which are endemic. The four megabats –

Vanuatu flying fox The Vanuatu flying fox or white flying fox (''Pteropus anetianus'') is a species of flying fox in the family Pteropodidae. It is endemic to Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanu ...

(''Pteropus anetianus''), Temotu flying fox (''Pteropus nitendiensis''),

Vanikoro flying fox The Vanikoro flying fox (''Pteropus tuberculatus''), also known locally as the basapine, is a species of bat in the family Pteropodidae. It has only been found in the Vanikoro island group located in the southern Solomon Islands. The species a ...

(''Pteropus tuberculatus''), and Banks flying fox (''Pteropus fundatus'') – are endemic. Native microchiroptera include the Fijian blossom bat (''Notopteris macdonaldi''), Fijian mastiff bat (''Chaerephon bregullae''),

Pacific sheath-tailed bat The Pacific sheath-tailed bat or Polynesian sheath-tailed bat (''Emballonura semicaudata'') is a species of sac-winged bat in the family Emballonuridae found in American Samoa, Fiji, Guam, Micronesia, Palau, Samoa (where it is called ''pe'a vai, ...

(''Emballonura semicaudata''), large-footed bat (''Myotis adversus''),

little bent-wing bat The little bent-wing bat or little long-fingered bat (''Miniopterus australis'') is a species of vesper bat in the family Miniopteridae. It is found in Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vanuatu. Taxonomy The species was first descri ...

(''Miniopterus australis''), great bent-winged bat (''Miniopterus tristis''), Temminck's trident bat (''Aselliscus tricuspidatus''), and

fawn leaf-nosed bat The fawn leaf-nosed bat (''Hipposideros cervinus'') is a species of bat in the family Hipposideridae found in Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vanuatu. Taxonomy The species was first described by John Gould in his Mammals of ...

(''Hipposideros cervinus''). The endemic Nendo tube-nosed fruit bat (''Nyctimene sanctacrucis'') is presumed extinct. There area 79 native bird species in Vanuatu. Fifteen species are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

– Vanuatu scrubfowl (''Megapodius layardi''), Santa Cruz ground-dove (''Gallicolumba sanctaecrucis''), Tanna ground-dove (''Gallicolumba ferruginea''), Tanna fruit-dove (''Ptilinopus tannensis''), Baker's imperial pigeon (''Ducula bakeri''),

palm lorikeet The palm lorikeet (''Vini palmarum'') is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. It is found in Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical moist montane f ...

(''Charmosyna palmarum''), chestnut-bellied kingfisher (''Todirhamphus farquhari''),

Vanikoro monarch The Vanikoro monarch (''Mayrornis schistaceus'') is a species of bird in the monarch family endemic to the Santa Cruz Islands. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and it is threatened by habitat loss. Alternate na ...

(''Mayrornis schistaceus''),

buff-bellied monarch The buff-bellied monarch (''Neolalage banksiana'') is a species of bird in the family Monarchidae. It is monotypic within the genus ''Neolalage''. It is endemic to Vanuatu, where its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest ...

(''Neolalage banksiana''),

black-throated shrikebill The black-throated shrikebill or black-faced shrikebill (''Clytorhynchus nigrogularis'') is a songbird species in the family Monarchidae. It is found in Fiji and Solomon Islands. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland fo ...

(''Clytorhynchus nigrogularis''), Vanikoro flycatcher (''Myiagra vanikorensis''), Santa Cruz white-eye (''Zosterops santaecrucis''), yellow-fronted white-eye (''Zosterops flavifrons''),

Sanford's white-eye Sanford's white-eye (''Zosterops lacertosus'') is a species of bird in the family Zosteropidae. It is endemic to Nendo Island. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest. It is threatened by habitat loss. This species ha ...

(''Woodfordia lacertosa''), New Hebrides honeyeater (''Phylidonyris notabilis''), royal parrotfinch (''Erythrura regia''),

Polynesian starling The Polynesian starling (''Aplonis tabuensis'') is a species of starling of the family Sturnidae. It is found in the Samoan Islands, Fiji, Niue, Tonga, the Santa Cruz Islands and Wallis and Futuna. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropica ...

(''Aplonis tabuensis''), rusty-winged starling (''Aplonis zelandica''), and Mountain starling (''Aplonis santovestris''). The ecoregion corresponds to the Vanuatu and Temotu

endemic bird area An Endemic Bird Area (EBA) is an area of land identified by BirdLife International as being important for habitat-based bird conservation because it contains the habitats of restricted-range bird species (''see below for definition''), which are the ...

.BirdLife International (2020) Endemic Bird Areas factsheet: Vanuatu and Temotu. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 02/06/2020.

External links

*
Vanuatu and Temotu endemic bird area
BirdLife International.

References

{{coord, -15.33, 166.92, dim:1000000, display=title Australasian ecoregions Ecoregions of the Solomon Islands Environment of Vanuatu * * Geography of the Solomon Islands Geography of Vanuatu Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Ecoregions of Vanuatu