The Cantabrian mixed forests is a

temperate broadleaf and mixed forests Temperate broadleaf and mixed forest is a temperate climate terrestrial habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature, with broadleaf tree ecoregions, and with conifer and broadleaf tree mixed coniferous forest ecoregions. These f ...

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of ...

in southwestern Europe. It extends along the coastal

Cantabrian Mountains , etymology=Named after the Cantabri , photo=Cordillera Cantábrica vista desde el Castro Valnera.jpg , photo_caption=Cantabrian Mountains parallel to the Cantabrian Sea seen from Castro Valnera in an east-west direction. In the background, ...

and Galician Massif of Northern

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

, extending south into northern

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of th ...

, and northwards through the westernmost

Pyrenees The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to ...

to southwestern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. The ecoregion extends from the seacoast to the highest peaks of the Cantabrian Mountains. The highest peak is

Torre Cerredo Torre Cerredo, also called Torrecerredo or Torre de Cerredo ( Asturian: ''La Torre Cerréu''), is the highest peak of the Cantabrian Mountains, northern Spain. With a prominence of 1,931 m, it is an ultra-prominent peak and the third most promin ...

at 2,648 meters elevation. The ecoregion is transitional between the

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

and

Oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ...

regions of Spain and Portugal and the more humid and temperate forests of Western Europe. The lowlands have mild temperate climates, while the high mountains experience cold winters.

Flora

The ecoregion's altitudinal range supports several plant communities. The lowlands are characterized by broadleaf deciduous forests, with

English oak ''Quercus robur'', commonly known as common oak, pedunculate oak, European oak or English oak, is a species of flowering plant in the beech and oak family, Fagaceae. It is a large tree, native plant, native to most of Europe west of the Caucasus ...

(''Quercus robur''),

sweet chestnut ''Castanea sativa'', the sweet chestnut, Spanish chestnut or just chestnut, is a species of tree in the family Fagaceae, native to Southern Europe and Asia Minor, and widely cultivated throughout the temperate world. A substantial, long-lived ...

(''Castanea sativa''), European ash (''Fraxinus excelsior''), lindens ('' Tilia platyphyllos'' and ''

Tilia cordata ''Tilia cordata'', the small-leaved lime or small-leaved linden, is a species of tree in the family Malvaceae, native to much of Europe. Other common names include little-leaf or littleleaf linden, or traditionally in South East England, pry or p ...

''),

wych elm ''Ulmus glabra'' Hudson, the wych elm or Scots elm, has the widest range of the European elm species, from Ireland eastwards to the Urals, and from the Arctic Circle south to the mountains of the Peloponnese and Sicily, where the species reaches i ...

(''Ulmus glabra''), and maples (''

Acer pseudoplatanus ''Acer pseudoplatanus'', known as the sycamore in the British Isles and as the sycamore maple in the United States, is a species of flowering plant in the soapberry and lychee family Sapindaceae. It is a large deciduous, broad-leaved tree, t ...

'' and ''

Acer platanoides ''Acer platanoides'', commonly known as the Norway maple, is a species of maple native to eastern and central Europe and western Asia, from Spain east to Russia, north to southern Scandinavia and southeast to northern Iran. It was introduced to ...

''). Characteristically Mediterranean evergreen trees and shrubs, including holm oak (''Quercus ilex''),

cork oak ''Quercus suber'', commonly called the cork oak, is a medium-sized, evergreen oak tree in the section ''Quercus'' sect. ''Cerris''. It is the primary source of cork for wine bottle stoppers and other uses, such as cork flooring and as the core ...

(''Quercus suber''), sweet bay (''Laurus nobilis''), strawberry tree (''Arbutus unedo''), and ''

Rhamnus alaternus ''Rhamnus alaternus'' is a species of flowering plant in the buckthorn family Rhamnaceae, known by the common names Italian buckthorn or Mediterranean buckthorn. It is a hardy medium-sized evergreen shrub with fragrant flowers. Etymology The s ...

'', can be found in warm and well-drained areas like limestone outcrops.

Maritime pine ''Pinus pinaster'', the maritime pine or cluster pine, is a pine native to the south Atlantic Europe region and parts of the western Mediterranean. It is a hard, fast growing pine bearing small seeds with large wings. Description ''Pinus pinast ...

(''Pinus pinaster'') is common on Atlantic coastal dunes in northern Portugal and western Galicia, and further inland on rocky dry slopes. Middle- and upper-elevation forests are characterized by deciduous oaks (''

Quercus petraea ''Quercus petraea'', commonly known as the sessile oak, Cornish oak, Irish Oak or durmast oak, is a species of oak tree native to most of Europe and into Anatolia and Iran. The sessile oak is the national tree of Ireland, and an unofficial embl ...

'' and ''

Quercus pyrenaica ''Quercus pyrenaica'', commonly known as Pyrenean oak, is a tree native to southwestern Europe and northwestern North Africa. Despite its common name, it is rarely found in the Pyrenees Mountains and is more abundant in northern Portugal and nor ...

''), with

European beech ''Fagus sylvatica'', the European beech or common beech is a deciduous tree belonging to the beech family Fagaceae. Description ''Fagus sylvatica'' is a large tree, capable of reaching heights of up to tall and trunk diameter, though more ...

(''Fagus sylvatica'') from the Cantabrian Mountains eastward into France. Stands of white birch (''Betula pubescens'') appear below the timber line. Above the timber line (1800 meters), subalpine plant communities including low shrubs (including dwarf juniper and heathers), grasses, peat bogs, and rock outcrops cover the highest peaks.

Fauna

Large mammals include

Cantabrian brown bear The Cantabrian brown bear, Iberian brown bear, or Iberian bear (scientifically ''Ursus arctos pyrenaicus'') is a population of Eurasian brown bears (''Ursus arctos arctos'') living in the Cantabrian Mountains of Spain. On average, females weigh , ...

(''Ursus arctos''), Iberian wolf (''Canis lupus signatus''),

Cantabrian chamois The Cantabrian chamois (''Rupicapra pyrenaica parva'') is a slim mountain goat-antelope, and is one of the 10 subspecies of the genus '' Rupicapra''. It ranges the Cantabrian Mountains in northern Spain, with a population of 17,000 animals in 2007 ...

(''Rupicapra pyrenaica parva''),

wild boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species i ...

(''Sus scrofa''),

red deer The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or hart, and a female is called a hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Iran, and parts of ...

(''Cervus elaphus elaphus''), and

roe deer The roe deer (''Capreolus capreolus''), also known as the roe, western roe deer, or European roe, is a species of deer. The male of the species is sometimes referred to as a roebuck. The roe is a small deer, reddish and grey-brown, and well-adapt ...

(''Capreolus capreolus''). Feral horses ''(Equus caballus)'' roam in Galicia's mountains. The broom hare (''Lepus castroviejoi'') is an

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found 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 found else ...

species to the Cantabrian Mountains. The reclusive Pyrenean desman (''Galemys pyrenaicus'') is a vulnerable small mammal that lives here and in the Pyrenees. The Cantabrian brown bears number over 200 individuals, who live in the Cantabrian Mountains of southern Asturias and Cantabria and the adjacent portion of Castile and León. The brown bear population has increased in recent decades from fewer than 100 in the 1990s. The Cantabrian population is the larger of the two remaining brown bear populations in southwestern Europe; the other is in the Pyrenees. The Cantabrian capercaillie (''Tetrao urogallus cantabricus'') is an endangered subspecies of grouse. Its population and range are declining from habitat destruction, human disturbance, and over-hunting.

Protected areas

9,294 km² (10%) of the ecoregion is in

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

s. Another 23% is forested and outside protected areas. Protected areas include

Picos de Europa National Park The Picos de Europa National Park ( es, Parque Nacional de Picos de Europa) is a National Park in the Picos de Europa mountain range, in northern Spain. It is within the boundaries of three autonomous communities, Asturias, Cantabria and Casti ...

(661.2 km²),

Somiedo Somiedo ( Asturian: Somiedu) is a municipality in the Autonomous Community of the Principality of Asturias, Spain. It is bordered on the north by Belmonte de Miranda, on the east by Teverga, on the west by Tineo and Cangas del Narcea, and on th ...

(289.8 km²), Redes, (376.98 km²), Fuentes del Narcea, Degaña e Ibias (576.34 km²), Fuentes Carrionas y Fuente Cobre - Montaña Palentina (781.41 km²), Ponga (205.06 km²),

Fragas do Eume The Fragas do Eume is a natural park situated in north-west Spain. ''Fraga'' is a Galician word for "natural woodland", (old-growth forest) and the park is an example of a temperate rainforest in which oak (''Quercus robur'' and ''Quercus pyren ...

(91.49 km²), and Aiako harria (68.95 km²) natural parks in Spain, and

Peneda-Gerês National Park The Peneda-Gerês National Park ( pt, Parque Nacional da Peneda-Gerês, ), also known simply as Gerês, is a national park located in northern Portugal. Created in May 1971, it is the oldest protected area and the only national park in Portugal. ...

(695.92 km²)"Peneda-Gerês". ''Protected Planet''. Accessed 6 May 2020

/ref> in Portugal.

External links

References

{{Paleartic temperate broadleaf and mixed forests Cantabrian Mountains Ecoregions of France Ecoregions of Portugal Ecoregions of Spain Montane forests Palearctic ecoregions Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests