The Paphos Forest is a state forest located in the
Troodos Mountains
Troodos or Trodos is the largest mountain range in Cyprus, located in roughly the center of the island. Its highest peak is Mount Olympusalso known in Greek as at .
Covering a third of Cyprus's area, the Troodos mountain range stretches across ...
of
Cyprus
Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
with an area of 70,000 hectares. It has been a Permanent Game Preserve since 1938.
Paphos forest is a
Mediterranean type forest with both coniferous trees like Brutia pine (''
Pinus brutia
''Pinus brutia'', commonly known as the Turkish pine and Calabrian pine, is a species of pine native to the eastern Mediterranean region. The bulk of its range is in Turkey, but certain varieties are naturalized as far east as Afghanistan. It is ...
'') and Cyprus cedar (''
Cedrus brevifolia
''Cedrus libani'' var. ''brevifolia'', the Cyprus cedar, is a variety of conifer in the genus ''Cedrus''. It is native to the Troödos Mountains of central Cyprus
Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in th ...
'') and broadleaf trees like golden oak (''
Quercus alnifolia
''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 ...
'') and ''
Platanus orientalis
''Platanus orientalis'', the Oriental plane, is a large, deciduous tree in the family Platanaceae, growing to or more, and known for its longevity and spreading crown. In autumn its deep green leaves may change to blood red, amber, and yellow. ...
''.
Paphos forest is home to the
Cyprus mouflon
The Cyprus mouflon (''Ovis orientalis ophion''), also known as Cypriot mouflon, is an endangered subspecies of mouflon endemic only to Cyprus in the mountains of Paphos District. It is the largest animal on the island, a meter tall (at the shoul ...
,
red fox
The red fox (''Vulpes vulpes'') is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere including most of North America, Europe and Asia, plus ...
and
Cyprus mouse. Also present in the forest are eight species of snakes and a large variety of
lizard
Lizard is the common name used for all Squamata, squamate reptiles other than snakes (and to a lesser extent amphisbaenians), encompassing over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most Island#Oceanic isla ...
and
frog
A frog is any member of a diverse and largely semiaquatic group of short-bodied, tailless amphibian vertebrates composing the order (biology), order Anura (coming from the Ancient Greek , literally 'without tail'). Frog species with rough ski ...
species.
References
External links
Forests of Cyprus
Protected areas of Cyprus
{{Cyprus-geo-stub