Key Habitats
Mediterranean Sea
A transitional zone between the European, African and Asian continents, the Mediterranean Sea hosts about 17,000 species of marine life, of which 28% are endemic. Overfishing, pollution, and the effects of climate change have put tremendous strains on the Mediterranean marine environment. The recently issued global Census of Marine Life, assessed the Mediterranean as the most threatened sea in the world.
Mediterranean Forests, Woodlands, and Scrub
From Portuguese cork forests to the firs of the Italian Apennines, the Mediterranean forest regions in Southern Europe are rich in forest types and their endemic species. While protection of these areas has been prioritized under the European Union’s Habitats Directive, only a fraction of the original forest cover is left, while fires destroy a further 1% per year.
Apennines, Pyrenees, and the Dinaric Alps
Mountains form the backbone of the Mediterranean region, and contain high levels of biodiversity. The Apennines support the largest Italian populations of wolf and brown bear, while the carst caves of the Dinaric Alps contain the richest diversity of subterranean species in the world. Though pristine areas remain, fragmentation of mountain habitats continues to occur through illegal logging, hunting, winter resorts, and dams.
Danube Delta
The largest wetlands reserve in Europe, the Danube River Delta provides habitat for over 5,000 species and resources for people living in the surrounding Romanian, Ukrainian and Moldavian regions. Though draining and damming for intensive agriculture has led to 20% loss of area, conservation efforts beginning in the 19th century have retained 50% of this wetland, making it one of the best-preserved deltas in Europe.
Iberian Rangelands and Grasslands
The Iberian Peninsula, the second largest peninsula in Europe, is a unique ecosystem shaped by its long history of pastoralism. Many endemic species of the Iberian steppe inhabit dry grasslands, including highly endangered species such as the great bustard. The abandonment of traditional land use in favor of urbanisation has in fact put the region at greater risk of desertification.
Key Habitats
Biodiversity Loss
Almost half of plant and animal species, and more than half of the habitats listed in the EU Habitats Directive, occur in Southern Europe. The region has the richest biodiversity in Europe, but according to the IUCN, one in six species living around the Mediterranean are now threatened with extinction, with even greater threat to biodiversity within the Mediterranean sea itself, long subjected to overfishing.
Forest Fires
Forest fires are one of the most common catastrophes in Southern Europe, especially Greece. About 1% of Southern Europe’s forest burns every year. While the region has a history of forest fires, habitat loss and degradation in the last 50 years—as well as widespread abandonment of traditional agriculture, grazing, and forestry—have reduced the resilience of the region’s remaining forest to fires.
Climate Change
With its characteristic dry summers along the coastlands, Southern Europe is particularly vulnerable to increases in heat extremes and reduced rainfall. The European Environment Agency (EEA) projected the region will face the continent’s most adverse effects from climate change, impacting biodiversity as well as heat-related mortality and agricultural yields; Italy has already seen a 57% drop in olive oil production tied to climatic changes.
Desertification
Increased temperatures and less precipitation have made Southern Europe vulnerable to drought, lower crop yields, soil infertility, and reduced water quality. Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Bulgaria and Romania will be particularly affected by desertification, with about 74% of Spain at risk of desertification and 18% at high risk of becoming irreversibly desert.
