On Saturday, November 16th, 2024, we hiked through the autumn landscape of Troodos, discovering the natural and geological heritage of Cyprus. Alongside the specialized members of the Pandoteira team, from Terra Cypria, we learned about endemic plants and animals, the island’s formation history and the importance of Troodos and its habitats.
Some of the highlights of the hike were the stunning view of Morphou Bay and Solea Valley, as well as the impressive local flora, including black pine, golden oak, and juniper trees.
The flora and fauna of Troodos
Troodos forest is an incredibly important ecosystem for Cyprus. It hosts a variety of flora and fauna, many species of which are endemic. This endemism is primarily due to the mountain range’s unique geological composition and its elevation gradient. For these reasons, the forest is part of the Natura 2000 network, designated as a Special Protection Area (SPA) for birds and a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) for its habitats.
Troodos forest includes native trees like the black pine (Pinus nigra), which grows at an altitude of over 1,200 meters. Additionally, one can find significant endemic species such as Troodos alyssum (Alyssum troodi), Cyprus germander (Teucrium cyprium), and golden oak (Quercus alnifolia), as well as native species like juniper (Juniperus foetidissima).
Troodos also serves as a breeding site for six protected bird species, including the endemic Cyprus wheatear (Oenanthe cypriaca) and Cyprus warbler (Sylvia melanothorax), the endemic subspecies coal tit (Periparus ater cypriotes) and short-toed treecreeper (Certhia brachydactyla), as well as the woodlark (Lullula arborea) and masked shrike (Lanius nubicus). The masked shrike is particularly fascinating, as it tends to “skewer” its insect prey onto thorny bushes, storing it for later consumption.
Additionally, the area is home to the unique population of the crossbill (Loxia curvirostra quillemardi), which is named after the distinctive shape of its beak. The structure of its beak is specially adapted to its diet, allowing it to extract seeds from pinecones. The region is also one of only two locations in Cyprus regularly used by the griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus) as a water source. Lastly, it hosts and provides nesting grounds for significant birds of prey, such as Bonelli’s eagle (Aquila fasciata).
Troodos’ unique geology
Source: Terra Cypria (Constantinos Pericleous)
One of the factors that can greatly affect the biodiversity of an area is its geology and geomorphology, and that is the case also in Cyprus, especially in Troodos. The mountain range of Troodos has a unique geology which derived from its formation. Troodos is part of an ophiolite complex, which is an uplifted fragment of oceanic crust that formed around 92 million years ago, at 8000m below sea level at the bottom of the Tethys Ocean, during the Cretaceous period.
About 20 million years ago, in the Neogene period, the island of Cyprus started to be uplifted from beneath the sea when the African plate subducted under the Eurasian plate. The uplift was uneven, and it was centred around Mount Olympus, which resulted in the exposure of ophiolitic rocks above the surface of the sea. With constant exposure and erosion of the sediments that were formed above Troodos at the time, the lower layer got exposed on the surface revealing the upper mantle of our planet. In addition, as the ophiolite of Troodos was so well preserved and not metamorphosed during the uplift means, it has become a unique geological feature that attracts the interest of geologists from all around the world.
This unique geology and topography of Troodos, along with the presence of many rivers that origin from the area, shape the local landscape and the biodiversity of the area. How so? The erosion of the large variety of rocks found in the area created fertile soil, which resulted in the development of the unique mountain flora of Troodos. This is one of the reasons why the Troodos Mountain Range is the richest area in Cyprus in terms of flora and it is considered one of the most important mountain habitats throughout Europe.
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