The Cyprus Mediterranean forests is a terrestrial ecoregion that encompasses the island of Cyprus. The island has a Mediterranean climate, and is in the

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 ...

biome found in the lands in and around the Mediterranean Sea.

Geography

Cyprus lies in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. It is the third-largest island in the Mediterranean, with an area of 9,251 km². The Troodos Mountains lie in the southwest of the island, and Mount Olympus (aka Chionistra), Cyprus' highest peak, reaches an elevation of 1,952 m. The lower

Kyrenia Mountains The Kyrenia Mountains ( el, Κερύνειο Όρος; tr, Girne Dağları) is a long, narrow mountain range that runs for approximately along the northern coast of the island of Cyprus. It is primarily made of hard crystalline limestone ...

(aka Pentadaktylos Mountains) run east and west along the island's northeast coast. The Mesaoria lowlands lie in central part of the island between the two ranges.

Flora

The island's range of topography and soils support diverse plant communities, including mountain conifer and broadleaf forests, open woodlands, grasslands, high shrublands (

maquis Maquis may refer to: Resistance groups * Maquis (World War II), predominantly rural guerrilla bands of the French Resistance * Spanish Maquis, guerrillas who fought against Francoist Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War * The network ...

), and low shrublands ( garrigue or phrygana). There are 1,750 native plant species on the island, of which 128 are endemic. Endemic species are concentrated in the Troodos Mountains (87 species), Kyrenia Mountains (57 species), and Akamas peninsula (35 species). Two endangered endemic trees, the

Cyprus cedar ''Cedrus brevifolia'', the Cyprus cedar, is a species of conifer in the genus ''Cedrus''. It is native to the Troödos Mountains of central Cyprus. It grows in the Cedar Valley in Pafos State Forest. It is often considered to be a synonym of ' ...

''(Cedrus brevifolia)'' and

golden oak ''Quercus alnifolia'', commonly known as the golden oak, is an evergreen oak species of Cyprus. Its common English name refers to the golden coloured lower surface of its leaves. ''Quercus alnifolia'' belongs to the endemic flora of the island a ...

or Cyprus oak ''(Quercus alnifolia)'', are found only in the Troodos Mountains. Other endemic species include geophytes such as '' Chionodoxa lochiae, Crocus cyprius,

Crocus veneris ''Crocus veneris'' is a species of flowering plant in the genus ''Crocus'' of the family Iridaceae. It is a cormous perennial native to Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is ...

Cyclamen cyprium ''Cyclamen cyprium'' (Cyprus cyclamen) is a perennial growing from a tuber, native to woodland at elevation in the mountains of Cyprus. It is the national flower. '' Cyclamen persicum'' and ''Cyclamen graecum'' are also found on Cyprus, but are ...

Gagea juliae ''Gagea juliae'', the yellow star-of-Cyprus, is a plant species in the lily family, native to Cyprus and southern Turkey. ''Gagea juliae'' is a bulbous perennial herb with erect stems 2–20 cm high. Flowers yellow internally with a broad ...

'', and ''

Tulipa cypria ''Tulipa cypria'', the Cyprus tulip, is a tulip, an erect perennial bulbous herb, 15–40 cm high (in blossom), with glabrous, glaucous leaves. The four leaves are alternate, simple, entire, fleshy, the two lower ones larger, laceolate, ...

'', and aromatic herbs such as ''

Nepeta troodi ''Nepeta troodi'', commonly known as Troodos cat-mint is a suberect, aromatic, perennial herb, 20–50 cm high, with a woody base and hairy tetragonal shoots. Leaves opposite, simple, serrate, cordate at base, deltoid, apex obtuse, 1-4 x 0. ...

Origanum cordifolium ''Origanum cordifolium'' is a subshrub with suberect, cylindrical, hairless, often purplish shoots, 40–60 cm high. Leaves opposite, simple, entire or irregularly dentate, stalkless, ovoid to cordate, 1–2 x 0.8–2 cm, leathery, hair ...

Salvia willeana ''Salvia'' () is the largest genus of plants in the sage family Lamiaceae, with nearly 1000 species of shrubs, herbaceous perennials, and annuals. Within the Lamiaceae, ''Salvia'' is part of the tribe Mentheae within the subfamily Nepetoid ...

Teucrium cyprium ''Teucrium'' is a cosmopolitan genus of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae, commonly known as germanders. Plants in this genus are perennial herbs or shrubs, with branches that are more or less square in cross-section, leaves arranged in ...

Teucrium micropodioides ''Teucrium'' is a Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan genus of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae, commonly known as germanders. Plants in this genus are perennial plant, perennial herbaceous plant, herbs or shrubs, with branches that a ...

'', and ''

Thymus integer ''Thymus integer'' is a strongly aromatic, sprawling, gnarled subshrub generally less than 10 cm high. It produces white to dark rosy purple flowers between March and June.Cyprus Flora in Colour the Endemics, V. Pantelas, T. Papachristophoro ...

''.

Fauna

The island is home to 36 species of mammals, 26 species of amphibians and reptiles, and 397 species of birds. The

Cyprus mouflon Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...

''(Ovis gmelimi ophion)'', a subspecies of wild sheep, is endemic to the island. The Cyprus warbler ''(Sylvia melanothorax)'' and

Cyprus wheatear The Cyprus wheatear or Cyprus pied wheatear (''Oenanthe cypriaca'') is a small, 14–15 cm long passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flyc ...

''(Oenanthe cypriaca)'' breed only on Cyprus. Two sea turtles, the

green sea turtle The green sea turtle (''Chelonia mydas''), also known as the green turtle, black (sea) turtle or Pacific green turtle, is a species of large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Chelonia''. Its range exten ...

''(Chelona mydas)'' and the loggerhead sea turtle ''(Caretta caretta)'', and the endangered Mediterranean monk seal ''(Monachus monachus)'' breed on Cyprus' shores.

Extinct fauna

The extinct

Cyprus dwarf elephant ''Palaeoloxodon cypriotes'', the Cyprus dwarf elephant, is an extinct species that inhabited the island of Cyprus during the Late Pleistocene. Remains comprise 44 molars, found in the north of the island, seven molars discovered in the south-east ...

''(Palaeoloxodon cypriotes)'', Cyprus dwarf hippopotamus ''(Hippopotamus minor)'' once lived on Cyprus. Both species are examples of Insular dwarfism. The cave shelter at

Aetokremnos Aetokremnos is a rock shelter near Limassol on the southern coast of Cyprus. It is situated on a steep cliff site c. above the Mediterranean sea. The name means ''"Cliff of the eagles"'' in Greek. Around have been excavated and out of the four l ...

includes remains of dwarf hippos and elephants butchered by humans approximately 11,500 to 12,000 years ago.

Protected areas

752.26 km² of the island's land area is protected. Protected areas in the Republic of Cyprus include seven nature reserves, eleven national forest parks, 13 permanent game reserves, and one turtle nesting beach (Lara-Toxeftra, 1.01 km²). The nature reserves are Chionistra (0.99 km²), Drys Tis Lanias, Kyros Potamos (0.23 km²), Livadhi Tou Pasha (0.26 km²), Madari (11.37 km²), Pikromiloudhi (0.95 km²), and Tripylos - Mavroi Kremmoi (33.31 km²). The national forest parks are Akamas (76.62 km²), Athalassa (8.71 km²), Ayios Nikadros (0.26 km²), Kavo Gkreko (5.0 km²), Pedagogiki Akademia (0.45 km²), Petra Tou Romiou (3.51 km²), Polemidia (1.27 km²), Potamos Liopetriou (0.88 km²), and Troodos (90.62 km²). In 2015, Troodos UNESCO Global Geopark was created in the Troodos Mountains, with an area of 1149.8 km². It encompasses most of the Troodos range, including several smaller protected areas.

External links

Cyprus Mediterranean forests

References

{{reflist Ecoregions of Cyprus Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub Palearctic ecoregions Ecoregions of the Mediterranean Basin Sclerophyll forests