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Biodiversity Hotspots
“The most
remarkable
places on Earth,
and the most
threatened.”
The Mediterranean Basin
Stretching west to east – from the Iberian Peninsula to the Middle
East – and from southern Europe to northern Africa, the
Mediterranean boasts diverse cultures, beautiful coastlines and deep
blue waters. Once the cradle of civilization, the region today faces a
host of environmental problems that threaten its future.
Connecting 3 continents – Europe, Africa
and Asia – the Mediterranean has from
ancient times been an important hub for
trade and cultural exchange, and today is
one of the world's leading tourist
destinations.
• Surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, the hotspot's 2,085,292 km² includes
parts of Spain, France, the Balkan states, Greece, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon,
Israel, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria, as well as around five
thousand islands scattered around the Mediterranean Sea.
• West of the mainland, the hotspot includes the Macaronesian Islands of
the Canaries, Madeira, the Azores, and Cape Verde.
• The basin's location, at the intersection of two major landmasses,
Eurasia and Africa, has contributed to its high diversity and spectacular
scenery.
• The region boasts mountains as high as 4,500 meters, peninsulas, and
one of the largest archipelagos in the world.
• The climate of the Mediterranean Basin is dominated by cool, wet
winters and hot, dry summers, and rainfall ranges from as little as 100
millimetres to as much as 3,000 millimetres.
Original extent (km²)
Vegetation remaining (km²)
Endemic plant species
Endemic threatened birds
Endemic threatened mammals
Endemic threatened Amphibians
Extinct species
Human population density(per km²)
Area protected(km²)
2,085,292
98,009
11,700
9
11
14
5
111
90,242
Diversity and Endemism
Group
Species Endemic Species Percent Endemism
Plants
22,500
11,700
52.0
Mammals
226
25
11.1
Birds
489
25
5.1
Reptiles
230
77
33.5
Amphibians
79
27
34.2
Freshwater Fish
216
63
29.2
Like other Mediterranean-type ecosystems, the
Mediterranean Basin has high levels of plant diversity and
endemism but relatively poor representation of mammals
and birds compared to other hotspots.
Flora
• The flora of the Mediterranean Basin is
dramatic.
• Its 22,500 vascular plant species are more
than four times the number found in all the
rest of Europe.
• As a popular holiday destination, many of
threatened species are increasingly
fragmented and isolated to make way for
resort development and infrastructure.
Examples of
Endemic Plant
Species:
Dead horse arum lily
Tetraclinis articulata
Leuzea
Chamaerops humilis
Malope
Solanum
Fauna
• The waters are home to whales, dolphins, seals,
turtles, valuable fish species and other marine life.
• The Mediterranean monk seal and Atlantic
Bluefin tuna are two of the Sea's most imperilled
species.
• On land, the Mediterranean forest mosaics of cork
oaks, cedars, pines and olive trees are home to
critically endangered Iberian lynx as well as brown
bear, wolf, Barbary deer, and many species of
rare birds and plants.
The Mediterranean
Monk-Seal:
Conservation Status:
Critically Endangered
The Mediterranean Monk Seal is a pinniped
seal.
There is only an estimated 350-450
remaining.
It is one of the most endangered mammals
in the world.
Where the Monk Seal used to rule the
waters of the Med, it is now only found in a
very small percentage of the Basin.
Many Turkish and Greek fisherman still hunt
the seals out of revenge for destroying their
nets.
The Iberian Lynx:
The Iberian Lynx, also known as the
Spanish Lynx, is native to the Iberian
Peninsula in Southern Europe.
It is the most endangered cat species in the
world!
It is also the most endangered carnivore in
Europe.
Conservation Status:
Critically Endangered
This lynx was once distributed over the entire Iberian
Peninsula. It is now restricted to very small areas, with
breeding only confirmed in two areas of Andalucía,
southern Spain. The Iberian lynx prefers environments of
open grassland mixed with dense shrubs. It also prefers
mountainous areas covered with vegetation. But these
types of environments are becoming increasingly rare to
find in some areas of Andalucía where towns such as
Monda and Coin are spreading further and further back
into the mountains.
The Barbary
Macaque:
The habitat of the Barbary Macaque is under
threat from increased logging activity.
They are listed as endangered.
Local farmers view the monkeys as pests, and
engage in extermination of the species.
Once common throughout northern Africa and
southern Europe, there are estimated to be just
12,000 to 21,000 Barbary Macaques left.
Conservation Status:
Endangered
The Barbary Macaque is found in the Atlas
Mountains of Algeria and Morocco with a small,
possibly introduced, population in Gibraltar.
Besides humans they are the only primates that
live freely in Europe
Climate Change
• An increase of just 2⁰C could result in a huge expansion of the Sahara
desert reaching into Europe.
• Warmer and dryer conditions reduce the productivity of forests and
increase forest fires.
• Increased sea temperatures may trigger large scale disease-related
mortality events of dolphins in the Med.
Water shortages and
poor harvests during
the droughts of the
early 1990s exposed the
acute vulnerability of
the Mediterranean
region to climatic
extremes.
Human Impacts
• Due to the high rise in tourism in areas such as France and
Spain, many habitats have been destroyed to create hotels,
parks, camping sites and car parks.
• There has been a rise in immigration in Spain over recent
years which has increased urbanisation.
• Beaches all around the basin are far more crowded which is
a threat to local wildlife.
• In particular areas of the basin, long wars have had a
negative effect on large areas and many ecosystems have
suffered.
• The Suez canal, completed in 1869, was built through some
thick deciduous forest which majorly effected many species
in the area.
Conservation
The Mediterranean Basin has a long history of
land conservation. As early as 2,000 years ago,
the Romans and Greeks set aside areas for the
protection of natural resources. Nonetheless,
today, protected areas only cover4.3% of the
total land area.
In recognition of the valuable, but extremely
threatened, natural heritage of the
Mediterranean Basin, most countries within the
region are planning significant expansion of
their protected area systems, especially in
Turkey, Lebanon and Syria. However,
widespread development and human land-use
means that many of the new protected areas
will be too small to adequately support animal
populations. Many existing and proposed
protected areas suffer from pollution and water
shortages, problems that will only intensify as
the human population increases in the Basin.
Future conservation efforts need to
address population pressures on the
land, especially in the coastal zone,
issues of infrastructure impact and
connectivity, and above all, how to
maintain traditional rural livelihoods in
a way that benefits biodiversity. This
will require achieving sustainable levels
of grazing, as well as forest and fire
management.