Country

French Polynesia: 2 ecoregions. Each with its climate now and toward 2050, and its conservation tier.

French Polynesia's scattered islands fall into two Oceanian ecoregions, both tropical moist broadleaf forest: the Society Islands tropical moist forests, covering Tahiti and its neighbors, and the Marquesas tropical moist forests to the northeast. Together they total barely a thousand square miles of land, high volcanic islands whose windward slopes catch heavy rain while leeward sides run drier. The climate is warm and oceanic year-round, without a cold season. Island growers can rely on that steadiness: rain forest trees, ferns, and understory plants thrive on wet slopes, while coastal and leeward sites suit salt-tolerant and more drought-patient species. As on most remote Pacific islands, keeping introduced plantings from escaping into native forest is the responsible constraint.