Windward Islands xeric scrub
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| Windward Islands xeric scrub | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Ecoregion territory (in blue hashed box) | |
| Ecology | |
| Realm | Neotropic |
| Biome | Deserts and xeric shrublands |
| Geography | |
| Country | Dominica, Saint Lucia, Barbados, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
| Coordinates | 13°10′34″N 59°33′50″W / 13.176°N 59.564°W |
The Windward Islands xeric scrub ecoregion (WWF ID: NT1317) covers the relatively small areas of the Windward Islands that receive low levels of precipitation. The dry areas of these islands are the low coastal areas that receive less precipitation. Because the dry scrub land is generally flat, near the coast, and not as obviously in need of conservation as the upland forests of the interior, they are more vulnerable to human settlement and development for agriculture.[1][2][3]
The ecoregion is represented mostly in the low coastal zones of Barbados, Dominica, and Martinique; also the northern tip of Saint Lucia and the southern shores of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. These islands are part of a volcanic arc, and the soils of the low coastal areas are mostly alluvial and ash, not the harder volcanic rocks of the mountainous areas.[2]