Hispaniolan pine forests
The Hispaniolan pine forests are a tropical coniferous forest ecoregion found on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, which is shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The ecoregion covers 11,600 km2 (4,500 sq mi), or about 15% of the island. The ecoregion lies at elevations of more than 850 m (2,790 ft) in the mountains of Hispaniola, extending from the Cordillera Central of the Dominican Republic and into the Massif du Nord of Haiti. It is surrounded at lower elevations by the Hispaniolan moist forests and Hispaniolan dry forests ecoregions, which cover the remainder of the island. Annual rainfall is 1,000–2,000 mm (39–79 in).[1]
[edit] Flora
The natural vegetation of the region consists primarily of stands of pino criollo (Pinus occidentalis). Pines are mixed with other conifers, including sabina (Juniperus gracilior) and Podocarpus aristulatus (syn. P. buchii). Below 2,100 m (6,900 ft), the pine forests are interspersed with areas of montane broadleaf forest. Plants at high elevations (2,100–3,175 m/6,900–10,417 ft) include cara de hombre (Lyonia spp.), abey (Cojoba arborea), yaya fina (Oxandra lanceolata), pajón (Danthonia domingensis), Verbena officinalis var. officinalis, and Weinmannia pinnata.[1]
[edit] Threats
More than half of the ecoregion's area has been lost to clearing for agriculture, pasture, or plantations of exotic trees. The Haitian portion of the ecoregion is more deforested than the Dominican portion.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Hispaniolan pine forests (NT0305)". WWF Full Reports. World Wide Fund for Nature. http://www.worldwildlife.org/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/nt/nt0305_full.html. Retrieved 2009-04-23.
- ^ "Hispaniolan pine forests (NT0305)". WildWorld Ecoregion Profiles. National Geographic Society. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/nt/nt0305.html. Retrieved 2009-04-23.
