Mediterranean woodlands and forests
RESOLVE 798
The Mediterranean Woodlands and Forests stretch along the coastal plains, hills, and mid-elevation mountains of North Africa's Maghreb, spanning Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya's Jebel Akhdar, and the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, from near Agadir on the Atlantic to the Gulf of Gabes. Its natural cover is a mosaic of forest, woodland, and shrubland built around cork oak (Quercus suber), holm oak (Quercus rotundifolia), kermes oak (Quercus coccifera), Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis), maritime pine (Pinus pinaster), and the endemic Tertiary relict sandarac or Berber thuya (Tetraclinis articulata). The climate is classically Mediterranean, with very hot, dry summers and relatively mild, humid winters, though Atlantic coastal areas are moderated by cold ocean currents. The ecoregion is a hotspot of floral endemism and shelters charismatic and threatened wildlife including the Barbary macaque, northern bald ibis, and caracal, but it remains under heavy pressure, with only a small fraction in protected areas and threats from deforestation, overgrazing, and soil degradation. For gardeners, several drought-tolerant ornamentals trace their roots here, including carob (Ceratonia siliqua), olive (Olea europaea), and shrubland staples such as Cistus and rosemary.
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.
Collections for this ecoregion
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.