Northwest Iberian montane forests | |
---|---|
Ecology | |
Realm | Palearctic |
Biome | Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub |
Borders | |
Geography | |
Area | 57,407 km2 (22,165 sq mi) |
Countries | |
Regions of Portugal and autonomous communities of Spain |
|
Conservation | |
Conservation status | critical/endangered |
Protected | 15,628 km2 (27%) [1] |
The Northwest Iberian montane forests is a Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub ecoregion in southwestern Europe. It lies in the northwestern Iberian Peninsula and includes inland mountains, foothills and plateaus in northwestern Spain and northeastern Portugal.
The ecoregion rings the upper basin of the Douro River, and the Douro River valley separates the northern and southern portions of the ecoregion. The northern portion includes the southern foothills of the Cantabrian Mountains, extending east to the northern portion of the Iberian Mountains, and west to the Mountains of León. The humid and temperate Cantabrian mixed forests lie to the north and west.
The southern portion lies in the western Sistema Central, which separates the Douro River and Tagus River basins, and extends from the Serra da Estrela in Portugal to the Sierra de Gredos in central Spain. The Iberian sclerophyllous and semi-deciduous forests lie in the Douro and Tagus lowlands, and in the Ebro River valley to the northeast.
A few mountaintop enclaves lie further south, in the Serra de São Mamede in Portugal, and the Sierra de las Villuercas and Sierra de San Pablo in Spain.
The ecoregion has a Mediterranean climate – dry summers and rainy winters. Winters are cold, particularly at higher elevations. [2]
The plant communities in the ecoregion vary with elevation and soils.
Evergreen broadleaf sclerophyllous trees, typical of Mediterranean lowland forests, predominate on low foothills and in river canyons. These include holm oak (Quercus rotundifolia), cork oak (Quercus suber), Olive (Olea europaea), Arbutus unedo , sweet bay (Laurus nobilis), Rhamnus alaternus , Pistacia terebinthus , Pistacia lentiscus , Erica arborea , Erica scoparia . Riparian areas with year-round moisture are refuges for Celtis australis and other less drought-adapted trees. [2]
Forests of deciduous oaks, including Quercus pyrenaica , Quercus faginea and English oak (Quercus robur) are predominant at middle and higher elevations. On dry and rocky slopes, forests of Pinus pinaster grow in pure stands, or mixed with deciduous oaks. Forests of Stone pine (Pinus pinea) grow in the eastern part of the ecoregion. Woodlands of juniper ( Juniperus oxycedrus , Juniperus thurifera , and Juniperus phoenicea ) are found on high rocky outcrops.
At high elevations forests of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), Black pine (Pinus nigra salzmannii), Betula pubescens , and Populus tremula grow together with heaths dominated by Heather , Ulex and Juniperus communis .
The ecoregion is home to the Iberian wolf (Canis lupus signatus).
In 2014, rare wild Retuerta horses were released in the Campanarios de Azaba Biological Reserve in Salamanca Province near the border with Portugal, in the southern part of the ecoregion. The reserve is owned by Fundación Naturaleza y Hombre, a Spanish conservation NGO. Retuerta horses were once widespread in Iberia, but over centuries have been reduced to a single small population in Doñana National Park in southwestern Spain. [3]
15,628 km2, or 27%, of the ecoregion is in protected areas. [4]
Protected areas include Cañón de Sil, Sierra de Cebollera Natural Park, Lago de Sanabria Natural Park, and Sierra de Gredos Regional Park in Spain, and Montesinho Natural Park, Serra da Estrela Natural Park, and Serra da Malcata Natural Reserve in Portugal.
The Corsican montane broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion, in the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome, are on the island of Corsica. The ecoregion includes the high-elevation areas of Corsica's mountainous interior.
The Sierra Madre Occidental pine–oak forests are a Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion of the Sierra Madre Occidental range from the southwest USA region to the western part of Mexico. They are home to a large number of endemic plants and important habitat for wildlife.
The Eastern Mediterranean conifer-sclerophyllous-forests, also known as the Eastern Mediterranean conifer-forests, is an ecoregion in the eastern Mediterranean Basin. It covers portions of Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Israel, Palestinian territories, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia.
The woodlands of the Iberian Peninsula are distinct ecosystems on the Iberian Peninsula. Although the various regions are each characterized by distinct vegetation, the borders between these regions are not clearly defined, and there are some similarities across the peninsula.
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 South Apennine mixed montane forests is an ecoregion in the southern Apennine Mountains of southern Italy and Sicily. It has a Mediterranean climate, and is in the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome.
The Tyrrhenian-Adriatic sclerophyllous and mixed forests is an ecoregion in southern Italy, Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, the Dalmatian Islands of Croatia, and Malta.
The Apennine deciduous montane forests are a temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion in the Apennine Mountains of Italy. The development of these forests is ensured by the high rainfall in the Apennines, combined with a temperate-cool climate. Because of climate change, the presence of silver fir, although still widespread, has been dramatically reduced in favour of beech.
The Central Anatolian deciduous forests, also known as the Central Anatolian woodlands and steppe, is a Palearctic ecoregion of the Temperate broadleaf and mixed forest biome. It is located in Central Anatolia, Asian Turkey.
The Eastern Anatolian deciduous forests ecoregion is located in the mountains of eastern Turkey. It is a Palearctic ecoregion in the temperate broadleaf and mixed forests biome.
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 Carpathian montane conifer forests, also known as Carpathian montane forests, is a temperate coniferous forests ecoregion in the Carpathian Mountains of the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Romania, and Ukraine.
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 Pyrenees conifer and mixed forests is a temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion in southwestern Europe. It extends along the Pyrenees mountains which run east and west along the border between France and Spain, and includes all Andorra. The ecoregion extends from the lower slopes of the Pyrenees to its highest peaks, which include Aneto, Posets, and Vignemale.