Remnant dry forest, near Koroiyaca, Viti Levu, Fiji Photograph by David Olson   Fiji, in the Pacific Ocean, east of Australia. Tropical and Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests   2,700 square miles (6,900 square kilometers) -- about half the size of Connecticut Critical/Endangered

· Fiji's Dry Forests
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern

Fiji's Dry Forests

If you were to sail a ship east from Australia, you'd reach the islands of Fiji after about 1,900 miles (3,000 kilometers). A tropical dry forest once covered large portions of Fiji's 300 islands. But today, these forests have been reduced to mere fragments. As a result, the forests are among the most endangered habitats in the Pacific.

Special Features

Most of Fiji's islands are the remnants of once-active volcanoes. They enjoy a tropical climate that varies by only about six degrees Centigrade throughout the course of the year. Annual rainfall to the islands is high, but it fluctuates between wet summers and dry winters. The long dry winters have helped produce the dry forest communities on much of the islands. Dry forests have also sprung up in the "rainshadow" of Fiji's mountains. As rain clouds move up the sides of high mountains, they condense and drop their moisture. As they descend on the other side, they have little moisture left, and, as a result, these regions are significantly drier than other parts of the islands.

	Some areas that once had dry forest have been burned so many times that they now consist of open grassland and savanna. These areas are called talasiqa, which means "sun burnt."

Wild Side

Dry forests are dominated by two tree species (Dacrydium nidulum and Fagraea gracilepes) and by areas of bamboo. Two unusual conifers of the genus Podocarpus also occur in the dry forests. Even drier areas were historically dominated by sandalwood trees, which are now an endangered species. Bolo snakes and Pacific boas slither through some of these forests. Other birds that can be found in these dry forests are Ogea monarchs, collared lorikeets, and Fiji parrotfinches. Two bird species that were considered dry forest "specialists" are believed to be extinct: the whistling tree duck and grass owl.

Cause for Concern

Archaeological evidence suggests that humans have been burning the dry forests of Fiji, and subsequently causing erosion, for as many as 2,500 years. Today, most areas have been converted to sugar cane production, exotic tree plantations, or grazing lands. Other areas have been so depleted by burning that very little vegetation grows and downpours cause massive erosion. Only remnant patches of dry forest exist on steep slopes on the large islands. Goats that have been introduced to uninhabited islands are creating a major threat to breeding seabirds. Introduced rats, cats, and mongooses kill many native birds, reptiles, and amphibians.

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