The biodiversity hotspot of New Caledonia is globally renowned for the diversity and endemism of its flora. Ibanez et al. compare the composition, the diversity and the structure of nine 1-ha plots of New Caledonian rainforests with fourteen 1-ha plots located across other tropical rainforests in Australia, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

Location of the nine 1-ha plots in the North Province of New Caledonia (SW Pacific)
Location of the nine 1-ha plots in the North Province of New Caledonia (SW Pacific). Protected areas are ‘wilderness areas’ (IUCN category Ib). Am. = Amoss, Ao. = Aoupinié, Ar. = Arago, At. = Atéu, Bo. = Bouirou, F. P. = Forêt Plate, Ji. = Jiève, Gu. = La Guen and Ti. = Tiwaé.

This provides the first such overview for the Southwest Pacific region. Rainforests of this region are highly diverse, even on a global scale. High stem densities, endemism and abundance of tree ferns are characteristics of New Caledonian rainforests.