Raoul Island, Kermadec Islands, New Zealand Photograph by Geoff Mackley   Kermadec Islands off the northeastern coast of New Zealand Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests   50 square miles (100 square kilometers) -- about the size of Washington DC Critical/Endangered

· Seabird Islands
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Seabird Islands

If you were to visit the Kermadec Islands off the coast of New Zealand, you could walk through luxuriant forests of red-flowered Pohutukawa trees. You might experience daily earthquakes and even witness small volcanic eruptions. Best of all, you'd have a chance to see the diverse and abundant seabirds that come to roost on these subtropical isles.

Special Features

Thirteen small, uninhabited islands compose the Kermadec Islands ecoregion. All of these islands have been formed by volcanic action. Some of these volcanoes are still active, erupting periodically and destroying areas of vegetation. The volcanoes on Raoul Island have also created three warm volcanic lakes. On all the islands, the climate is subtropical, with average temperatures ranging from 60° to 72° F (16° to 22° C) and rainfall averaging about 60 inches (1,500 mm) annually.

	A shipwreck brought Norway rats to the Kermadec Islands in 1921.

Wild Side

You'll find a variety of vegetation on these islands. The forests are dominated by the endemic Kermadec Metrosideros tree and an endemic palm. The low-elevation forests give way to moist, mossy forests up on the highest summits. In fact, the islands as a whole support 52 species of moss and 89 species of fungi. Birds are the most notable animals of these islands. Here you can find the world's largest breeding populations of Kermadec petrels, white-naped petrels, and black-winged petrels. Other local birds include the tui, the silvereye, gray ternlet, and red-tailed tropicbird.

Cause for Concern

Human settlement of these islands has been limited, and direct human impacts are few. Unfortunately, each wave of settlers that did come to the islands brought with it animals that have wreaked havoc on local wildlife. In the 1300s, Maoris introduced Polynesian rats, and in the 1800s and 1900s, European farmers and whalers introduced goats and cats. These and other invasive species have caused the Kermadec parakeet, spotless crake, and New Zealand pigeon to go extinct or disappear from the islands, drastically reduced seabird populations, and altered native forests. The introduced Mysore thorn and an aroid (a type of plant) are spreading swiftly and represent serious ecological threats.

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