| Northwest Iberian montane forests | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Montesinho Natural Park, Portugal | |
 Location map of the Northwest Iberian montane forests | |
| Ecology | |
| Realm | Palearctic |
| Biome | Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub |
| Borders | |
| Geography | |
| Area | 57,407 km2 (22,165 mi2) |
| Countries | |
| Regions of Portugal and autonomous communities of Spain |
|
| Conservation | |
| Conservation status | critical/endangered |
| Protected | 15,628 km2 (27%)[1] |
TheNorthwest Iberian montane forests is aMediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrubecoregion in southwestern Europe. It lies in the northwesternIberian 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 theCantabrian Mountains, extending east to the northern portion of theIberian Mountains, and west to theMountains of León. The humid and temperateCantabrian mixed forests lie to the north and west.
The southern portion lies in the westernSistema Central, which separates theDouro River andTagus River basins, and extends from theSerra da Estrela in Portugal to theSierra de Gredos in central Spain. TheIberian sclerophyllous and semi-deciduous forests lie in the Douro and Tagus lowlands, and in theEbro River valley to the northeast.
A few mountaintop enclaves lie further south, in theSerra de São Mamede in Portugal, and theSierra de las Villuercas andSierra de San Pablo in Spain.
The ecoregion has aMediterranean 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 broadleafsclerophyllous trees, typical of Mediterranean lowland forests, predominate on low foothills and in river canyons. These includeholm 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 forCeltis australis and other less drought-adapted trees.[2]
Forests of deciduous oaks, includingQuercus pyrenaica,Quercus faginea andEnglish oak (Quercus robur) are predominant at middle and higher elevations. On dry and rocky slopes, forests ofPinus pinaster grow in pure stands, or mixed with deciduous oaks. Forests ofStone pine (Pinus pinea) grow in the eastern part of the ecoregion. Woodlands of juniper (Juniperus oxycedrus,Juniperus thurifera, andJuniperus phoenicea) are found on high rocky outcrops.
At high elevations forests ofScots pine (Pinus sylvestris),Black pine (Pinus nigra salzmannii),Betula pubescens, andPopulus tremula grow together withheaths dominated byHeather,Ulex andJuniperus communis.
The ecoregion is home to theIberian wolf (Canis lupus signatus).
In 2014, rare wildRetuerta horses were released in the Campanarios de Azaba Biological Reserve inSalamanca 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 inDoñana National Park in southwestern Spain.[3]
15,628 km2, or 27%, of the ecoregion is inprotected areas.[4]
Protected areas includeCañón de Sil,Sierra de Cebollera Natural Park,Lago de Sanabria Natural Park, andSierra de Gredos Regional Park in Spain, andMontesinho Natural Park,Serra da Estrela Natural Park, andSerra da Malcata Natural Reserve in Portugal.
Media related toNorthwest Iberian montane forests at Wikimedia Commons