Cyprus Mediterranean forests
Cyprus Mediterranean forests are an important ecoregion located on the island of Cyprus in the eastern Mediterranean. This diverse biome features a range of altitudinal zones, including the hills and low plains of the Troodos Mountains. The forests are characterized by unique vegetation, with species such as the endemic Cyprus cedar, golden oak, juniper woodlands, and Mediterranean cypress. These forests host a variety of ecosystems, including garrigue communities, which consist of shrubs and herbs adapted to the Mediterranean climate.
Despite their ecological significance, Cyprus Mediterranean forests face numerous threats due to human activities such as logging, grazing, and urban development. The impacts of climate change, including increased heatwaves and droughts, have heightened the risk of wildfires, leading to significant habitat loss. While the wildlife of Cyprus is diverse, much of it lacks endemism, with a notable focus on a few species like the Cyprus moufflon and Cyprus warbler. Conservation efforts are underway, including laws to protect certain tree species and management practices to address environmental concerns. However, ongoing challenges emphasize the need for enhanced strategies to ensure the sustainability and vitality of these Mediterranean forests.
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Cyprus Mediterranean forests
- Category: Forest Biomes.
- Geographic Location: Eastern Mediterranean.
- Summary: Cyprus is an island of diverse altitudinal regions and strong habitat features, but logging, grazing and agricultural clearance has curtailed the vitality of some native plants and animals.
The Cyprus Mediterranean Forests biome comprises an island ecoregion encompassing the hills, low plains, and massif of the Troodos Mountains, on the island nation of Cyprus. Though the island, situated in the eastern reaches of the Mediterranean Sea, is relatively small, it features a wide range of altitudes, resulting in multiple forest zones. Despite the similarity, it is unclear whether the nation of Cyprus is named for the Mediterranean cypress tree so common on the island. Linguists have suggested the island's name was derived from the ancient word for copper or henna, equally prevalent on the island and similar in sound.
Vegetation
Juniper woodlands (Juniperus foetidissima) and forests of mountain pine (Pinus pallasiana) are most common at the highest elevations here. The juniper is known for the strong, even offensive odor of its crushed leaves. At medium elevations, the endemic Cyprus cedar (Cedrus brevifolia) can be found, primarily around the Troodos mountains. At that same elevation is the national tree of Cyprus: the golden oak (Quercus alnifolia), an evergreen oak. The golden oak grows only on the igneous geological substrate of the Troodos Massif, between elevations of 1,312 to 5,906 feet (400 to 1,800 meters), either in a dense maquis by itself or in association with Turkish pine (Pinus brutia). Cypriot law protects the golden oak, while European Union law protects the scrub and low forest vegetation of the Quercus alnifolia biota, encompassing its entire habitat.
The black pine and cedar forests are much smaller than they once were; black pine is intensively managed for timber, and cedar now occupies only a patchwork of stands. The poor soils of the Troodos range and the predominance of ultrabasic substrates make soil restoration difficult. Human activity remains the biggest threat to the ecoregion: tourism and urban development along the coasts, and grazing and deforestation for pasture creation inland.
At low elevations, sclerophyllus evergreen and semi-deciduous oak forests (Quercus coccifera and Q. infectoria) dominate. Q. coccifera, or the Kermes oak, is the food plant of the Kermes scale insect (Kermes vermilio), which in earlier eras was the source of the dye crimson. There also are forests of Mediterranean cypress (Cupressus sempervirens), an ancient evergreen that has been used as a symbol of mourning since antiquity. The cypress's association with death may originate from its failure to regenerate when overzealously pruned, or it may relate to the tree's longevity; some cypress trees are thousands of years old.
The lowlands are home to the evergreen shrub Arbutus andrachne, also called the Greek strawberry tree, known for its strawberry-shaped, cherrylike fruits and the honey that bees make from its nectar. In the driest lowlands, the vegetation is primarily shrubs, including jujube lotus (Zizyphus lotus), carob (Ceratonia siliqua), and wild olive (Olea europaea).
About 7 percent of the plant species are endemic here (found nowhere else on Earth); most, 87 of 128 species, are distributed throughout the Troodos Mountains. Included among these are Origanum cordifolium, wild sage (Salvia willeana), wild thyme (Thymus integer, an important food plant to butterfly larvae), Teucrium cyprium, Nepeta troodi, Gagea juliae, Loch's glory of the snow (Chionodoxa lochiae), crocus (Crocus veneris), Crocus cyprius (C. cyprius), Cyprus tulip (Tulipa cypria), and Cyprus cyclamen (Cyclamen cyprium).
Many of the plants found in Cyprus grow together in a community called garrigue, typically found in mediterranean ecosystems near the coast where annual summer droughts occur. Garrigue is a discontinuous association of bushes, herbs, and isolated trees such as lavender, thyme, rosemary, sage, Artemisia shrubs, Kermes oak, and juniper. A similar plant community in California is called chaparral.
Animals
While Cyprus's wildlife is diverse, endemism is much lower than among plant life. Most endemic species are insects or arachnids. The notable exceptions are the Cyprus moufflon and the Cyprus warbler. The moufflon (Ovis aries ophion) is a wild sheep, related to the ancestors of all modern domestic sheep. Its horns are curved nearly a full revolution, and it stands about 3 feet (0.9 meter) tall at the shoulder. The Cyprus moufflon is a descendant of moufflons introduced to Cyprus by Neolithic pastoralists, adapting over thousands of years to the mountainous environment. Today, there are about 3,000 individuals. The Cyprus warbler (Sylvia melanothorax) is a short-distance migrant that winters in Israel, Jordan, and Egypt. When in Cyprus, this bird survives on insects and berries.
Other endemic species include the Cyprus whip snake (Coluber cypriensis), Troodos lizard (Lacerta troodica), Cypriot mouse (Mus cypriacus), the longhorned beetles Purpuricenus nicoles and Agapanthia nicosiensis, the jumping spider Aelurillus cypriotus, the scorpions Mesobuthus cyprius and Buthus kunti, the land snails Assyriella bellardi and Trochoidea liebertruti, the bush cricket Isophya mavromoustakisi, the stag beetle Dorcus alexisi, and several endemic butterflies: Cyprus grayling (Hipparcia cypriensis), Cyprus meadow brown (Maniola cypricola), and Paphos blue (Glaucopsyche paphos).
Environmental Concerns
Cyprus has signed nine international environmental agreements and ratified the Cartagena Protocol on biosafety and the Kyoto Protocol on climate change. The island nation is committed to sustainable development, waste management, integrity of its water sources, and the treatment of agricultural and industrial waste. Forest clearing for vineyards and orchards over the last century has led to strict forest protection and management practices. Animal grazing has since been brought under control, while hunting is now prohibited in the Paphos Forest and part of Troodos in order to help reduce the decline of these forests.
Heat waves and drought caused by climate change in Cyprus have increased the risk of wildfires. This risk is exacerbated by the abandonment of rural communities. Large wildfires have become a more frequent occurence. Water scarcity has forced many people to leave. Formerly cultivated areas are replaced by wild growth, which dry out and do not impede wildfires.
In July 2021, an extreme heatwave combined with dry conditions and high winds contributed to a devastating wildfire that burned 44.5 square kilometers. Faced with the reality of changing conditions and a looming threat of intense fires as a result of climate change, the President of Cypress asked for a study to consider introducing holistic technological systems to help manage fires. Limited precipitation and frequent long-lasting periods of heatwaves are worsening conditions in Cyprus, contributing to both the ignition of fire and the intensity of the fires. New approaches to fire management are necessary to address the changing environment.
Bibliography
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