The Cantabrian mixed forests is a

temperate broadleaf and mixed forests Temperate broadleaf and mixed forest is a temperate climate terrestrial habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature, with broadleaf tree ecoregions, and with conifer and broadleaf tree mixed coniferous forest ecoregions. These ...

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) is an ecological and geographic area that exists on multiple different levels, defined by type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and c ...

in southwestern Europe. It extends along the coastal

Cantabrian Mountains The Cantabrian Mountains or Cantabrian Range () are one of the main systems of mountain ranges in Spain. They stretch for over 300 km (180 miles) across northern Spain, from the western limit of the Pyrenees to the Galician Massif ...

and

Galician Massif The Galician Massif or Galician-Leonese Massif (, also known as ''Macizo Galaico-Leonés'') is a system of mountain ranges in the northwestern corner of the Iberian Peninsula. It is located in Galicia with its southeastern end reaching into the pr ...

of Northern

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, extending south into northern

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

, and northwards through the westernmost

Pyrenees The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...

to southwestern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. The ecoregion extends from the seacoast to the highest peaks of the Cantabrian Mountains. The highest peak is Torre Cerredo at 2,648 meters elevation. The ecoregion is transitional between the

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

and

Oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...

regions of Spain and Portugal and the more humid and temperate forests of Western Europe. The lowlands have mild temperate climates, while the high mountains experience cold winters.

Flora

The ecoregion's elevational range supports several plant communities. The lowlands are characterized by broadleaf deciduous forests, with English oak (''Quercus robur''),

sweet chestnut The sweet chestnut (''Castanea sativa''), also known as the Spanish chestnut or European chestnut, is a species of tree in the family Fagaceae, native to Southern Europe and Asia Minor, and widely cultivated throughout the temperate world. A ...

(''Castanea sativa''),

European ash ''Fraxinus excelsior'', known as the ash, or European ash or common ash to distinguish it from other types of Fraxinus, ash, is a flowering plant species in the olive family Oleaceae. It is native throughout mainland Europe east to the Caucasus ...

(''Fraxinus excelsior''), lindens (''

Tilia platyphyllos ''Tilia platyphyllos'', the large-leaved lime or large-leaved linden, is a species of flowering plant in the family (biology), family Malvaceae (Tiliaceae). It is a deciduous tree, native plant, native to much of continental Europe as well as sou ...

'' and ''

Tilia cordata ''Tilia cordata'', the small-leaved lime or small-leaved linden, is a species of tree in the family Malvaceae, native to much of Europe. Other common names include little-leaf or littleleaf linden, or traditionally in South East England, pry or p ...

''),

wych elm ''Ulmus glabra'', the wych elm or Scots elm, has the widest range of the European elm species, from Ireland eastwards to the Ural Mountains, and from the Arctic Circle south to the mountains of the Peloponnese and Sicily, where the species reac ...

(''Ulmus glabra''), and maples (''

Acer pseudoplatanus ''Acer pseudoplatanus'', known as the sycamore in the British Isles and as the sycamore maple in the United States, is a species of maple native to Central Europe and Western Asia. It is a large deciduous, broad-leaved tree, tolerant of wind an ...

'' and ''

Acer platanoides ''Acer platanoides'', commonly known as the Norway maple, is a species of maple native to eastern and central Europe and western Asia, from Spain east to Russia, north to southern Scandinavia and southeast to northern Iran. It was introduced to ...

''). Characteristically Mediterranean evergreen trees and shrubs, including holm oak (''Quercus ilex''),

cork oak ''Quercus suber'', commonly called the cork oak, is a medium-sized, evergreen oak tree in the section Quercus sect. Cerris, ''Quercus'' sect. ''Cerris''. It is the primary source of cork (material), cork for wine bottle stoppers and other uses, ...

(''Quercus suber''), sweet bay (''Laurus nobilis''), strawberry tree (''Arbutus unedo''), and '' Rhamnus alaternus'', can be found in warm and well-drained areas like limestone outcrops. Maritime pine (''Pinus pinaster'') is common on Atlantic coastal dunes in northern Portugal and western Galicia, and further inland on rocky dry slopes. Middle- and upper-elevation forests are characterized by deciduous oaks (''

Quercus petraea ''Quercus petraea'', commonly known as the sessile oak, Welsh oak, Cornish oak, Irish oak or durmast oak, is a species of oak tree native to most of Europe and into Anatolia and Iran. The sessile oak is the national tree of Ireland, and an un ...

'' and '' Quercus pyrenaica''), with

European beech ''Fagus sylvatica'', the European beech or common beech, is a large, graceful deciduous tree in the beech family with smooth silvery-gray bark, large leaf area, and a short trunk with low branches. Description ''Fagus sylvatica'' is a large ...

(''Fagus sylvatica'') from the Cantabrian Mountains eastward into France. Stands of

white birch White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wavelen ...

(''Betula pubescens'') appear below the timber line. Above the timber line (1800 meters), subalpine plant communities including low shrubs (including dwarf juniper and heathers),

grasses Poaceae ( ), also called Gramineae ( ), is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos, the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in ...

peat bogs A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and mus ...

, and rock outcrops cover the highest peaks.

Fauna

Large mammals include Cantabrian brown bear (''Ursus arctos''), Iberian wolf (''Canis lupus signatus''),

Cantabrian chamois The Cantabrian chamois (''Rupicapra pyrenaica parva'') is a slim mountain goat-antelope, and is one of the 10 subspecies of the genus ''Rupicapra''. It ranges the Cantabrian Mountains in northern Spain, with a population of 17,000 animals in 2007 ...

(''Rupicapra pyrenaica parva''),

wild boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a Suidae, suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The speci ...

(''Sus scrofa''),

red deer The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or Hart (deer), hart, and a female is called a doe or hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Ir ...

(''Cervus elaphus elaphus''), and roe deer (''Capreolus capreolus'').

Feral horse A feral horse is a free-roaming horse of domesticated stock. As such, a feral horse is not a wild animal in the sense of an animal without domesticated ancestors. However, some populations of feral horses are managed as wildlife, and thes ...

s ''(Equus caballus)'' roam in Galicia's mountains. The broom hare (''Lepus castroviejoi'') is an

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

species to the Cantabrian Mountains. The reclusive Pyrenean desman (''Galemys pyrenaicus'') is a vulnerable small mammal that lives here and in the Pyrenees. The Cantabrian brown bears number over 200 individuals, who live in the Cantabrian Mountains of southern Asturias and Cantabria and the adjacent portion of Castile and León. The brown bear population has increased in recent decades from fewer than 100 in the 1990s. The Cantabrian population is the larger of the two remaining brown bear populations in southwestern Europe; the other is in the Pyrenees. The Cantabrian capercaillie (''Tetrao urogallus cantabricus'') is an endangered subspecies of grouse. Its population and range are declining from

habitat destruction Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...

, human disturbance, and over-hunting.

Protected areas

9,294 km² (10%) of the ecoregion is in

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewood ...

s. Another 23% is forested and outside protected areas. Protected areas include

Picos de Europa National Park The Picos de Europa National Park () is a National Park in the Picos de Europa mountain range, in northern Spain. It is within the boundaries of three autonomous communities, Asturias, Cantabria and Castile and León, which are represented on th ...

(661.2 km²), Somiedo (289.8 km²), Redes, (376.98 km²), Fuentes del Narcea, Degaña e Ibias (576.34 km²), Fuentes Carrionas y Fuente Cobre - Montaña Palentina (781.41 km²), Ponga (205.06 km²), Fragas do Eume (91.49 km²), and Aiako harria (68.95 km²) natural parks in Spain, and

Peneda-Gerês National Park Peneda-Gerês National Park (, ), also known simply as Gerês, is a national park in Norte Region, Portugal. Created in May 1971, it is the oldest protected area and the only national park in Portugal. It covers an area of , occupying the Distric ...

(695.92 km²)"Peneda-Gerês". ''Protected Planet''. Accessed 6 May 2020
/ref> in Portugal.

External links

References

{{Paleartic temperate broadleaf and mixed forests Cantabrian Mountains Ecoregions of France Ecoregions of Portugal Ecoregions of Spain Montane forests Palearctic ecoregions Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests