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Human activity, diversity of climate, and geographical diversity have shaped the Portuguese flora. There are almost 2,800 autochthonous species. For economic reasons, pine trees (especially the Pinus pinaster and Pinus pinea species), the chestnut tree and the eucalyptus are very widespread. The Peneda-Gerês National Park (mostly known as Gerês) is located in the extreme north-west of Portugal. The park has a wide variety of oaken and mixed forests, groves, peat bogs, and diverse bushes, including autochthonous and rare species. It is one of the last Iberian harbors of wolves, garranos, golden eagles, vultures and honey buzzards amongst many others. The iberian lynx, a once-common indigenous species, is almost extinct in Portuguese terrority, and only few survive in Spain. Boars are common in Alentejo and Trás-os-Montes. The Natural parks of Serra da Estrela, with its broad valleys and turf soils, and the Arrábida, with its Mediterranean character and the sand varieties of its beaches, unveil the ecological variety of Portugal. The Serra da Estrela mountain range is situated in central-east Portugal and a large part of the mountain lies within the limits of the Serra da Estrela Natural Park. The Park covers around 100,000 ha and is administered by six municipalities: Seia, Gouveia, Celorico da Beira, Guarda, Manteigas and Covilhã. These are included in two districts: in the north the Guarda district and in the south the Castelo Branco district. The Tapada Nacional de Mafra is conspicuous, due to its rich flora and fauna. The Tapada was created in the reign of King John V for royal delight, in an area of 8 square kilometers with deer, wild boars, foxes, birds of prey and several other species. Today, the Tapada is classified as an area of national hunting (Zona de Caça Nacional). A large part of Portugal is covered by forest. In the last years, during the hot and dry Summer months, large areas of forest were destroyed by fires, many of which (an estimated 40% in 2004) caused by arson. In 2005 this problem was aggravated by a severe drought affecting Mainland Portugal. In the year to September 2005, three quarters of Mainland Portugal saw less than half the normal rainfall, and the remaining quarter less than 60%. Mixing of cold and warm ocean streams has attracted a wide variety of fish, also allowing development of a great number of seaweeds. These were a focus of famous research by French psychologist Françoise Ardré. |
Portugal Information: Inside
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