Flora and Fauna
As with all the Canary Islands, La Palma has several endemic species.
Although large areas have been deforested, the upland areas of La Palma retain some of the temperate cloud forest, or laurisilva (laurel forest), dominated by Laurus, but including Juniperus cedrus (Canary Islands Juniper) and other trees. This is a relic of the Pliocene subtropical forests which used to cover all the Canary Islands.
The Canary Island Pine (Pinus canariensis) is endemic to all the Western Canary Islands, whilst Genista stenopetala, or sweet broom and Spartocytisus supranubius, a white broom known locally as Retama del Teide, are native to La Palma and Tenerife. Echium webbii, a variety of Echium virescens (Tower of jewels) is endemic to La Palma, as are Ceropegia fusca and Ceropegia dichotoma; varieties of Cardoncillo.
Several animals are native or endemic to La Palma, including the:
- La Palma Giant Lizard, believed extinct until rediscovered in 2007
- Western Canaries Lizard Gallotia galloti, subspecies palmae
- Graja (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax barbarus), subspecies of the Red-billed Chough
- Canary Islands Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus canariensis)
- La Palma Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs palmae)
- Western Canary Islands Goldcrest (Regulus regulus ellenthalerae)
- Canary Islands Quail (Coturnix gomerae)
In addition, many other animals have been introduced, including rabbits and Barbary Sheep, or Aoudads, which have become a serious threat to endemic flora
A biosphere reserve was established in 1983, and extended and renamed in 1997 and 2002
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