Southeastern Iberian shrubs and woodlands
Southeastern Iberian shrubs and woodlands | |
---|---|
Andalucia | |
Conservation | |
Conservation status | Critical/endangered[1] |
Protected | 952 km2 (35%)[2] |
The Southeastern Iberian shrubs and woodlands is a Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub ecoregion in southwestern Europe. It lies in southeastern coastal Spain, along the Mediterranean Sea.
Geography
The ecoregion covers coastal low plains, hills, and badlands close to Spain's southeastern coast.
The ecoregion's geology is complex, made up mostly of sedimentary rocks like marl, gypsum, limestone, conglomerate, sandstone and consolidated dunes, together with coastal outcrops of volcanic rock like Cabo de Gata. The region is geologically active, with faults, earthquakes, recently uplifted areas.[1]
The seashore includes both coastal dunes and lagoons and areas of rocky coast.
The cities of Almería and Cartagena are in the ecoregion.
Climate
The ecoregion has an
Flora
Shrublands are the predominant vegetation. The shrublands vary in height and
"Open high-shrub communities" are the most common, composed of drought-adapted shrubs like
Trees are uncommon. Conifers, including pines, junipers, and
Garrigue communities grow in drier and rockier areas, often close to the seacoast. Garrigue is characterized by aromatic and medicinal subshrubs, including species of thyme (Thymus), sage (Salvia), Sideritis, germander (Teucrium), and lavender (Lavandula), with succulent plants like Caralluma europaea and herbaceous species.
Dry grasslands are characterized by the grasses
Salt-rich soils are home to salt-tolerant (halophyte) plant communities, including species of Suaeda, Salsola, and Limonium, and Arthrocaulon macrostachyum, Atriplex halimus, Anabasis articulata, and Haloxylon articulatum.
Fauna
Resident birds include the little bustard (Tetrax tetrax), black-bellied sandgrouse (Pterocles orientalis), Mediterranean short-toed lark (Alaudala rufescens), Thekla's lark (Galerida theklae), black wheatear (Oenanthe leucura), and Dupont's lark (Chersophilus duponti).
The ecoregion's lagoons and salt marshes support water birds. A community of greater flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus) lives in the Cabo de Gata wetlands. Punta Entinas-Sabinar is home to the Eurasian stone-curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus), Audouin's gull (Ichthyaetus audouinii), and slender-billed gull (Chroicocephalus genei).
Human effects
Human activities, including grazing sheep and goats, agriculture, hunting, mining, and urbanization, have been altering the region's ecology for centuries. In recent decades many rural people have migrated to cities, and lands formerly used for grazing and agriculture have reverted to native vegetation. Gathering esparto for paper and fiber was historically a means of livelihood, but its use and economic importance has declined in recent decades. Cities and tourism-related development have expanded along the coast. The coastal plains around Almería are used for intensive farming, particularly greenhouses.[1]
Protected areas
952 km2, or 35%, of the ecoregion is in
External links
- "Southeastern Iberian shrubs and woodlands". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
References
- ^ a b c d e "Southeastern Iberian shrubs and woodlands". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
- ^ a b Eric Dinerstein, David Olson, et al. (2017). An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm, BioScience, Volume 67, Issue 6, June 2017, Pages 534–545; Supplemental material 2 table S1b. [1]
- ^ a b J. S. Carrión, S. Fernández, G. Jiménez-Moreno, S. Fauquette, G. Gil-Romera, P. González-Sampériz, and C. Finlayson (2010). "The historical origins of aridity and vegetation degradation in southeastern Spain". Journal of Arid Environments 74 (2010) 731–736