Banda Sea Islands moist deciduous forests


The Banda Sea Islands moist deciduous forests is a tropical moist forest ecoregion in Indonesia. The ecoregion includes several island groups in the southwestern Banda Sea, including the Tanimbar Islands, Kai Islands, and the Barat Daya Islands except for Wetar.

Geography

The islands in the ecoregion are part of Wallacea, a group of indonesian islands which lie between the Australian and Asian continents but were never part of either continent.

Climate

The ecoregion has a tropical monsoon climate. Rainfall varies seasonally. The islands receive more rainfall than Timor, Wetar, and the other Nusa Tenggara islands to the east.

Flora

The principal plant communities are evergreen rain forest, semi-evergreen rain forest, moist deciduous forest, and dry deciduous forest.

Fauna

The ecoregion has 22 species of mammals. The dusky pademelon is a kangaroo native to the Kai Islands, as well as the Aru Islands and southern New Guinea. The Kei myotis is an endemic bat. The Indonesian tomb bat is native to the ecoregion and neighboring Timor.
The ecoregion is home to 225 bird species, of which 21 are endemic. It corresponds to the Banda Sea Islands endemic bird area. 21 species are endemic.

Protected areas

A 2017 assessment found that 987 km², or 14%, of the ecoregion is in protected areas. Protected areas include Kai Besar Nature Reserve.