| Mediterranean woodlands and forests | |
|---|---|
 Gammarth Forest nearTunis | |
 Map of the Mediterranean woodlands and forests | |
| Ecology | |
| Realm | Palearctic |
| Biome | Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub |
| Borders | |
| Geography | |
| Area | 356,366 km2 (137,594 sq mi) |
| Countries | |
| Conservation | |
| Conservation status | critical/endangered |
| Protected | 28,451 km2 (8%)[1] |
TheMediterranean woodlands and forests is anecoregion in the coastal plains, hills, and mountains bordering theMediterranean Sea andAtlantic Ocean inNorth Africa. It has aMediterranean climate, and is in theMediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrubbiome.
The Mediterranean woodlands and forests occupy an area of 357,900 square kilometers (138,200 sq mi) inMorocco,Algeria,Tunisia, theSpanishplazas de soberanía, andLibya. The main portion of the ecoregion extends along the coastal plains and hills of theMaghreb, from nearAgadir on theAtlantic coast of Morocco in the west toSfax on theGulf of Gabes in Tunisia. The ecoregion extends inland to cover the lower slopes of theMiddle Atlas andHigh Atlas ranges of Morocco, with isolated enclaves along theSaharan Atlas range of Algeria.[2]
Two coastal enclaves lie further east along the Mediterranean Sea: one along the southeastern Tunisian shore of theGulf of Gabes, including the island ofDjerba; and the second in theJebel Akhdar mountains along the shore of theCyrenaica Peninsula in northeastern Libya.[2]
The Mediterranean woodlands and forests are bounded on the south by the drierMediterranean dry woodlands and steppe, which occupies the plateaus and mountain ranges bordering theSahara; and on the north by theAlboran Sea which is the westernmost part of the Mediterranean Sea.[3] TheMediterranean acacia-argania dry woodlands and succulent thickets, which occupy the coastal plain of southern Morocco, bounds the Mediterranean woodlands and forests on the southwest.[2]
The Mediterranean forests and woodlands surrounds theMediterranean conifer and mixed forests ecoregion, which exists as a series of enclaves in the coastalRif Mountains and interior Middle Atlas and High Atlas Morocco, the coastalTell Atlas and easternSaharan Atlas of Algeria, and theKroumerie andMogod ranges of Tunisia. TheMediterranean High Atlas juniper steppe ecoregion occupies the highest elevations of the High Atlas.[2]
The natural vegetation consists offorests,woodlands, andshrublands. The five chief plant communities are:
Arbutus pavarii is endemic to theJebel Akhdar inCyrenaica.[4]
The Mediterranean woodlands and forests were once home to several large mammals. Most now have a limited range, and a few are extinct. TheBarbary stag (Cervus elaphus barbarus) is limited to portions of its former range in Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. Native carnivores include thestriped hyena (Hyaena hyaena)red fox (Vulpes vulpes),common jackal (Canis aureus),caracal (Felis caracal),common genet (Genetta genetta), andEgyptian mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon). Smaller mammals include theNorth African hedgehog (Atelerix algirus),North African elephant shrew (Elephantulus rozeti),Barbary ground squirrel (Atlantoxerus getulus), andNorth African gerbil (Dipodillus campestris). TheEgyptian wolf(Canis anthus lupaster),Barbary leopard(Panthera pardus pardus), andBarbary macaque(Macaca sylvanus) are endangered, and their range is now limited to small areas. TheAtlas bear(Ursus arctos crowtheri) andBarbary lion(Panthera leo leo) are extinct.[2]
The ecoregion has 120 native bird species. They include theraptorsgolden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos),black-winged kite (Elanus caeruleus),short-toed snake eagle (Circaetus gallicus),booted eagle (Hieratus pennatus), andlesser kestrel (Falco naumanni). Subspecies of thegreat spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos major numidus) andgrey shrike (Lanus meridionalis algeriensis) are endemic to the ecoregion and the adjacentMediterranean conifer and mixed forests.[2]
This ecoregion is densely settled, and much transformed by agriculture, grazing, fire, and timber cutting and firewood gathering. It is home to several large cities, includingCasablanca,Rabat,Tangier, andFez in Morocco,Algiers andOran in Algeria,Tunis in Tunisia, andBenghazi in Libya.[2]
A 2017 assessment found that 28,451 km2, or 8%, of the ecoregion is in protected areas.[1] Protected areas includeAl Hoceima National Park andTazekka National Park in Morocco,Chrea National Park,El Kala National Park,Gouraya National Park, andTlemcen National Park in Algeria, andBou-Hedma National Park,Chambi National Park,Jebel Chitana-Cap Négro National Park,Jebel Mghilla National Park,Jebel Serj National Park, andJebel Zaghdoud National Park in Tunisia.
Media related toMediterranean woodlands and forests at Wikimedia Commons