Eastern Mediterranean conifer-sclerophyllous-broadleaf forests | |
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Ecology | |
Realm | Palearctic |
Biome | Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub |
Borders | |
Geography | |
Area | 142,284 km2 (54,936 sq mi) |
Countries | |
Conservation | |
Conservation status | Critical/endangered |
Protected | 1,147 km² (1%) [1] |
The Eastern Mediterranean conifer-sclerophyllous-forests, also known as the Eastern Mediterranean conifer-forests, [1] is an ecoregion in the eastern Mediterranean Basin. It covers portions of Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Israel, Palestinian territories, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia.
The ecoregion has a Mediterranean climate, and is part of the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome.
The ecoregion covers an area of 143,800 square kilometers (55,500 sq mi). In southern Turkey, it occupies the coastal lowlands between the mountains and the Mediterranean, extending from Antalya to Iskenderun and including the Çukurova plain in between. It then extends eastwards through southern Turkey to where the borders of Iraq, [2] Syria, and Turkey meet, and southwards along the eastern Mediterranean through the Levant – western Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, and the Jordanian Highlands. The Druze Mountains in central Syria are an outlier. Isolated mountaintop pockets (Jabal al-Lawz, etc.) are found in the Midian Mountains and Hijaz Mountains of northwestern Saudi Arabia. [3]
The ecoregion is bounded by forest ecoregions to the north in Anatolia, and deserts to the east and south. The ecoregion covers coastal plains, low mountains, and interior plateaus. The higher elevations in the Taurus Mountains to the north, and the Syrian Coastal Mountains, Lebanon Mountains, and Anti-Lebanon Mountains which run parallel to the Eastern Mediterranean coast, are in the Southern Anatolian montane conifer and deciduous forests ecoregion.
Several large cities are in the ecoregion, including Adana, Gaziantep, Antalya, and Mersin in Turkey; Aleppo, Homs, Hama, and Latakia in Syria; Beirut and Tripoli in Lebanon; Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Haifa in Israel; Gaza, Hebron and Nablus in Palestinian territories; and Amman in Jordan.
The ecoregion has a Mediterranean climate, with a mild, rainy winter and hot dry summer. Rainfall varies across the ecoregion. It is generally higher on coastal-facing slopes, ranging from 1,000-1,250 mm annually near Antalya to 650-850 mm in Mersin, Adana, Iskendurun, and coastal Syria and Lebanon. Rainfall is lowest in the eastern and southernmost parts of the ecoregion, with less than 450 mm annually in eastern Anatolia, the interior of Syria, southern Israel and Palestinian territories, and the Jordanian Highlands. [4]
Major plant communities in the ecoregion include broadleaf sclerophyllous shrublands (maquis and garrigue), pine forests (chiefly of Turkish pine (Pinus brutia), Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis), Pinus sylvestris , and Austrian pine (Pinus nigra)), and dry oak (Quercus spp.) woodlands and steppes.
Turkish pine is more common in the Turkish coastal region, and Aleppo pine in the Levant. Neither pine is found naturally in the eastern Mesopotamian part of the ecoregion.
Maquis is found on coastal slopes in southern Anatolia and along the Levantine coast. Maquis is an open-canopied evergreen woodland, with an understory of shrubs, herbs, grasses, and geophytes. The predominant trees are olive (Olea europea), carob (Ceratonia siliqua), Palestine oak (Quercus calliprinos, sometimes classified as Q. coccifera subsp. calliprinos), pistacio (Pistacia terebinthus, sometimes classified as P. palaestina), lentisk (P. lenticus), Balanites aegyptiaca , Cupressus sempervirens , Vachellia tortilis , Phoenix canariensis , Phoenix dactylifera , Salix alba , Juglans regia , Populus nigra , Arbutus unedo , Erica arborea , Juglans regia , Laurus nobilis , Vachellia flava , Senegalia senegal , Prosopis cineraria , Aerva javanica , Prunus amygdalus , Corylus avellana , Ziziphus spina-christi , Faidherbia albida , Borassus aethiopum , Vitellaria paradoxa , Cedrus libani , Afzelia africana , Kigelia africana , Adansonia digitata , Pistacia atlantica , Quercus brantii , Juniperus communis , Prunus padus , Quercus robur , Quercus petraea , Picea abies , Abies alba , Alnus glutinosa , Fagus sylvatica , Taxus baccata , Acer pseudoplatanus , Malus sylvestris , Viburnum lantana , Fraxinus excelsior , Tilia cordata , Aesculus hippocastanum , Rhamnus cathartica , Ulmus glabra , Ulmus minor , Populus alba , Betula pendula , Populus tremula , Sclerocarya birrea , Ficus salicifolia and Arbutus andrachne . Much of the maquis has been degraded by frequent fires and over-grazing. [4]
The eastern and southernmost portions of the ecoregion are mostly low shrubland and grassland with a semi-desert character.
The golden jackal (Canis aureus) has become the top predator in most of the ecoregion. The Caracal (Caracal caracal) can be found in the shrublands and mountains, and wild boar (Sus scrofa) in woodlands and forests. The eastern portion of the ecoregion has scattered populations of striped hyaena (Hyaena hyaena) and Persian gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa). [4]
The large predators lion (Panthera leo), Syrian brown bear (Ursus arctos syriacus), wolf (Canis lupus), and cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) have been mostly or completely extirpated from over-hunting and habitat loss. [5] [4]
A 2017 assessment found that 1,147 km², or less than 1%, of the ecoregion is in protected areas. Another 1% of the ecoregion had relatively intact habitat but is outside protected areas. [1]
Some protected areas include:
The stone pine, botanical name Pinus pinea, also known as the Italian stone pine, Mediterranean stone pine, umbrella pine and parasol pine, is a tree from the pine family (Pinaceae). The tree is native to the Mediterranean region, occurring in Southern Europe and the Levant. The species was introduced into North Africa millennia ago, and is also naturalized in the Canary Islands, South Africa and New South Wales.
In biogeography, the Mediterranean basin, also known as the Mediterranean region or sometimes Mediterranea, is the region of lands around the Mediterranean Sea that have mostly a Mediterranean climate, with mild to cool, rainy winters and warm to hot, dry summers, which supports characteristic Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub vegetation.
The Crimean Submediterranean forest complex is an ecoregion on the Black Sea coast of Russia and Ukraine. It is in the temperate broadleaf and mixed forests biome.
The Mediterranean woodlands and forests is an ecoregion in the coastal plains, hills, and mountains bordering the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean in North Africa. It has a Mediterranean climate, and is in the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome.
Mediterranean conifer and mixed forests is an ecoregion, in the temperate coniferous forest biome, which occupies the high mountain ranges of North Africa. The term is also a botanically recognized plant association in the African and Mediterranean literature.
The Pindus Mountains mixed forests constitute a terrestrial ecoregion of Europe according to both the WWF and Digital Map of European Ecological Regions by the European Environment Agency. It belongs to the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome, and is in the Palearctic realm.
The Illyrian deciduous forests is a terrestrial ecoregion in southern Europe, which extends along the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It belongs to the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome, and is in the Palearctic realm.
The Italian sclerophyllous and deciduous forests ecoregion, part of the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome, is in Italy. The ecoregion covers most of the Italian Peninsula and includes both evergreen and deciduous forests.
The Tyrrhenian-Adriatic sclerophyllous and mixed forests is an ecoregion in southern Italy, Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, the Dalmatian Islands of Croatia, and Malta.
Forest resources in Syria are in need of study and conservation. The wooded area of the country is variously reported as approximately 190,000 hectares or 450,000 hectares.
Mediterranean forests, woodlands and scrub is a biome defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. The biome is generally characterized by dry summers and rainy winters, although in some areas rainfall may be uniform. Summers are typically hot in low-lying inland locations but can be cool near colder seas. Winters are typically mild to cool in low-lying locations but can be cold in inland and higher locations. All these ecoregions are highly distinctive, collectively harboring 10% of the Earth's plant species.
The Southern Anatolian montane conifer and deciduous forests ecoregion, in the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome, is in the eastern Mediterranean Basin.
The Anatolian conifer and deciduous mixed forests is an ecoregion located in southwestern Anatolia, Turkey. It has a Mediterranean climate, and is part of the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome.
The Aegean and Western Turkey sclerophyllous and mixed forests is an ecoregion in the lands around the Aegean Sea. The ecoregion covers most of mainland Greece, the Greek Aegean Islands, the western coast of Turkey, the southern Vardar river valley in North Macedonia, the southern Struma river valley at the extreme south-western corner of Bulgaria.
The wildlife of Syria is the flora and fauna of Syria, a country at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea. Besides its coastline, the country has a coastal plain, mountain ranges in the west, a semi-arid steppe area in the centre occupying most of the country, and a desert area in the east. Each of these zones has its own characteristic animals and plants.
The Southwest Iberian Mediterranean sclerophyllous and mixed forests is a Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub ecoregion in southwestern Europe. It occupies the southwestern Iberian Peninsula, encompassing coastal lowlands and mountains in portions of Portugal and Spain.
The Iberian sclerophyllous and semi-deciduous forests is a Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub ecoregion in southwestern Europe. It occupies the interior valleys and plateaus of the Iberian Peninsula. The ecoregion lies mostly in Spain, and includes some portions of eastern Portugal.
The Northeastern Spain and Southern France Mediterranean forests is a Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub ecoregion in southwestern Europe. It occupies the Mediterranean coastal region of northeastern Spain, Southern France, the Balearic Islands and a small part of Italy.
The Iberian conifer forests is a Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub ecoregion in southwestern Europe. It includes the mountain forests of southern and central Spain.
The Alps conifer and mixed forests is a temperate coniferous forest ecoregion in central Europe. It extends along the Alps mountains through portions of France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Liechtenstein, Austria, and Slovenia. The ecoregion extends from the lower slopes of the Alps to its peaks, which include Mont Blanc, at 4,809 m (15,778 ft) the highest peak in the Alps.
the Eastern Mediterranean conifer-sclerophyllous-broadleaf forest ecoregion, which extends slightly into Iraq