[ri-fyoo-jee-uh
m] 
[-jee-uh] . | an area where special environmental circumstances have enabled a species or a community of species to survive after extinction in surrounding areas. |
| re·fu·gi·um (rĭ-fyōō'jē-əm) n. pl. re·fu·gi·a (-jē-ə) An area that has escaped ecological changes occurring elsewhere and so provides a suitable habitat for relict species. [Latin, refuge; see refuge.] |