Country

Puerto Rico: 2 ecoregions. Each with its climate now and toward 2050, and its conservation tier.

Two ecoregions divide Puerto Rico along its rainfall shadow. The Puerto Rican moist forests, the larger of the pair, cover the north side and the mountainous interior where trade-wind rain falls year-round; the Puerto Rican dry forests hold the southern coast in the lee of the central cordillera, where the same tropical warmth comes with a long dry season. Both are unique to the island and its satellites. For planting, the divide is decisive: north-side and mountain gardens can assume steady moisture and lush broadleaf growth, while the south calls for genuine drought tolerance despite being only a ridge away. Elevation adds a second axis, with the interior uplands cooler and cloudier than either coast.