Greater California (NA31) Greater California (NA31) Greater California (NA31) Greater California (NA31)

Image credits: (1) Miguel V., Creative Commons (2) Courtesy of J. Sanchez (3) Jodie Wilson, Creative Commons, (4) IngerAlHaosului, Creative Commons

Greater California bioregion

The bioregion’s land area is provided in units of 1,000 hectares. The conservation target is the combined Global Safety Net (GSN1) areas for the component ecoregions. The protection level indicates the percentage of the GSN goal that is currently protected on a scale of 0-10. N/A means data is not available at this time.

  • 22,944
    Total Land Area (1000 ha)
  • 6
    Number of Ecoregions
  • 33%
    Protection Target
  • 4
    Protection Level

The Greater California bioregion, located in the North Pacific Coast subrealm of Northern America, is defined by the Mediterranean chaparral and woodlands that run between the Pacific Coast and the Lower California mountain range enclosing the Central Valley, which is one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world. This bioregion also incorporates the Sierra Nevada mountain range to the east, with its ancient sequoias, deep canyons, and high mountain lakes and waterfalls famous for inspiring the writings of John Muir, which led to the beginning of the US National Parks system. The bioregion contains six ecoregions—Sierra Nevada Forests (366), California Central Valley Grasslands (385), California Coastal Sage and Chaparral (422), California Interior Chaparral and Woodlands (423), California Montane Chaparral and Woodlands (424), Santa Lucia Montane Chaparral and Woodlands (425)—and adjacent marine areas along the Pacific coast. The total land area of this bioregion is approximately 23 million hectares.

The Greater California bioregion is part of the North Pacific Coast subrealm and is made up of six ecoregions: Santa Lucia Montane Chaparral and Woodlands [1], California Interior Chaparral and Woodlands [2], California Central Valley Grasslands [3], Sierra Nevada Forests [4], California Montane Chaparral and Woodlands [5], California Coastal Sage and Chaparral [6].

Learn more about each of the Greater California ecoregions below.

Monarch (Danaus plexippus)

Iconic Species

Monarch (Danaus plexippus)
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