Satellite view of Clipperton Island (France) Photograph by USGS   Eastern Pacific Ocean, southeast of Mexico Tropical and Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands   50 square miles (100 square kilometers) -- about the size of Washington DC Critical/Endangered

· An Eroding Ecoregion
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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An Eroding Ecoregion

The Clipperton Island Shrub and Grasslands ecoregion is slowly slipping into the sea. That’s because the island is a coral atoll that’s sitting atop the rim of an eroding and slowly receding volcano. All that’s left of the volcano today is a low-lying ring of land that encloses a lagoon in the center. Although the island is tiny, it is surrounded--and covered--with life.

Special Features

The dry land of Clipperton Island is covered with grassy scrub, algae, and lichens. Much of island is no higher than 6 feet (2 m), except for Clipperton Rock, a volcanic formation that reaches 69 feet (21 m). Clipperton Island is the only atoll in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Extensive coral reefs with a high diversity of life surround the exposed parts of the island.

	Guano from the cormorant, a sea bird, is the world’s most valuable fertilizer. Thirty times richer than farmyard manure, the guano is scraped from the cliffs where the birds nest. In some places, the guano can be over 150 feet (50 m) thick!

Wild Side

A variety of sea birds live and breed on the island, including great frigate birds, brown boobies, blue-faced boobies, common noddies, sooty terns, and fairy terns. Droppings from the sea birds, called guano, provide a large amount of nutrients for the plants and other life on the island. The land crab Gecarcinus planatus is also found in large numbers on the island.

Cause for Concern

Like all islands, Clipperton Island is vulnerable to invasive plants and animals. Fortunately, introduced pigs were eradicated in the 1950s before they could permanently harm bird life. But, the introduction of coconut palms and other non-native species remains a threat to native wildlife. Rising sea levels from global warming could also threaten this ecoregion.

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