South West Mediterranean
A crossroads and a haven
Spanning Spain, Portugal, northwestern Morocco, and running through the coastal fringe of North Africa from the Strait of Gibraltar to Cap Bon, Tunisia, this ecoregion is rich in marine and terrestrial life.
Most of Europe’s cranes winter in this ecoregion's extensive farmlands.The sea forms part of the migratory route between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean for commercial fish species such as swordfish and blue-fin tuna, whales, dolphins, and marine turtles.
The region is crossed by important rivers such as the Guadiana, and has a rich array of wetlands including those at Doñana, one of WWF’s first project areas.
However, over 30% of the population of the part of North Africa which is included in this ecoregion live below the poverty level, with less than $1 per capita available spending resources per day.
They are dependent on the forests for food and fuel.
Unique biodiversity features
Marine ecosystems include red coral formations and large extensions of Posidonia meadows which buffer sea currents and waves. The region has an array of wetlands such as the marismas of Doñana and Odiel (Spain), the lagoons of Ria Formosa and Castro Marim (Portugal), and those of Merja Zerga and Sidi BouGhaba (Morocco).Endemic cedars spread over 100,000 hectares in the Middle Atlas, a region hosting among the highest levels of plant endemism in the world, with 237 endemic species.
The world’s largest forests of cork oak are also found in this region and they contain rare plants such as endangered species of holly and orchids, and endemics such as the Portugal diamond plant.
Key animal species include the Iberian Lynx, the world’s most endangered big cat, the Barbary deer, Barbary ape, the otter, blue-fin tuna, whales, dolphins, loggerhead and leatherback turtles, the Black Vulture, and Spanish Imperial Eagle, migratory cranes, birds like the great and little bustard, sand grouse, stone curlew, and endemic fish species such as the jarabuga.
Socio-economic values
Almost all of the cork produced in the world is harvested in this ecoregion and over 100,000 people are dependent on the cork industry in the Mediterranean.Woodlands of the argan tree are a source of livelihood for 2 million people in rural Morocco.
The Alboran Sea is part of the migratory route of commercial fish species and therefore attracts fisheries particularly for blue-fin tuna and swordfish. The area has high potential for nature-based tourism.
Key threats
- Land-use changes, often driven by European Union policies, such as those for regional development and agriculture, which drive unsustainable resource exploitation, damaging infrastructures, and conversion of forest areas into farmlands and plantations.
- Potential impact of trade liberalization on the landscapes of northern Morocco.
- Unsustainable water management, including dams and exploitation of water resources for irrigation and tourism.
- Mining and pollution from toxics generated in mines in southwestern Spain and southern Portugal.
- Soil erosion and desertification.
- Overharvesting of medicinal and aromatic plants.
- Urbanization and coastal mass tourism development with no land use planning and no prior sustainability assessments.
- Marine pollution from agriculture run off and industrial discharge.
- Over-fishing in the Alboran Sea, particularly with driftnets.
Gaps and challenges
• Insufficient protected area systems.
• Lack of capacity of environmental institutions and civil society.
