California coastal sage and chaparral
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The California coastal sage and chaparral () is a
Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub Mediterranean forests, woodlands and scrub is a biome defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. The biome is generally characterized by dry summers and rainy winters, although in some areas rainfall may be uniform. Summers are typically hot in ...
ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) is an ecological and geographic area that exists on multiple different levels, defined by type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and c ...
, defined by the
World Wildlife Fund The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is a Swiss-based international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the ...
, located in southwestern
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
(
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
) and northwestern
Baja California Baja California, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California, is a state in Mexico. It is the northwesternmost of the 32 federal entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1952, the area was known as the North Territory of B ...
(
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
). It is part of the larger
California chaparral and woodlands The California chaparral and woodlands is a terrestrial ecoregion of southwestern Oregon, northern, central, and southern California (United States) and northwestern Baja California (Mexico), located on the west coast of North America. It is a ...
ecoregion. The ecoregion corresponds to the USDA Southern California ecoregion section 261B, and to the EPA Southern California/Northern Baja Coast ecoregion 8.


Geography

The California coastal sage and chaparral ecoregion covers about of coastal terraces, plains, and foothills between
Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara (, meaning ) is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States excepting A ...
and northeastern
Baja California Baja California, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California, is a state in Mexico. It is the northwesternmost of the 32 federal entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1952, the area was known as the North Territory of B ...
. This includes the southwestern slopes of the
Transverse Transverse may refer to: *Transverse engine, an engine in which the crankshaft is oriented side-to-side relative to the wheels of the vehicle *Transverse flute, a flute that is held horizontally * Transverse force (or ''Euler force''), the tangen ...
and
Peninsular Ranges The Peninsular Ranges (also called the Lower California province) are a group of mountain ranges that stretch from Southern California to the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula; they are part of the North American Pacific Coast Range ...
, the entirety of the Santa Susana and
Santa Monica Mountains The Santa Monica Mountains are a coastal mountain range in Southern California, next to the Pacific Ocean. It is part of the Transverse Ranges. The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area encompasses this mountain range. Because of its p ...
, the
Channel Islands The Channel Islands are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They are divided into two Crown Dependencies: the Jersey, Bailiwick of Jersey, which is the largest of the islands; and the Bailiwick of Guernsey, ...
,
Guadalupe Island Guadalupe Island () is a volcanic island located off the western coast of Mexico's Baja California peninsula and about southwest of the city of Ensenada in the state of Baja California, in the Pacific Ocean. The various volcanoes are extinc ...
, and
Cedros Island Cedros Island (''Isla de Cedros'', "island of cedars" in Spanish (language), Spanish) is an island in the Pacific Ocean belonging to the state of Baja California, Mexico. The dry and rocky island had a population of 1,350 in 2005 and has an area o ...
. Major urban centers located within this ecoregion include
Greater Los Angeles Greater Los Angeles is the most populous metropolitan area in the U.S. state of California, encompassing five counties in Southern California extending from Ventura County in the west to San Bernardino County and Riverside County in the eas ...
, San Diego-Tijuana, Ensenada, and
Tecate Tecate () is a city in Tecate Municipality, Baja California. It is across the Mexico–United States border, Mexico–US border from Tecate, California. As of 2019, the city had a population of 108,860 inhabitants, while the metropolitan area ha ...
.


Climate

The climate is
Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...
, with mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers. Almost all of the daily maximum temperatures lie between . Mean annual precipitation is generally below , although can be as high as in the
Santa Monica Mountains The Santa Monica Mountains are a coastal mountain range in Southern California, next to the Pacific Ocean. It is part of the Transverse Ranges. The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area encompasses this mountain range. Because of its p ...
and hills around the
Los Angeles Basin The Los Angeles Basin is a sedimentary Structural basin, basin located in Southern California, in a region known as the Peninsular Ranges. The basin is also connected to an wikt:anomalous, anomalous group of east–west trending chains of mountai ...
.


Flora

The plant species of the California coastal sage and chaparral ecoregion are diverse, with high
endemism Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
. The main plant communities are
coastal sage scrub Coastal sage scrub, also known as coastal scrub, CSS, or soft chaparral, is a low scrubland plant community of the California coastal sage and chaparral subecoregion, found in coastal California and northwestern coastal Baja California. It is ...
,
California coastal prairie California coastal prairie, also known as northern coastal grassland, is a grassland plant community of California and Oregon in the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome. This ecosystem is found along the Pacific Coast, from as f ...
, chamise chaparral, southern oak woodland, pine forests, riparian woodland, and
salt marsh A salt marsh, saltmarsh or salting, also known as a coastal salt marsh or a tidal marsh, is a coastal ecosystem in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and open saltwater or brackish water that is regularly flooded by the tides. I ...
es.


Coast

Prominent coast adjacent species include: California sagebrush (''
Artemisia californica ''Artemisia californica'', also known as California sagebrush, is a species of western North American shrub in the Asteraceae, sunflower family. In the western United States, California sagebrush is grown in native plant gardens and as a drough ...
'') and brittlebush (''
Encelia californica ''Encelia californica'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae It is commonly referred to as California coast sunflower and California bush sunflower. Distribution This shrub is native to southern California (U.S.) and northern ...
''), along with black sage (''
Salvia mellifera ''Salvia mellifera'' (Californian black sage, also known as seel by the Mahuna) is a small, highly aromatic, evergreen shrub of the genus ''Salvia'' (the sages) native to California, and Baja California, Mexico. It is common in the coastal sage ...
''), purple sage (''
Salvia leucophylla ''Salvia leucophylla'', the San Luis purple sage or gray sage, is an aromatic sage native to the southern coastal mountain ranges of the Californias. Description ''S. leucophylla'' is an evergreen shrub that grows up to tall and wide. The lea ...
'' or ''
Salvia clevelandii ''Salvia clevelandii'', the fragrant sage, blue sage, Jim sage, Cleveland sage, and Cleveland's blue sage is a perennial plant of family Lamiaceae native to Southern California and northern Baja California, growing below elevation in Califor ...
''), bush monkeyflower ('' Mimulus longiflorus'' or '' Mimulus aurantiacus''), and California buckwheat (''
Eriogonum fasciculatum ''Eriogonum fasciculatum'' is a species of wild buckwheat known by the common names California buckwheat and flat-topped buckwheat. Characterized by small, white and pink flower clusters that give off a cottony effect, this species grows vari ...
''). Cacti and succulents can be found in the southern areas of this coastal ecoregion in Baja California. Examples of succulents in this ecoregion include: Shaw's agave ('' Agave shawii''), coastal dudleya ('' Dudleya caespitosa''), golden cereus (''Bergerocactus emoryi''), and other prickly pear (''
Opuntia ''Opuntia'', commonly called the prickly pear cactus, is a genus of flowering plants in the cactus family Cactaceae, many known for their flavorful fruit and showy flowers. Cacti are native to the Americas, and are well adapted to arid clima ...
''), ''
Yucca ''Yucca'' ( , YUCK-uh) is both the scientific name and common name for a genus native to North America from Panama to southern Canada. It contains 50 accepted species. In addition to yucca, they are also known as Adam's needle or Spanish-bayon ...
'' and '' Dudleya'' species. Some of the endemic plants to the ecoregion's southern coast zone include: San Diego thornmint (''
Acanthomintha ilicifolia ''Acanthomintha ilicifolia'', known by the common name San Diego thornmint, is a rare species of flowering plant in the mint family. It is native to Baja California and San Diego County, California, where it is a resident of the chaparral and co ...
''), San Diego ambrosia ('' Ambrosia pumila'') and San Diego barrel cactus ('' Ferocactus viridescens'').


Slopes

Higher up from the shoreline, above an elevation of , the slopes are densely covered in
chaparral Chaparral ( ) is a shrubland plant plant community, community found primarily in California, southern Oregon, and northern Baja California. It is shaped by a Mediterranean climate (mild wet winters and hot dry summers) and infrequent, high-intens ...
shrubs, such as: chamise (''
Adenostoma fasciculatum ''Adenostoma fasciculatum'', commonly known as chamise or greasewood, is a flowering plant native to California and Baja California. This shrub is one of the most widespread plants of the California chaparral ecoregion. Chamise produces a specia ...
''), and California lilac (''
Ceanothus ''Ceanothus'' is a genus of about 50–60 species of nitrogen-fixing shrubs and small trees in the buckthorn family (Rhamnaceae). Common names for members of this genus are buckbrush, California lilac, soap bush, or just ceanothus. ''"Ceanothus" ...
'' spp.) and manzanita (''
Arctostaphylos glandulosa ''Arctostaphylos glandulosa'', with the common name Eastwood's manzanita, is a species of manzanita. Description ''Arctostaphylos glandulosa'' is an erect shrub reaching up to in height. It is bristly and sometimes glandular, secreting sticky ...
'', '' Arctostaphylos glauca'', and '' Arctostaphylos patula'') . Chaparral yucca (''
Hesperoyucca whipplei ''Hesperoyucca whipplei'' ( syn. ''Yucca whipplei''), the chaparral yucca, our Lord's candle, Spanish bayonet, Quixote yucca or foothill yucca, is a species of flowering plant closely related to, and formerly usually included in, the genus ''Yucc ...
'') is commonplace throughout the climate zone. Other species include mountain mahogany (''
Cercocarpus betuloides ''Cercocarpus betuloides'' is a shrub or small tree in the rose family.Flowering Plants of the Santa Monica Mountains, Nancy Dale,2nd Ed, 2000, p. 170 Its common names include mountain mahogany and birch leaf mountain mahogany The common name "m ...
''), silk-tassel bush ('' Garrya fremontii''), and ribbonwood ('' Adenostoma sparsifolium'')


Trees

California oak woodland California oak woodland is a plant community found throughout the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion of California in the United States and northwestern Baja California in Mexico. Oak woodland is widespread at lower elevations in coast ...
occurs in moist areas usually up to . These woodlands include oak species, such as coast live oak ('' Quercus agrifolia''), canyon live oak (''
Quercus chrysolepis ''Quercus chrysolepis'', commonly termed canyon live oak, canyon oak, golden cup oak or maul oak, is a North American species of evergreen oak. Its leaves are a glossy dark green on the upper surface with prominent spines; a further identificati ...
''), and Engelmann's oak (''
Quercus engelmannii ''Quercus engelmannii'', the Engelmann oak or Pasadena oak, is a species of oak in the white oak section (''Quercus'' sect. ''Quercus''), native to Southern California and northwestern Baja California, Mexico. Description ''Quercus engelmannii'' ...
''). Associated species include the California black walnut (''
Juglans californica ''Juglans californica'', the California black walnut, also called the California walnut, or the Southern California black walnut, is a large shrub or small tree (about ) of the walnut family, Juglandaceae, endemic to the Central Valley and the Co ...
'') on some north faces of the
Santa Monica Mountains The Santa Monica Mountains are a coastal mountain range in Southern California, next to the Pacific Ocean. It is part of the Transverse Ranges. The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area encompasses this mountain range. Because of its p ...
,
Santa Susana Mountains The Santa Susana Mountains are a transverse range of mountains in Southern California, north of the city of Los Angeles, in the United States. The range runs east-west, separating the San Fernando and Simi valleys on its south from the Santa ...
, and the San Jose Hills; and poison oak ('' Toxicodendron diversilobum''). Riparian woodlands up to are dominated by western sycamore (''
Platanus racemosa ''Platanus racemosa'' is a species of plane tree known by several common names, including California sycamore, western sycamore, California plane tree, and in North American Spanish . ''Platanus racemosa'' is native to California and Baja Califo ...
'') and various willow species such as '' Salix gooddingii'', '' Salix laevigata'', and '' Salix lasiolepis''. Riparian understory contains California laurel ('' Umbellularia californica'') and Pacific madrone ('' Arbutus menziesii''). Mountain
conifer Conifers () are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a sin ...
s dominate above . These include species such as the sugar pine (''
Pinus lambertiana ''Pinus lambertiana'' (commonly known as the sugar pine or sugar cone pine) is the tallest and most massive pine tree and has the longest cones of any conifer. It is native to coastal and inland mountain areas along the Pacific coast of North ...
''), ponderosa pine (''
Pinus ponderosa ''Pinus ponderosa'', commonly known as the ponderosa pine, bull pine, blackjack pine, western yellow-pine, or filipinus pine, is a very large pine tree species of variable habitat native to mountainous regions of western North America. It is th ...
''), Jeffrey pine (''
Pinus jeffreyi ''Pinus jeffreyi'', also known as Jeffrey pine, Jeffrey's pine, yellow pine and black pine, is a North American pine tree. It is mainly found in California, but also in the westernmost part of Nevada, southwestern Oregon, and northern Baja Calif ...
''), Coulter pine ('' Pinus coulteri''), Bigcone Douglas-fir ('' Pseudotsuga macrocarpa''), and incense cedar ('' Calocedrus decurrens''). Some endemic tree species mark niche
ecological island An ecological island is a term used in New Zealand, and increasingly in Australia, to refer to an area of land (not necessarily an actual island) isolated by natural or artificial means from the surrounding land, where a natural micro-habitat exists ...
s. One example is the rare Torrey pine ('' Pinus torreyana''), which is only native to the coastal bluffs in
Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve is a coastal state park in San Diego, California. The reserve is one of the wildest stretches of land on the Southern California coast, covering . It is bordered immediately to the south by Torrey Pines Golf Co ...
near
San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
, and off the coast on Santa Rosa Island. Another example is the Tecate Cypress ('' Cupressus forbesii''), which only occurs in four stands near the Mexican border of California. The Tecate Cypress only occurs in
alkaline In chemistry, an alkali (; from the Arabic word , ) is a basic salt of an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal. An alkali can also be defined as a base that dissolves in water. A solution of a soluble base has a pH greater than 7.0. The ...
soils eroded from
gabbro Gabbro ( ) is a phaneritic (coarse-grained and magnesium- and iron-rich), mafic intrusive igneous rock formed from the slow cooling magma into a holocrystalline mass deep beneath the Earth's surface. Slow-cooling, coarse-grained gabbro is ch ...
.


Channel Islands

The
Channel Islands The Channel Islands are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They are divided into two Crown Dependencies: the Jersey, Bailiwick of Jersey, which is the largest of the islands; and the Bailiwick of Guernsey, ...
are mostly covered in coastal sage and chamise chaparral with some oak woodland including endemic and/or rare: buckwheats (''
Eriogonum ''Eriogonum'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Polygonaceae. The genus is found in North America and is known as wild buckwheat. This is a highly species-rich genus, and indications are that active speciation is continuing. It incl ...
'' spp.), oaks (such as island oak—'' Quercus tomentella''), and '' Dudleya'' species restricted to these islands.
Bishop pine ''Pinus muricata'', the bishop pine, is a pine with a very restricted range: mostly in California, including several offshore Channel Islands, and a few locations in Baja California, Mexico. Stands of Bishop Pine are also found in Point Reyes Nat ...
also occurs on these islands.


Other habitats

In and around these different habitats, this diverse ecoregion also contains 'patches' of
grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominance (ecology), dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes such as clover, and other Herbaceo ...
s with native or introduced grass species and serpentine barrens. Seasonal
wetlands A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...
, such as
vernal pool Vernal pools, also called vernal ponds or ephemeral pools, are seasonal pools of water that provide habitat for distinctive plants and animals. They are considered to be a distinctive type of wetland usually devoid of fish, and thus allow the saf ...
s, form
ecological island An ecological island is a term used in New Zealand, and increasingly in Australia, to refer to an area of land (not necessarily an actual island) isolated by natural or artificial means from the surrounding land, where a natural micro-habitat exists ...
s. There are more than 30 wildflower species that are endemic to the pools in this ecoregion, including '' Orcuttia californica'' grass. One subspecies of meadow-foam, '' Limnanthes alba'' ssp. ''parishii'' is only found in the ephemeral wetlands of the
Laguna Mountains The Laguna Mountains are a mountain range of the Peninsular Ranges in eastern San Diego County, California. The mountains run in a northwest/southeast alignment for approximately . The mountains have long been inhabited by the indigenous Kumey ...
(and also away in the
Klamath Mountains The Klamath Mountains are a rugged and lightly populated mountain range in northwestern California and southwestern Oregon in the western United States. As a mountain system within both the greater Pacific Coast Ranges and the California Coast R ...
).
Wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, or a bushfire is an unplanned and uncontrolled fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a ...
s are part of the natural
fire ecology Fire ecology is a scientific discipline concerned with the effects of fire on natural ecosystems. Many ecosystems, particularly prairie, savanna, chaparral and coniferous forests, have evolved with fire as an essential contributor to habitat vit ...
throughout the ecoregion. Habitats of this hot, dry coast must survive and revive following the regular forest fires, and the dominant plant species have adapted to recover from fires.


Fauna

The coastal sage and chaparral of California are home to a variety of small mammals, such as
deer mice ''Peromyscus'' is a genus of rodents. They are commonly referred to as deer mice or deermice, not to be confused with the chevrotain or "mouse deer". They are New World mice only distantly related to the common house and laboratory mouse, ''M ...
, desert woodrats, and desert shrews. Predators include
mountain lion The cougar (''Puma concolor'') (, ''Help:Pronunciation respelling key, KOO-gər''), also called puma, mountain lion, catamount and panther is a large small cat native to the Americas. It inhabits North America, North, Central America, Cent ...
s,
coyote The coyote (''Canis latrans''), also known as the American jackal, prairie wolf, or brush wolf, is a species of canis, canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the Wolf, gray wolf, and slightly smaller than the c ...
s, grey foxes, and
bobcat The bobcat (''Lynx rufus''), also known as the wildcat, bay lynx, or red lynx, is one of the four extant species within the medium-sized wild cat genus '' Lynx''. Native to North America, it ranges from southern Canada through most of the c ...
s. Lizards of note include
side-blotched lizard Side-blotched lizards are lizards of the genus ''Uta''. They are some of the most abundant and commonly observed lizards in the deserts of western North America, known for cycling between three colorized breeding patternsSinervo, B.; C.M. Lively ...
s, western fence lizards, sagebrush lizards, and the San Diego subspecies of the coast horned lizard. Resident snake species include large carnivores such as common kingsnakes, gopher snakes,
rosy boa ''Lichanura'', the rosy boas, are a genus of snakes in the Family (biology), family Boidae. They are distributed across the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. Species There are two recognized species: References

Boida ...
s, and western rattlesnakes. Invertebrates of note include the cheese-weed moth lacewing ('' Chrysoperla'' species). The Hermes copper and Quino checkerspot butterflies among the 200 butterfly species found here. Vernal pools in the ecoregion are home to Riverside fairy shrimp ('' Streptocephalus woottoni'').


Birds

Typical birds of the region include
scrub jay The passerine birds of the genus ''Aphelocoma'' include the scrub jays and their relatives. They are New World jays found in Mexico, western Central America and the western United States, with an outlying population in Florida. This genus belon ...
s,
wrentit The wrentit (''Chamaea fasciata'') is a small bird that lives in chaparral, California oak woodland, oak woodlands, and bushland on the western coast of North America. It is the Monotypic taxon, only species in the genus ''Chamaea''. Its systema ...
s, and rufous-sided towhees. Predatory birds include
great horned owl The great horned owl (''Bubo virginianus''), also known as the tiger owl (originally derived from early naturalists' description as the "winged tiger" or "tiger of the air") or the hoot owl, is a large owl native to the Americas. It is an extreme ...
s and
red-tailed hawk The red-tailed hawk (''Buteo jamaicensis'') is a bird of prey that breeds throughout most of North America, from the interior of Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West Indies. It is one of the most common members of ...
s. The California gnatcatcher is a small bird, endemic to this coastal ecoregion, which has been protected as its habitat is now designated an
Important Bird Area An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...
. Other birds found here are the endemic Nutall's woodpecker ('' Picoides nuttallii'') of the oak woodland, and the coastal populations of the protected cactus wren ('' Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus''). Important Bird Areas in Mexico include
Isla Guadalupe Guadalupe Island () is a volcanic island located off the western coast of Mexico's Baja California peninsula and about southwest of the city of Ensenada, Baja California, Ensenada in the Baja California (state), state of Baja California, in th ...
and Isla Cedros, and parts of
Sierra de Juárez The Sierra de Juárez, also known as the Sierra Juarez, is a mountain range located in Tecate Municipality and northern Ensenada Municipality, within the northern Baja California state of northwestern Mexico. It is a major mountain range in ...
and Sierra de San Pedro Mártir.


Threats and preservation

This attractive coastline is highly vulnerable to urban, recreational, and agricultural development and only 15% of original habitat is intact. Habitats are vulnerable to livestock grazing, which has removed much native vegetation on the Channel Islands, such as Santa Cruz where sheep were grazed for over 100 years. Another threat, ironically, is
fire control Fire control is the practice of reducing the heat output of a fire, reducing the area over which the fire exists, or suppressing or extinguishing the fire by depriving it of fuel, oxygen, or heat (see fire triangle). Fire prevention and control ...
, which only allows the amount of dry material in the forest to build up, resulting eventually in massive fires. However, in many chaparral regions such as the Santa Monica Mountains, increased fire frequency is the larger concern because fire return intervals in mature chaparral communities should be 30–150 years, unlike much of the region which often has return intervals of 20 years or less. There are patches of coastal sage scrub in
Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is the major West Coast base of the United States Marine Corps and is one of the largest Marine Corps bases in the United States. It is on the Southern California coast in San Diego County and is bordered by O ...
, the
Santa Monica Mountains The Santa Monica Mountains are a coastal mountain range in Southern California, next to the Pacific Ocean. It is part of the Transverse Ranges. The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area encompasses this mountain range. Because of its p ...
, the
San Joaquin Hills The San Joaquin Hills are a low mountain range of the Peninsular Ranges System, located in coastal Orange County, California. They extend in a northwest–southeast direction, starting in the northwest in Newport Beach, California, Newport Beac ...
near
Laguna Beach Laguna Beach (; ''Laguna'', Spanish for "Lagoon") is a city in Orange County, California, United States. Located in Southern California along the Pacific Ocean, this seaside resort city has a mild year-round climate, scenic coves, and environ ...
, and the Irvine Ranch in
Orange County, California Orange County (officially the County of Orange; often initialized O.C.) is a county (United States), county located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Southern California, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population ...
. Additional patches of coastal sage scrub exist in Southern California in the Angeles National Forest.


Protected areas

A 2017 assessment found that 1,925 km2, or 6%, of the ecoregion is in protected areas. Protected areas include Channel Islands National Park,
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA) is a national recreation area containing many individual parks and open space preserves, located primarily in Southern California's Santa Monica Mountains. Located in greater Los Ange ...
, Point Mugu State Park, Malibu Creek State Park, Topanga State Park,
Griffith Park Griffith Park is a large municipal park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains, in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The park includes popular attractions such as the Los Angeles Zoo, the Autry Museum of the Amer ...
, Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park, Ballona Wetlands State Ecological Reserve, Chino Hills State Park,
Crystal Cove State Park Crystal Cove State Park is a state park of California, United States, encompassing of Pacific coastline, inland chaparral canyons, and the Crystal Cove Historic District of beach houses. The park is located partially in Newport Beach and parti ...
, the Santa Rosa Plateau Reserve, and
Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve is a coastal state park in San Diego, California. The reserve is one of the wildest stretches of land on the Southern California coast, covering . It is bordered immediately to the south by Torrey Pines Golf Co ...
. In Baja California, the chaparral ecology of
Guadalupe Island Guadalupe Island () is a volcanic island located off the western coast of Mexico's Baja California peninsula and about southwest of the city of Ensenada in the state of Baja California, in the Pacific Ocean. The various volcanoes are extinc ...
, Isla Todos Santos, and the
Coronado Islands The Coronado Islands (''Islas Coronado'' or ''Islas Coronados''; ; Kumeyaay language, Kumeyaay: ) are a group of islands located off the northwest coast of the Mexico, Mexican States of Mexico, state of Baja California. Battered by the wind and ...
are protected within the Baja California Pacific Islands Marine Conservation Area.


See also

* List of ecoregions in Mexico * List of ecoregions in the United States (WWF) *
Southern California Bight The Southern California Bight is a 692-kilometer-long (430 mi) stretch of curved coastline that runs along the West Coast of the United States and Mexico, from Point Conception in California to Punta Colonet in Baja California, plus the area of t ...


External links

*


References

{{reflist California chaparral and woodlands Ecoregions of California Plant communities of California Ecoregions of Mexico Natural history of Baja California Nearctic ecoregions Sclerophyll forests