Biodiversity of Portugal
Portugal is located on the Mediterranean Basin, the third most diverse hotspot of flora in the world.[1] Due to its geographical and climatic context - between the Atlantic and Mediterranean - Portugal has a high level of biodiversity on land and at sea. It is home to six terrestrial ecoregions: Azores temperate mixed forests, Cantabrian mixed forests, Madeira evergreen forests, Iberian sclerophyllous and semi-deciduous forests, Northwest Iberian montane forests, and Southwest Iberian Mediterranean sclerophyllous and mixed forests.[2] Over 22% of its land area is included in the Natura 2000 network, including 62 special conservation areas and 88 types of protected landscape natural habitats.[3][1]
These geographical and climatic conditions facilitate the introduction of exotic species that later turn to be invasive and destructive to the native habitats. Around 20% of the total number of extant species in continental Portugal are exotic.[9] In Madeira, around 36%[10] and in the Azores, around 70% species are exotic.[11][12] Due to this, Portugal was placed 168th globally out of 172 countries on the Forest Landscape Integrity Index in 2019.[13]
Portugal is the second country in Europe with the highest number of threatened animal and plant species (488 as of 2020).[14][15]
Portugal as a whole is an important stopover for migratory bird species: the southern
The large mammalian species of Portugal (the fallow deer, red deer, roe deer, Iberian ibex, wild boar, red fox, Iberian wolf and Iberian lynx) were once widespread throughout the country, but intense hunting, habitat degradation and growing pressure from agriculture and livestock reduced population numbers on a large scale in the 19th and early 20th century, others, such as the Portuguese ibex were even led to extinction. Today, these animals are re-expanding their native range.[18][19] Smaller mammals include the red squirrel, European badger, Eurasian otter, Egyptian mongoose, Granada hare, European rabbit, common genet, European wildcat, among others.[19]
Due to their isolated location, the volcanic islands of the
The Portuguese west coast is part of the four major Eastern Boundary Upwelling Systems of the ocean. This seasonal upwelling system typically seen during the summer months brings cooler, nutrient rich water up to the sea surface promoting phytoplankton growth, zooplankton development and the subsequent rich diversity in pelagic fish and other marine invertebrates.[20]
This, adding to its large
73% of the
Around 24
Some
References
- ^ a b "Habitats da floresta portuguesa: um refúgio de biodiversidade". florestas.pt. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
- PMID 28608869.
- ^ "1 - Portugal, Biodiversidade e Capital Natural Uma Leitura Atual". Diário da República. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
- ^ "As espécies florestais mais comuns da floresta portuguesa". florestas.pt. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
- ^ Dias, Eduardo. "A chegada dos portugueses às ilhas – o antes e o depois" (PDF). Retrieved 20 March 2021.
- ^ "Floresta das regiões autónomas: as ilhas do incenso, criptoméria e Laurissilva". florestas.pt. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
- ^ "Recuperação da Floresta Laurissilva". azores.gov.pt. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
- ICNF. Archived from the originalon 18 January 2021. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
- ^ de Almeida, João Domingues. "New additions to the exotic vascular flora of continental Portugal". Retrieved 19 March 2021.
- ^ "A list of the terrestrial fungi, flora and fauna of Madeira and Selvagens archipelagos" (PDF). Retrieved 19 March 2021.
- S2CID 28109010. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
- ^ "Invasoras: o que são e porque prejudicam a floresta". florestas.pt. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
- PMID 33293507.
- ^ "Portugal tem quase 500 espécies em perigo de extinção". Sábado. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
- ^ "Portugal é o 2.º país da Europa com mais espécies de mamíferos e plantas em perigo". comunidade cultura e arte. 18 December 2020. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
- ^ "Observação de aves". visitportugal.com. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
- ^ "Aves de Portugal". avesdeportugal.info. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
- ^ "8 mamíferos da floresta portuguesa". florestas.pt. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
- ^ a b "Atlas de Mamíferos de Portugal – uma recolha do conhecimento disponível sobre a distribuição dos mamíferos no nosso país" (in European Portuguese). University of Évora. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
- ^ Correia, Paulo Filipe Alexandre. "Study of an upwelling event in the Portuguese coast" (PDF). Retrieved 22 March 2021.
- ^ "Fish and seafood consumption per capita, 2017". Our World in Data. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
- . Retrieved 3 September 2021.
- ^ "As espécies mais populares do mar de Portugal" (PDF). Ciência Viva. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
- S2CID 376497. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
- PMID 27727236.
- ^ "Biólogos estudam rios do litoral oeste, último refúgio para peixes com milhões de anos" (in Portuguese). Diário de Notícias. 9 May 2018. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
- ^ a b Barreiros, João Pedro. "Biodiversidade marinha dos Açores" (PDF). Retrieved 22 March 2021.
- ^ "As espécies residentes e as que passam durante a migração". whalewatchingazores.com. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
- ^ "Açores – Caça à Baleia deu lugar ao "Whale Watching"". www.mileniostadium.com. mileniostadium.com. 24 January 2019.
- Marine Mammal Commission. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
- ^ "Serras de Aire e Candeeiros Nature Park". natural.pt. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
- ^ "Parque Natural do Sudoeste Alentejano e Costa Vicentina". Infopédia, Porto Editora. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
- ^ "First brown bear sighting in Portugal in over a century". France 24. 9 May 2019. Retrieved 23 March 2021.