Mediterranean Acacia-Argania dry woodlands and succulent thickets
Mediterranean Acacia-Argania dry woodlands and succulent thickets
RESOLVE 796
The Mediterranean Acacia-Argania dry woodlands and succulent thickets stretch across Morocco, northwestern Western Sahara, and the easternmost Canary Islands of Fuerteventura and Lanzarote, covering Atlantic coastal plains and the Sous and Draa river valleys. Its signature vegetation is patchy argan forest (Argania spinosa) mixed with acacias, underlain by succulent shrubland dominated by endemic Euphorbia species. The climate ranges from Mediterranean to semi-arid and arid, with frost-free winters, oceanic-moderated temperatures, and mean annual rainfall generally below 500 millimetres, dropping to as little as 50 millimetres in the driest zones. The argan tree acts as a foundation species supporting many associated plants and animals, and Morocco's argan forest is recognized as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, though overgrazing and habitat degradation give the ecoregion a critical conservation status. Gardeners drawn to drought-tolerant planting will recognize native genera here such as Euphorbia, Withania, and Periploca.
Marker placed inside the RESOLVE 2017 polygon at 30.4°N, 9.1°W.
Climate snapshot for this ecoregion
°C
°F
Current zone range (2011–2040)
11a-13a
Plotwright
CHELSA-derived typical winter month at this ecoregion's bbox grid.
Projected (2041–2070)
11a-13a
Plotwright
Where the CHELSA models say the typical winter month is heading.
Average warming this ecoregion is on track for: +2.7°F by mid-century. SSP3-7.0 (current trajectory) · CHELSA v2.1 bio06 sampled across 10 of 10 points within this ecoregion's bounding box.
At a glance
Dominant biome
Mediterranean Forests, Woodlands & Scrub
Realm
Palearctic
Approximate area
38,647 sq mi
Conservation tier
Nature Could Recover (Dinerstein NNH 3)
About the mediterranean forests, woodlands & scrub biome
Regions of hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters supporting drought-adapted shrublands — chaparral, maquis, fynbos — and open woodlands. Fire is a natural shaping force, and these climates hold extraordinary plant diversity and endemism.
Catalog plants suited to this ecoregion
Computed from each plant's stated USDA zone range against this ecoregion's CHELSA-derived current zone range, with the CHELSA mid-century warming delta applied for the projection. Plants whose stated range falls outside both the current and projected zone end up dropped; the rest land in one of the three buckets below.
Climate-resilient picks · 52
These plants fit this ecoregion today AND remain in range under the mid-century SSP3-7.0 projection. Lead with these for a planting that holds up as the climate shifts.
No curated collection's plants all fit this ecoregion's zone range. We surface a collection only when every member would grow here — partial fits get filtered out rather than mislead. As the catalog and the curated set both grow, this section will fill in.
Related ecoregions
Other mediterranean forests, woodlands & scrub ecoregions to explore: