Abstract
The New Guinea alpine zone above 3750m elevation is the highest, largest and wettest such region on any tropical island. The modern alpine consists of islands of habitat spanning 1400km with considerable variations in biodiversity between the individual mountain areas. During the Pleistocene glacial periods, a zone above 3400m was affected by glaciation and alpine habitat was greatly expanded. With post-glacial warming the alpine contracted and shrublands colonized the lower alpine. Current climate warming has nearly removed the nival zone but tree lines have not yet noticeably advanced to higher elevations. Successional changes to mature, waterlogged, soils have been observed. The alpine is threatened by increased warming and potential invasion by emergent shrubs but is unlikely to disappear, provided that wet conditions continue to prevail.
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