Biodiversity of California: Nature and its Preservation

According to NatureServe, California is the most biologically diverse state in the nation and has the highest number of endemic species, which are species found only in a specific place. Yet California also is home to the third highest number of extinct species and the second highest for percentage of species at risk. It is the fastest growing state in the U.S. and supplies half of the nation’s agricultural products—a major threat to the biodiversity of California going forward.

The land that is known as California was slowly built by shifting tectonic plates. Due to variable ecology, climate, soil types, and types of land, California is home to everything from mountains, deserts, redwood forests, volcanoes, beaches, and other habitats. Species living in these environments are unique to the area because they have evolved to specifically adapt to that very spot. For example, vernal pools—seaso

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The California Floristic Province was designated a global hotspot in 1996. Over 3,500 species of plants can be found in this hotspot that covers most of the state, and 61 percent of these plants are considered endemic. Even though endemic plants are rampant in the province, amphibians actually make up the highest levels of endemic species.

The area contains six distinct regions. The Central Valley vernal pools change color with the seasons. Mediterranean shrub-lands are home to 20 percent of the world’s plant diversity and cover an extensive part of California—one in five places in the world with a mild Mediterranean climate. The Cascade Range volcanoes surround the Pacific Ocean basin. Redwood forests are among the oldest living things on Earth and can be found in the northern part of the state. The Sierra Nevada mountains span eastern California and contain snow and ice. The Klamath-Siskiyou Wilderness is a temperate coniferous forest—one of the densest in the world. Other important areas include the Mojave bioregion, home of the Amargosa vole, Le Conte’s thrasher, and Mohave squirrel, and Modoc bioregion, which is mostly covered by juniper and sagebrush.

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Even though California faces many threats, it’s a proactive state and is a forerunner in environmental policy. The California Biodiversity Council was formed in 1991 and aims to improve cooperation between environmental preservation and conservation groups.