""Now, just 20% of Madeira is covered with Laurisilva, mostly on the less populous northern side of the island. In the forest's place, homes rise with their red-tiled roofs.""
""This year, Madeira's Laurisilva celebrates the 25th anniversary of its UNESCO World Heritage designation, a testament to its unique biodiversity and cultural significance.""
Madeira's Laurisilva forest, a UNESCO World Heritage site for 25 years, represents a unique, humid ecosystem largely limited to the Macaronesia islands. Once covering much of southern Europe, it now exists predominantly on Madeira, which hosts the largest old-growth areas. The forest is home to around 500 endemic species. However, only 20% of the island remains forested due to urban development replacing it with homes, banana trees, and vineyards, showcasing the tension between conservation and development in this biodiverse region.
Read at InsideHook
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]