Mediterranean Basin

Greer MantonBen HughesBrandi Alfaro

MEDITERRANEAN BASIN - OVERVIEW

Location: Covers from Portugal to Jordan (W E) and Italy to

Morocco (N S) Europe, Asia, Africa)

Climate: Cool, wet winters Hot, dry summers

Ratio: 111:5 (population to extinct species)

Population of people being low makes extinction low More people = more development = less habitat

Additional Info: One of largest chain of islands 4,500 m. high mountains Population increase = development increase

MEDITERRANEAN BASIN – HOT SPOT

Hot spotRare and native speciesNeeds a lot of protection

Threatened speciesMore people = more development

22,500 different plant species

MEDITERRANEAN BASIN- UNIQUE BIODIVERSITY

Vertebrates: 1,240 speciesMonk seal: flagship specie- less than 400

in the wildSpanish Imperial Eagle: threatened

endemic;only 350 grown adults

Plants: 22,500 species 52% are found nowhere else in the world  endemics are mainly on islands and

peninsulas Argan tree

MEDITERRANEAN BASIN- HUMAN IMPACT

Habitat FragmentationOnly scattered patches of vegetationextremely vulnerable to habitat loss, urban

expansion, and overgrazing Human Development

Settlers for over 8,000 yearsDeforestation to create agricultural lands

TourismShores are biggest large-scale tourist

attraction Direct impact on native species