Where Tropical Dry Forests Grow: Seasonal Drought Defines Their Range

Tropical dry forests occur where a pronounced dry season (4–8 months) alternates with a wet season. Trees drop leaves to conserve water—unlike rainforests, which stay evergreen.

Global Distribution

• Mexico & Central America: Pacific coast (Sinaloa to Guanacaste), Balsas Basin, Yucatán
• South America: Caatinga (NE Brazil), Chaco (Bolivia/Paraguay/Argentina), inter-Andean valleys
• Africa: Miombo woodland margins, Sahel transition, Madagascar (west/south)
• Asia: Central India (Deccan Plateau), Sri Lanka (dry zone), SE Asia (central Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam)
• Australia: Northern Queensland, Kimberley (WA), Top End (NT) — monsoonal dry forests
• Caribbean: Hispaniola, Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico (leeward sides)

Defining Traits

• Annual rainfall: 500–2,000 mm (highly seasonal)
• Deciduous canopy: 50–100% leaf loss in dry season
• Fire-adapted: Frequent low-intensity burns
• High endemism: Specialized flora/fauna

Threats

Conversion to pasture/crops (especially soy, cattle), fragmentation, invasive grasses (buffelgrass), climate change intensifying drought. More endangered than rainforests—<90% of original extent remains in many regions.

They're not "degraded rainforests"—they're a distinct, ancient, vanishing biome.