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| Macaronesian ecoregion | |
|---|---|
| Name | Macaronesian ecoregion |
| Biogeographic realm | Palearctic |
| Biome | Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub |
| Countries | Portugal (Azores, Madeira), Spain (Canary Islands), Morocco (Islands) |
Macaronesian ecoregion The Macaronesian ecoregion spans Atlantic archipelagos including the Azores, Madeira, the Canary Islands, and Cape Verde, linking insular landscapes with distinct biota on islands such as São Miguel Island, Madeira Island, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, and Santiago, Cape Verde. This region has been central to studies by institutions such as the Royal Society, Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Natural History Museum, London, and the Smithsonian Institution, which have documented its floristic and faunal uniqueness. Research by scientists affiliated with Charles Darwin-inspired traditions, the Linnean Society of London, University of Lisbon, University of La Laguna, University of Cape Verde, and Université Hassan II Casablanca has emphasized its role in island biogeography, conservation planning, and climate-change projections by groups like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
The ecoregion covers archipelagos of the North Atlantic bounded by continental shelves near Iberian Peninsula, North Africa, Portugal, Spain, and Senegal, with major islands including Faial Island, Porto Santo, La Palma, Fuerteventura, and Sal Island. Political jurisdictions encompass the Autonomous Region of the Azores, the Autonomous Region of Madeira, the Canary Islands, and the Republic of Cape Verde, involving governance interactions with the European Union, African Union, United Nations Environment Programme, and national ministries such as the Ministry of Environment (Portugal), Ministry for Ecological Transition (Spain), and Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (Cape Verde). Marine boundaries and Exclusive Economic Zones around islands like El Hierro and Boavista Island influence fisheries management coordinated with organizations like the North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission and the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean.
Islands formed via hotspot volcanism associated with the African Plate, Eurasian Plate, and Mid-Atlantic Ridge produced edifices such as Pico, Mount Teide, Roque Nublo, and Pico do Fogo through processes studied by researchers at Instituto Geográfico Nacional (Spain), Instituto Hidrográfico (Portugal), and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. Volcanic histories include Plinian eruptions recorded at Teide–Pico Viejo complex, Holocene activity on Fogo (volcano), and submarine volcanism near Formigas and Gough Island, with stratigraphy examined by teams from US Geological Survey, University of Cambridge, and Universidade dos Açores. Tectonic uplift, maritime erosion, and volcanic geomorphology have created laurisilva plateaus, calderas such as Caldera de Taburiente, and sea stacks like Los Roques de Anaga.
Macaronesia sits under the influence of the North Atlantic Ocean, Azores High, Canary Current, and prevailing trade winds, producing gradients from humid, cloud-impacted zones on Madeira to arid lowlands on Lanzarote, modulated by phenomena investigated by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Meteorological Service of Portugal, and Agência Estatal de Meteorología. Sea-surface temperatures, upwelling off Western Sahara, and marine productivity relate to systems like the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation and events tracked by NOAA's Coral Reef Watch, Copernicus Programme, and Plymouth Marine Laboratory. Orographic cloud forests derive moisture from trade-wind inversion layers studied in climate reconstructions by IPCC authors and paleoclimatologists at University of Coimbra.
Vegetation ranges from endemic laurel forests (laurisilva) dominated by genera studied at Kew Gardens to xeric scrub and volcanic successional habitats on islands like Lobos Island and Brava. Key plant taxa include members of Lauraceae such as Ocotea foetens, endemics in Myrtaceae, and relict genera investigated by botanists from Jardim Botânico da Madeira and Instituto de Investigação Científica Tropical. Fauna includes endemics such as the Azores bullfinch, Madeiran firecrest, Canary giant lizard, Cape Verde warbler, and marine species like loggerhead sea turtle, Cory's shearwater, and cetaceans documented by Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Invertebrate specialists, including flightless beetles and land snails, have been described by taxonomists at the Natural History Museum, London, Museu de História Natural do Funchal, and the Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle.
Islands exhibit high levels of endemism shaped by colonization, adaptive radiation, and isolation, concepts advanced by scholars influenced by Charles Darwin, Alfred Russel Wallace, Ernst Mayr, George Evelyn Hutchinson, and modern phylogeographers at University of Oxford and Harvard University. Molecular studies using markers from labs at Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Sanger Institute, and CNRS reveal distinct lineages in genera such as Aeonium, Aeolidiella, Pericallis, and Argyrodes. Biogeographic links between Macaronesia and regions like the Mediterranean Basin, West Africa, and the Madeira-Tenerife corridor are evidenced in paleobotanical records curated by British Museum and herbarium collections at Real Jardín Botánico (Madrid).
Conservation efforts involve protected areas like Laurisilva of Madeira (UNESCO) and initiatives by BirdLife International, Ramsar Convention, IUCN, Convention on Biological Diversity, and local NGOs including Associação Natureza Madeira and Sociedade Portuguesa para o Estudo das Aves. Threats include invasive species such as Opuntia ficus-indica and Rattus rattus, habitat loss from tourism development in Funchal and Las Palmas, wildfire regimes exacerbated by climate change studies from IPCC, and marine overexploitation addressed by Regional Fisheries Management Organizations. Restoration projects led by European Union LIFE Programme, Conservation International, and universities aim to reestablish endemic flora and control invasive mammals.
Human settlement since pre-European times, followed by colonization by Portuguese and Castilian explorers linked to figures like Prince Henry the Navigator and voyages recorded alongside Christopher Columbus and Vasco da Gama, transformed island landscapes through agriculture, sugarcane plantations, and terracing documented by historians at Instituto de História Contemporânea. Modern economies rely on tourism hubs such as Funchal, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and Mindelo, Cape Verde, agriculture producing bananas and vineyards protected by appellations like Madeira wine and cultural practices preserved in museums such as the Museu do Funchal and Museu Etnográfico do Mindelo. Infrastructure development, ports like Port of Las Palmas and airports including Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport, continues to shape land-use planning and cultural heritage management overseen by agencies like UNESCO and national departments of culture.
Category:Palearctic ecoregions