Country

Antigua and Barbuda: 2 ecoregions. Each with its climate now and toward 2050, and its conservation tier.

Two dry-climate ecoregions share Antigua and Barbuda. Most of the islands fall within the Caribbean shrublands, the low xeric scrub characteristic of the drier Lesser Antilles, while pockets of Lesser Antillean dry forests hold the taller deciduous woodland that once covered more of the leeward slopes. There is no rainforest here; these are low islands without the high volcanic peaks that wring rain from the trade winds. Gardening accordingly means working with seasonal drought as the baseline: native dry-forest trees, thorny shrubs, agaves, and other succulents thrive unwatered, while lusher tropical plantings depend on irrigation. The dry-forest fragments rate Nature Could Reach Half Protected, and echoing their species in gardens is the most water-wise path to shade.