Timor and Wetar deciduous forests

This ecoregion covers Timor, Wetar, and nearby islands in eastern Indonesia and Timor-Leste. One Earth places it in the Southeast Indonesian Dry Forest Islands bioregion within the Australasia realm. [One Earth](https://www.oneearth.org/ecoregions/timor-and-wetar-deciduous-forests/)

The ecoregion has a tropical dry climate with a pronounced seasonal dry period, so many trees shed leaves to conserve water. On Moa in the Leti Islands, about 1,329 millimetres of rain falls over only 66 days of the year. [One Earth](https://www.oneearth.org/ecoregions/timor-and-wetar-deciduous-forests/)

The ecoregion supports 229 bird species and 35 endemic or near-endemic bird species. Named examples include the Iris lorikeet, Timor figbird, Wetar figbird, and the Timor python. [One Earth](https://www.oneearth.org/ecoregions/timor-and-wetar-deciduous-forests/)

Past sandalwood logging, slash-and-burn agriculture, pasture fires, and habitat conversion have fragmented much of the original forest. The ecoregion contains 24 protected areas and 23 identified Key Biodiversity Areas, but many remaining patches are small. [One Earth](https://www.oneearth.org/ecoregions/timor-and-wetar-deciduous-forests/)