Spain
Spain is a country situated in the scope of Med-O-Med program, geographical and culturally. That is why and with the objective to use them as reference for the different research and catalogues created by the program, that we present this data for the country in different subjects.
Spain is host to an estimated 85,000 species of animals and plants. This number represents 54% of the total species described for Europe and could represent more than 5% of the species in the world. Approximately 38% of the species assessed by the European Red List of Species are present in Spain. For some of the taxonomic groups, the percentages of European species that occur in Spain are particularly high; such as dragonflies, saproxylic beetles and butterflies.
Of the 2,233 species assessed that occur in Spain, the groups comprising the highest number of species are vascular plants, terrestrial molluscs, butterflies and saproxylic beetles. Of the total number of species assessed in the country more than one fifth* are considered threatened and at least 10% are Near Threatened at the European level, one species is Extinct in the Wild and one species is already Extinct. Many of these species are endemic to Europe and are found nowhere else in the world.
Species that are considered threatened at the European level and occur in Spain are found mostly in shrublands, rocky areas, wetlands and forests. These ecosystems require particular attention in order to ensure the habitats of these sensitive species remain.
Major threats
Habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation are the most significant threats at the European level to species that occur in Spain. For freshwater species, major threats include the over-extraction of water, which in many cases is further exacerbated by increasing droughts due to climate change, pollution and the introduction of alien species. Other major threats come from farming and ranching as a result of agricultural expansion and intensification, urbanization and tourism.
Spain is a country situated in the scope of Med-O-Med program, geographical and culturally. That is why and with the objective to use them as reference for the different research and catalogues created by the program, that we present this data for the country in different subjects. Spain is host to an estimated 85,000 species […]