Country

Somalia: 6 ecoregions. Each with its climate now and toward 2050, and its conservation tier.

Aridity shapes all six of Somalia's ecoregions. The Somali Acacia-Commiphora bushlands and thickets dominate the country, joined by the Northern Acacia-Commiphora bushlands and thickets in the far south and the Horn of Africa xeric bushlands along the Gulf of Aden; the Somali montane xeric woodlands rise in the northern highlands and the unusual Hobyo grasslands and shrublands follow the central coast. The one moister note is the Northern Swahili coastal forests along the southern shore and river valleys. Practically, this is dryland planting country: heat-adapted, drought-hardy shrubs and trees in the Acacia-Commiphora mold are the fit almost everywhere, with the montane north and the southern coast offering the only relief. Five of the six ecoregions are ranked Nature Imperiled, so intact native vegetation is under real pressure.