Country

Mauritius: one ecoregion. Each with its climate now and toward 2050, and its conservation tier.

Mauritius belongs to a single ecoregion, the Mascarene forests, the tropical moist broadleaf forest system of the Mascarene island group. The climate is warm and humid year-round, moderated by the ocean, with the volcanic uplands catching more rain than the leeward coasts. As on many long-isolated islands, the native forest evolved a flora found nowhere else, and the ecoregion's ranking - Nature Could Reach Half Protected - reflects the surviving fragments worth safeguarding. For planting, conditions are generous: steady warmth, good rainfall, and rich volcanic soils support tropical growth with cyclone season the main hazard. The premium is on choosing well, since introduced ornamentals spread easily here; the remnant Mascarene flora is both the local reference and the thing most worth planting around.