Creatures of the cork forests

If you've read some of our other blog entries, then you probably know the cork we use in wine bottles and on our floors and on our walls is harvested from trees - the cork oak tree. These trees grow in forests throughout the Mediterranean including Portugal, Spain, southern France, Italy, and northern Africa. Cork trees flourish in these areas due to the very specific micro-climates and soil types of this region. Along with the cork trees come a variety of plant and animal species that are dependent on these forests for continued survival.

Some of the mammals that call these cork forests home include hares, weasels, wild boar, deer, wolves, mongoose, genets, and endangered species such as the Iberian lynx and Barbary deer. Some birds that live in these regions include kestrels, little owls, great grey shrikes, black storks, imperial Iberian eagles (also endangered), kites, black vultures, robins, thrushes, chaffinches and woodpeckers. Other fauna include geckos, skinks, spadefoot toads, spiders and vipers.

In terms of plant species, cork forests have one of the highest levels of plant diversity in the world. According to panda.org (WWF's website), plant diversity in cork forests can reach 135 species every square metre. Some of these plants include fungi (some edible), lavender, rosemary, and rockrose bushes. Many of these plants are endemic to this region and exist only because of these trees.

So cork is much more than a wine stopper or bulletin board. Its much more than a floor tile or wall covering. It is even more than a renewable resource. Cork, and more specifically the trees it grows on, is home to a plethora of species of flora and fauna.