Luxembourg

Europa

390

Documented species

Parks and reserves

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Despite its small size, Luxembourg keeps more than a third of its surface under forest, a high proportion for western Europe. The north, the Oesling, is part of the Ardennes massif: slate relief, valleys cut deep by the Our and Sûre rivers, and beech and oak woods where red deer, roe deer, wild boar and a well-established population of European wildcat live, one of the best studied on the continent thanks to genetic monitoring by hair traps. The south, the Gutland, is gentler and agricultural, with sandstone outcrops in the Mullerthal region that form damp, shady gorges, a refuge for amphibians, ferns and mosses. The wetlands of Haff Réimech, former gravel pits in the Moselle valley, have been turned into the country's main bird reserve, with more than two hundred species recorded.

The nature of Luxembourg

National animal: No official national animal; the red lion is the heraldic emblem

Did you know?

Luxembourg was one of the first countries to build wildlife overpasses designed specifically for the European wildcat, whose territories were being cut in two by the motorways. Genetic studies have shown that hybridisation with domestic cats is lower here than in neighbouring countries, which makes its population a genetic reserve of real importance for the species on a European scale.

Biodiversity profile

Europa Occidental (segundo pais mas pequeño de la UE)Luxemburgo tiene la mayor cobertura de areas protegidas de toda la Union Europea, superando el 50% de su territorio

Climate

•Oceanico templado (Cfb), con matices continentales hacia el este

Main biomes

•Bosque caducifolio templado (cubre una porcion significativa del territorio)
•Valles fluviales y bosques de ribera
•Bosque de hayas
•Valle fluvial encajado
•Desfiladero de arenisca
•Humedal de gravera
•Prado de siega
•Viñedo de ladera
•Bosque ribereño

Marine and coastal ecosystems

•No aplica (pais sin litoral)

Flagship wildlife

•Ciervo rojo
•Jabali europeo
•Especies forestales tipicas de Europa Central (aves de bosque, pequeños mamiferos)
•Gato montés europeo
•Corzo
•Jabalí
•Nutria paleártica
•Cigüeña negra
•Milano real
•Martín pescador
•Salamandra común
•Murciélago de herradura

Notable endemic species

•Endemismo estricto no significativo dado el reducido tamaño y la homogeneidad biogeografica del territorio con la region circundante de Europa Occidental

Notable threatened species

•Dato no disponible con precision agregada especifica en fuentes verificadas consultadas

Notable protected areas

•Red de sitios Natura 2000 que cubren mas de la mitad del territorio nacional
•Parque Natural del Our
•Parque Natural de la Haute-Sûre
•Región del Mullerthal
•Reserva Natural Haff Réimech
•Valle del Mosela
•Reserva Natural Grunewald

Main conservation threats

•Presion urbana en un territorio muy reducido y densamente poblado en su capital
•Fragmentacion de habitat pese a la alta cobertura formal de proteccion

Conservation

One of the countries with the highest traffic density in Europe, it has committed to ecological corridors and wildlife crossings. The water quality of the Sûre and the Alzette conditions the otter's recovery.

Where and when to watch wildlife

The Our valley in autumn for the red deer rut. Haff Réimech between October and March for wintering waterbirds. The Mullerthal in spring for amphibians and woodland birds.

Sources: biodiversity.europa.eu - Luxembourg country profile | biodiversity.europa.eu - Coverage representativity

Temperate forest