The Pyrenees conifer and mixed forests are a type of forest area in southwestern Europe. This region is found along the Pyrenees mountains, which stretch east to west along the border between France and Spain. It includes the country of Andorra. The forest area covers the lower slopes of the Pyrenees mountains up to their highest peaks, which are Aneto (3,404 meters), Posets (3,375 meters), and Vignemale (3,298 meters).
These forests are located at the edge between the Mediterranean climate regions of Spain and France, which are to the south and east, and the more humid and temperate forests of Western Europe, which are to the west and north.
Flora
The ecoregion has a range of elevations and different climates, from maritime temperate on the west to continental in the center and Mediterranean on the east. These varying conditions support many types of plant communities and species. The ecoregion is home to 3,500 native plant species, 200 of which are found only in this area.
The forested foothills on the southern slope, called the Pre-Pyrenees, have a climate that changes from Mediterranean, with dry summers. Trees here include evergreen Holm oak (Quercus rotundifolia), Holm oak (Quercus ilex), Cork oak (Quercus suber), Kermes oak, Wild olive (Olea europaea), Sweet bay (Laurus nobilis), Strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo), Rhamnus alaternus, Pistacia terebinthus, Erica arborea, Erica scoparia, Pinus pinaster, Juniperus oxycedrus, and deciduous trees such as Quercus faginea, Quercus pubescens, Quercus pyrenaica, Tilia platyphyllos, and Acer opalus.
At middle elevations, forests include deciduous broadleaf trees like Quercus robur, Quercus petraea, Quercus pubescens, Castanea sativa, Ulmus glabra, Acer pseudoplatanus, Taxus baccata, Populus tremula, Betula pendula, Betula pubescens, and European beech (Fagus sylvatica). Conifer forests here include Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) and Pyrenean pine (Pinus nigra subsp. salzmannii var. salzmannii). Heathlands with plants like Calluna vulgaris, Ulex, and Juniperus communis grow in the western part of the ecoregion.
At higher elevations, forests are mainly made up of European beech and silver fir (Abies alba). Mountain pine (Pinus mugo subsp. uncinata) is common in colder areas of the central Pyrenees.
Above the tree line, subalpine and alpine plant communities grow. These areas are mainly made up of Juniperus communis and Calluna vulgaris and include many species that are found only in this region.
Fauna
Large mammals in the region include the Eurasian brown bear (Ursus arctos), Iberian wolf (Canis lupus signatus), Pyrenean chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica pyrenaica), wild boar (Sus scrofa), red deer (Cervus elaphus elaphus), and roe deer (Capreolus capreolus). A shy, vulnerable small mammal called the Pyrenean desman (Galemys pyrenaicus) also lives in this area and in the Cantabrian Mountains.
The Cantabrian brown bear, a unique type of Eurasian brown bear found in southwest Europe, no longer lives in the Pyrenees. The last Cantabrian brown bear in the region was killed in 2004. Today, this species survives in the Cantabrian Mountains further west. In 1996, the French government brought Eurasian brown bears from Slovenia back to the French Pyrenees. By 2019, there were between 40 and 50 brown bears in the Pyrenees.
The Pyrenean ibex (Capra pyrenaica pyrenaica) became extinct in 2000. In 2014, a small group of Western Spanish ibex (Capra pyrenaica victoriae) was introduced to Pyrenees National Park. By 2020, the population had grown to 400 individuals in the national park and nearby Ariège Regional Park.
The Pyrenees are home to 120 species of birds, including small groups of lammergeier (Gypaetus barbatus), Pyrenean capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus aquitanicus), and rock ptarmigan (Lagopus muta).
Protected areas
In protected areas, 10% of the ecoregion, which is 3,863 kilometers, is located. Only 1% of the unprotected area remains covered with natural forest. Protected areas include Valles Occidentales Natural Park, Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park, and Posets-Maladeta Natural Park in Aragon, Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park, Alt Pirineu Natural Park, and Cadí-Moixeró Natural Park in Catalonia, and Pyrénées National Park, Pyrénées ariégeoises Regional Natural Park, and Pyrénées catalanes Regional Natural Park in France.