The Canary Islands dry woodlands and forests is a

Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub is a biome defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. The biome is generally characterized by dry summers and rainy winters, although in some areas rainfall may be uniform. Summers are typically hot in ...

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of l ...

in the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...

. It encompasses the western group of the Canary Islands –

La Palma La Palma (, ), also known as ''La isla bonita'' () and officially San Miguel de La Palma, is the most north-westerly island of the Canary Islands, Spain. La Palma has an area of making it the fifth largest of the eight main Canary Islands. The ...

El Hierro El Hierro, nicknamed ''Isla del Meridiano'' (the "Meridian Island"), is the second-smallest and farthest-south and -west of the Canary Islands (an autonomous community of Spain), in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa, with a populatio ...

La Gomera La Gomera () is one of Spain's Canary Islands, located in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa. With an area of , it is the third smallest of the eight main islands of this archipelago. It belongs to the province of Santa Cruz de Tene ...

Tenerife Tenerife (; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands. It is home to 43% of the total population of the archipelago. With a land area of and a population of 978,100 inhabitants as of Janu ...

, and

Gran Canaria Gran Canaria (, ; ), also Grand Canary Island, is the third-largest and second-most-populous island of the Canary Islands, an archipelago off the Atlantic coast of Northwest Africa which is part of Spain. the island had a population of that co ...

– in the Atlantic Ocean. These volcanic islands are an

autonomous community eu, autonomia erkidegoa ca, comunitat autònoma gl, comunidade autónoma oc, comunautat autonòma an, comunidat autonoma ast, comunidá autónoma , alt_name = , map = , category = Autonomous administra ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, and lie southwest of the Spanish mainland and west of the

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

n coast.

Geography

The ecoregion covers an area of 4,693 km². The islands are mountainous and volcanic in origin.

Teide Teide, or Mount Teide, ( es, El Teide, Pico del Teide, , "Peak of Teide") is a volcano on Tenerife in the Canary Islands, Spain. Its summit (at ) is the highest point in Spain and the highest point above sea level in the islands of the Atlan ...

on Tenerife reaches 3,718 m,

Roque de los Muchachos Roque de los Muchachos (English: "Rock of the Boys") is a rocky mound at the highest point on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands, Spain. The rocks are found at an elevation of above sea level, not far from the Observatorio del Roque d ...

on La Palma 2,426 m, Morro de la Agujereada on Gran Canaria 1,956 m,

Pico de Malpaso Pico de Malpaso (English: "difficult step peak") is the highest point on the island of El Hierro in the Canary Islands, Spain. Geography The summit rises at the centre of the island on the border between Frontera and El Pinar de El Hierro mu ...

on El Hierro 1,501 m, and Garajonay on La Gomera 1,487 m. The eastern group of the Canary Islands,

Fuerteventura Fuerteventura () is one of the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean, part of the North Africa region, and politically part of Spain. It is located away from the northwestern coast of Africa. The island was declared a biosphere reserve by UNES ...

Lanzarote Lanzarote (, , ) is a Spanish island, the easternmost of the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. It is located approximately off the north coast of Africa and from the Iberian Peninsula. Covering , Lanzarote is the fourth-largest of the i ...

, and the nearby islets of the

Chinijo Archipelago The Chinijo Archipelago () is a small archipelago located in the northeastern part of the Canary Islands, north of the island of Lanzarote. The archipelago includes the islets of Montaña Clara, Alegranza, La Graciosa, Roque del Este and Roque ...

, are lower, drier, and closer to the African coast. These eastern group islands are part of the

Mediterranean Acacia-Argania dry woodlands and succulent thickets The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

ecoregion. The Canary islands are part of

Macaronesia Macaronesia (Portuguese: ''Macaronésia,'' Spanish: ''Macaronesia'') is a collection of four volcanic archipelagos in the North Atlantic, off the coasts of Africa and Europe. Each archipelago is made up of a number of List of islands in the At ...

, a group of archipelagoes in the Atlantic Ocean which share similar climate and ecology.

Climate

The islands have a maritime

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

. Rain falls mostly in the winter months, and is highest in November and December. Climate varies with elevation and exposure. The mountains intercept moisture-laden winds and create

orographic precipitation Orography is the study of the topographic relief of mountains, and can more broadly include hills, and any part of a region's elevated terrain. Orography (also known as ''oreography'', ''orology'' or ''oreology'') falls within the broader discip ...

. Rainfall is higher on the windward northeastern sides of the islands, and lower on the southwestern

rain shadow A rain shadow is an area of significantly reduced rainfall behind a mountainous region, on the side facing away from prevailing winds, known as its leeward side. Evaporated moisture from water bodies (such as oceans and large lakes) is carrie ...

. The highest elevations experience seasonal frosts and snows.

Flora

The islands' variations in altitude and rainfall support diverse plant communities. Lowlands are principally scrub and open woodland, which extend from sea level to 600–1000 meters elevation. The

Canary Island date palm ''Phoenix canariensis'', the Canary Island date palm or pineapple palm, is a species of flowering plant in the palm family Arecaceae, native to the Canary Islands off the coast of Morocco. It is a relative of ''Phoenix dactylifera'', the true dat ...

''(Phoenix canariensis)'' is prominent. Laurel forests, or laurisilva, are found at middle elevations, from 500 and 1400 meters elevation. These forests are characterized by evergreen broadleaf trees, including many in the laurel family (

Lauraceae Lauraceae, or the laurels, is a plant family that includes the true laurel and its closest relatives. This family comprises about 2850 known species in about 45 genera worldwide (Christenhusz & Byng 2016 ). They are dicotyledons, and occur ma ...

) – ''

Ocotea foetens ''Ocotea foetens'', commonly called til or stinkwood is a species of tree in the family Lauraceae. It is evergreen and grows up to 40 m tall. It is a common constituent of the laurisilva forests of Madeira and the Canary Islands. Leaf fossils of ...

Apollonias barbujana ''Apollonias barbujana '', the Canary laurel or barbusano, is perhaps the only species of flowering plants belonging to the genus ''Apollonias'' of the laurel family, Lauraceae. It is endemic to the Macaronesian islands of Madeira and the Canary ...

Laurus novocanariensis ''Laurus novocanariensis'' is a large shrub or tree with aromatic, shiny dark-green foliage. belonging to the evergreen tree genus ''Laurus'' of the laurel family, Lauraceae. The genus includes three species, whose diagnostic key characters ofte ...

'', and ''

Persea indica ''Persea indica'' is a large, evergreen tree in the laurel family (Lauraceae), native to humid uplands on Madeira and the Canary Islands in the North Atlantic. It belongs to the genus ''Persea'', a group of evergreen trees including the avocado. ...

'' – together with ''

Prunus lusitanica ''Prunus lusitanica'', the Portuguese laurel cherry or Portugal laurel, is a species of flowering plant in the rose family Rosaceae, native to southwestern France, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, and Macaronesia (the Azores, Canary Islands and Madeira ...

Picconia excelsa ''Picconia excelsa'' is a species of '' Picconia'', endemic to Macaronesia, occurring on the Canary Islands (Spain) and Madeira (Portugal). Description ''Picconia excelsa'' is an evergreen shrub or small tree growing to 10 m tall, usually sur ...

'', and '' Ilex canariensis''. '' Pleiomeris canariensis'' and ''

Heberdenia excelsa ''Heberdenia excelsa'' is a species of plant in the family Primulaceae. It is found in the Macaronesian archipelagoes of Madeira and the Canary Islands. It is threatened by habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habi ...

'' occur more rarely. Fayal-brezal heathlands are found from 500 to 1,700 m. The tall shrubs ''

Myrica faya ''Myrica faya'' (firetree, faya or haya; syn. ''Morella faya'' (Ait.) Wilbur) is a species of '' Myrica'', native to Macaronesia (the Azores, Madeira, and the Canary Islands), and possibly also western coastal mainland Portugal. Description It ...

Erica arborea ''Erica arborea'', the tree heath or tree heather, is a species of flowering plant (angiosperms) in the heather family Ericaceae, native to the Mediterranean Basin and Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania in East Africa. It is also cultivated as an o ...

'' and ''

Erica scoparia ''Erica scoparia'', the green heather, is a shrubby species of heath in the flowering plant family Ericaceae. It is native to the western Mediterranean Basin in the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal), Northwest Africa (Morocco, Algeria and Tu ...

'' are predominant. Forests of the endemic

Canary Island pine ''Pinus canariensis'', the Canary Island pine, is a species of gymnosperm in the conifer family Pinaceae. It is a large, evergreen tree, native and endemic to the outer Canary Islands of the Atlantic Ocean. Description ''Pinus canariensis'' is a ...

(''Pinus canariensis'') can be found close to sea level on the southern sides of the islands, and from 1,200 to 2,400 m on the northern slopes. Montane shrublands inhabit the highest elevations on La Palma and Tenerife.

Fauna

Birds endemic to the ecoregion include

Bolle's pigeon Bolle's pigeon (''Columba bollii'') is a species of the genus Columba of family Columbidae, doves and pigeons, endemic to the Canary Islands, Spain. This bird is named after the German naturalist Carl Bolle, who was the first to distinguish it ...

(''Columba bollii''),

laurel pigeon The laurel pigeon or white-tailed laurel pigeon (''Columba junoniae'') is a species of bird in the Columba genus in the family Columbidae (doves and pigeons). It is endemic to the Canary Islands, Spain, and resides in laurel forest habitat. I ...

(''Columba junoniae''),

Tenerife blue chaffinch The Tenerife blue chaffinch (''Fringilla teydea'') is a species of passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is endemic to Tenerife in Spain's Canary Islands. This bird is the natural symbol of this island, together with the Canary Is ...

(''Fringilla teydea''),

western Canary Islands chiffchaff The western Canary Islands chiffchaff (''Phylloscopus canariensis canariensis'') is a small bird in the family Phylloscopidae. It is a subspecies of the Canary Islands chiffchaff found on the islands of El Hierro, La Palma, La Gomera, Tenerife ...

(''Phylloscopus canariensis canariensis''), and

Tenerife goldcrest The Tenerife goldcrest, ''Regulus regulus teneriffae'', (sometimes considered a separate species, ''R. teneriffae'') is a very small passerine bird in the kinglet family, closely resembling the goldcrest but with a broader black band across the f ...

(''Regulus regulus teneriffae''). The

Madeira pipistrelle The Madeira pipistrelle (''Pipistrellus maderensis'') is a species of vesper bat. It is endemic to Azores ) , motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_ ...

(''Pipistrellus maderensis'') is a Macaronesian endemic bat, and

Canary big-eared bat The Canary long-eared bat (''Plecotus teneriffae''), also known as the Canary big-eared bat or Tenerife long-eared bat, is a species of vesper bat endemic to the Canary Islands. According to the IUCN, it is vulnerable to the risk of extinction. T ...

(''Plecotus teneriffae'') is a Canary Islands endemic.

Protected areas

2,417 km², or 52%, of the ecoregion is in

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

s. Protected areas include

Caldera de Taburiente National Park Caldera de Taburiente National Park ( es, Parque Nacional de la Caldera de Taburiente) is a national park on the island of La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain. It contains the Caldera de Taburiente, which dominates the northern part of the island ...

on La Palma (46.9 km²),

Garajonay National Park Garajonay National Park ( es, Parque nacional de Garajonay, ) is located in the center and north of the island of La Gomera, one of the Canary Islands (Spain). It was declared a national park in 1981 and a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986. ...

on La Gomera (39.86 km²), and

Teide National Park Teide National Park ( es, Parque nacional del Teide, ) is a national park located in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. The national park is centered on Mount Teide, the highest mountain of Spain (3,718 meters high) in addition, the highest volca ...

on Tenerife (18.99 km²).

External links

References

{{reflist Biota of the Canary Islands Ecoregions of Spain Environment of the Canary Islands Macaronesia Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub Palearctic ecoregions Ecoregions of the Mediterranean Basin Sclerophyll forests