Macaronesia

Macaronesia or Macaronesian islands ( " blessed, happy islands" " blessed, happy " after Greek Makarios, nesos "island" ) referred to in the biogeography of the region lying in the Eastern Central Atlantic archipelagos of volcanic origin. Despite the large distances prevail commonality among all the islands with respect to the animal and plant world.

Macaronesia consists of five island groups as sub-regions - from north to south:

  • Azores ( Portugal)
  • Madeira ( Portugal)
  • Selvagens (Portugal )
  • Canary Islands (Spain)
  • Cape Verde Islands ( independent of Portugal since 1975)

Partly also mainland areas of Morocco are included as well.

Conceptual history

The use of the term Macaronesia goes back to the botanist Philip Barker Webb, who with Sabin Berthelot and Alfred Moquin - Tandon, the Histoire naturelle des Iles Canaries published in the years 1835-1850. It is taken from the ancient Greek geography literature, in which the fantastic side of the Mediterranean islands were identified as μακάρων νῆσοι makaron Nisoi, as, Islands of the Blessed ' ( leaning against the ideas of the Elysium, the location of the poets already in the Archaic period than in the West was thought ). Among the naturalists of the early to mid- imperial period (eg Pliny Maior, Ptolemy ) then took the identification of up to eight also held today under the term covered islands.

In some cases, the literature erroneously held Macaronesia (, Islands of the Blessed '), the expression Macronesia (, wide islands ' ) are used.

Macaronesian biogeographic region

Is used in the region developed from 1992 System of the Biogeographic Regions of the European Union, in particular for the allocation of the Natura 2000 sites and the Emerald network, and referred to in the Annexes to the Fauna-Flora -Habitat Directive species ( Anh. II, IV, V) and habitats ( habitat types, Annex I) is used of Community interest. Here are the Region (as of 2012) only the territories of EU members Spain and Portugal includes (without the independent Cape Verde). However, it is extended for the designation of marine protected areas and the surrounding maritime areas under EU jurisdiction.

Costs include:

  • Spanish Share ( ES): land area about 7200 km2 Canary Islands (1.4% of the national territory )
  • Portugische Share ( PT): land area about the Azores and Madeira 3150 km2 ( 3.4% of the national territory )

The main habitat types are:

  • Habitats of the inland area with sparse or no vegetation: 34%
  • Heath and scrub: 25 %
  • Forest: 15 %
  • Arable land: 14%

Fauna such as flora is characterized by a high Endemitenanteil.

Flore area Macaronesia

In Geobotany and vegetation science, the region constitutes a distinct Flore area. The floral region is characterized by the endemic species as well as by the higher in mountain regions (700-1200 m) occurring laurel forest ( laurel ).

The original wide version of the Flore area that involved also parts of Morocco, was divided with better knowledge of the flora. There is usually a subdivision into three regions:

  • Wholesale Macaronesia comprises all the islands and parts of Morocco
  • Lauri - Macaronesia the by the presence of the laurel forest ( laurel ) is characterized and the Azores,
  • Parts of Madeira
  • And includes the Canary Islands
  • Parts of Madeira
  • Is limited and the Canary Islands.

The geobotany structure is not without controversy. The botanist Hanno Schaefer came to the conclusion that the Azores Medio - European, the Canary Islands and Madeira Mediterranean and the Cape Verde Islands belong to the Sudano - Zambezi 's region. This is in contradiction to the earlier work of Lobin, Lüpnitz, and slides.

Conservation

The region has the following designated by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage sites:

  • Laurissilva in Madeira (1999)
  • Garajonay National Park on La Gomera (1986 )

Biosphere Reserves ( UNESCO / MAB):

  • El Hierro
  • Lanzarote
  • La Palma

In the region ( EU part ), there are 38 protected habitat types (9 priority), 26 endemic species and 118 endemic plant species (Annex II of the Habitats Directive, 5 resp.41 priority), and a total of 150 protected species (including birds after VS- RL). These are covered by protected areas under Natura 2000:

  • 208 protected areas under the Habitats Directive ( SCI), with 5340 km ² (2048 km ² land area, 32 % of the biogeographic region / country, 3292 km ² marine area)

National protected areas are:

  • Canaries: 4 national parks, 145 other protected areas ( total of 40 % of the area )
  • Madeira: Parque Natural da Madeira ( 567 km ², 2/3 of the island) and some other protected areas
  • Azores: 5 nature reserves ( Caldeira do Faial, Ilhen de Villa Franca do Campo, Ilheus the Formigas / Santa Maria, Lagoa do Fogo / San Miguel, Montanha da Ilha do Pico ) and 3 protected landscapes
Savage Islands List of islands of Cape Verde Alfred Moquin-Tandon Highland (landform)
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