Andorra is located in the heart of the Pyrenees, where the rocks are the oldest in the mountain chain. Although it is a small country, it has plenty of biodiversity. The flattest areas of the valley floors have traditionally been the areas where human occupation has been concentrated. It is where the majority of the population centres are, but it is also where mainly agriculture is found, and in the wettest places, meadows. As a consequence of this, the river bank vegetation in Andorra has greatly diminished, especially fragments of river forests (Fraxinus excelsior, Salix sp, etc). The low parts of the southern, sunny sides are the warmest slopes of the country and are the northern limit in the distribution area for some Mediterranean species. The vegetation that occupies the slopes between 1,800 and 2,200 metres are mainly mountain pine forests (Pinus uncinata), a habitat which occupies 20 percent of the country. Over 2,200 metres there are clear alpine affinities. It is the domain of high mountain pastures, although some scrub can be found as a consequence of the reduction in stockbreeding. These pastures occupy approximately 25 percent of Andorra.
The Snow and Mountain Research Centre of Andorra (CENMA) is a centre that studies and researches different but connected mountain subjects (geology, nivology, biodiversity, climatology, etc.). CENMA has a variety of studies and proposals in relation to climate change, global change and biodiversity. This article explains some of the studies CENMA is involved with related to climate change and biodiversity.
