Photograph by   Series of small islands off the eastern tip of Papua New Guinea Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests   600 square miles (1,600 square kilometers) -- about one-third the size of Delaware Vulnerable

· A Refuge for Rare Birds
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern

A Refuge for Rare Birds

Even if you hiked all over the islands of this tropical ecoregion, you might never spot a member of the seven endemic or near-endemic bird species that live here. You would not be alone. Scientists have uncovered very little about the birds of this ecoregion, or, for that matter, the mammals, reptiles, and amphibians sheltered in this botanically rich area.

Special Features

Although this tropical island chain consists mainly of rain forest, some of the low-lying smaller islands receive relatively little rainfall. As a result of this and poor soil conditions, trees here are shorter (65 to 100 feet or 20 to 30 meters) and have smaller crowns than their counterparts in other parts of New Guinea. Several areas have been converted to grasslands and agricultural lands, with much of the forest gone from Sudest Island, the largest in the chain. Misima Island is notable for its endemic species of Pandanus. This tropical plant can sometimes reach a height of 60 feet (18 meters), with roots that help to bolster the plant during storms.

	The Tagula honeyeater is just one of more than 1,000 vertebrate species that pollinate the flowering plants here. Unfortunately, it is also one of the 186 vertebrate pollinators of conservation concern.

Wild Side

Reptiles and amphibians÷including five endemic frog species and two lizards÷thrive in the tropical climate here. Eighteen species of bats roam the forests, including one endangered species, the St. Aignanâs trumpet-eared bat. Rarely studied birds include the white-chinned myzomela, the Tagula honeyeater, the white-throated white-eye, and the Louisiade flowerpecker.

Cause for Concern

The main threats to the islands are logging, conversion of habitat into agricultural lands, and gold mining. Forests around Mt. Riu in particular are important to the survival of the Tagula honeyeater and the Tagula butcherbird, among other species.

For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report.