Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub

Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub

Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub are special areas defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. These places have dry summers and rainy winters, and sometimes rain falls throughout the year. Summers can be very hot away from the sea, but cooler near cold oceans. Winters are usually not too cold, but can feel chilly in higher and inland areas. These regions are very important because they are home to many plants, holding about 10% of all the plants on Earth.

Distribution

The Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome is found in areas with a Mediterranean climate, such as the Mediterranean Basin, the Chilean Matorral, the California chaparral and woodlands, the Fynbos of South Africa, and the Mallee Woodlands and Shrublands of Australia.

This type of vegetation can also grow in other nearby climates, including drier parts of oceanic and humid subtropical climates, as well as some greener areas in semi-arid climate zones. Places outside the typical Mediterranean climate with this plant life include the Nile River Valley in Egypt, parts of the Eastern Cape in South Africa, southeastern Australia, southeastern Azerbaijan, southeastern Turkey, far northern Iraq, the Mazandaran Province in Iran, Central Italy, parts of the Balkans (including Northern Greece), Southern Crimea in Ukraine, and Northern and Western Jordan.

Vegetation

These areas have many kinds of plants, like forests, woodlands, savannas, shrublands, and grasslands. The land can look different because of soil, hills, wind, sun, and old fires. Many plants have small, dark leaves that help them save water in dry summers.

The fynbos in South Africa is very special. It has many plants that grow only there. It has more unique plants than some bigger places like the United States and Canada together.

Biome plant groups

This biome has many kinds of plants and trees. You can find Mediterranean forests with trees like oak. These forests grow in places such as California, the Mediterranean region, Southwest Australia, and central Chile. They often grow near rivers where they get more water during summer.

There are also woodlands with oak and pine trees. You can see these especially in the Mediterranean Basin and California. You’ll find savannas and grasslands, like the California Central Valley. Some places, like Portugal, have cork oak savannas called montado.

Shrublands are areas filled with small evergreen bushes and trees. They grow close to the coast where the wind and salty air make it hard for plants to live. Different places call these areas different names, such as chaparral in California and southern Portugal, matorral in Chile and Spain, and fynbos in South Africa.

Fire as a medium of change

Further information: Fire ecology

Fire, both from nature and humans, has changed the plants and animals near the Mediterranean Sea. Hot, dry summers often cause fires, and some plants need fire to grow and spread their seeds. Long ago, people in places like Australia and California used fire to clear land for grass and useful plants.

After Europeans came to these areas, they tried to stop fires. This caused trouble because plants that needed fire couldn’t grow well. When fires happened, they were bigger and more damaging. In some places, fires happen too often now, which can hurt the plants and change the land.

In July 2023, big wildfires burned in countries like Croatia, Italy, and Portugal. Many firefighters worked to stop the fires, which were made worse by hot, dry weather and strong winds. The fires damaged homes and forests and made many people leave their homes.

Degradation

Mediterranean ecoregions are some of the most threatened places on Earth. Many areas have been damaged by activities such as cutting down trees, too many animals eating the grass, turning land into farms, and building cities. Areas around the Mediterranean Sea and in California have lost many forests and soil, and some plants and animals are in danger.