Euxine–Colchic broadleaf forests
The Euxine–Colchic broadleaf forests is an ecoregion of temperate broadleaf and mixed forests along the southern shore of the Black Sea. The ecoregion extends along the thin coastal strip from the southeastern corner of Bulgaria in the west, across the northern coast of Turkey, to Georgia in the east, where it wraps around the eastern end of the Black Sea.
Sub-regions
The ecoregion is divided into two sub-regions, chiefly based on the amount of precipitation.The understory of evergreen broadleaf shrubs is characteristic for both sub-regions. Notable species in the understory include various rhododendrons such as Pontic rhododendron ; Black Sea holly, cherry laurel, Caucasus and common box, Caucasian whortleberry '' etc. From a European perspective, the majority of these count as relict species from the Tertiary period.
Colchian forests
The Colchic or Colchian forests are found around the southeast corner of the Black Sea in Turkey and Georgia in and around the Machakhela National Park. The Colchian forests are mixed, with deciduous black alder ', hornbeam, Oriental beech, and sweet chestnut ', together with evergreen Nordmann fir, Caucasian spruce and Scots pine. Platanus orientalis is also found in these areas. The vegetation is diverse and varies with elevation.The Colchic region has high rainfall, averaging annually, with a maximum in excess of 4000 mm, and is home to some of Europe's temperate rainforests.
A 2023 study suggested that deforestation has resulted in more flooding and landslides in the region.
Euxinic forests
The drier Euxine or Euxinic forests lie west of the Melet River, which meets the Black Sea in the city of Ordu, and extend across the Bosporus along the Black Sea coast of European Turkey to Bulgaria.The Euxine forests receive an average of 1000 to 1500 mm precipitation annually.
The Bulgarian part of the ecoregion lies within Strandzha Nature Park, where it borders on and transitions into the Balkan mixed forests ecoregion. Rare habitat types include coastal sand dunes and peatlands.
Fauna
Large mammals native to the ecoregion include lynx, brown bear, Caucasian red deer, roe deer, wild boar, and golden jackal.The ecoregion is habitat for many migrating, wintering, and breeding birds. It is on a bird migratory pathway known as the Black Sea-Eastern Mediterranean flyway, which connects Scandinavia and Western Russia to the Mediterranean Sea and Africa. Water birds found in the ecoregion include the eastern imperial eagle, Dalmatian pelican, great white pelican, pygmy cormorant, white-headed duck, ferruginous duck, red-crested pochard, black stork, white stork, common crane, demoiselle crane, greater flamingo, and Bewick's swan.
Protected areas
Much woodland has been converted to arable land to grow crops such as hazelnut, tea, citrus fruit, and bamboo. A 2017 assessment found that, or 1%, of the ecoregion is in protected areas. Protected areas include the Strandzha Nature Park in Bulgaria and the Machakhela National Park, Mtirala National Park, and the Kintrishi Protected Landscape in Georgia. In 2021, the Georgian protected areas were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the Colchic Rainforests and Wetlands site, because of the biodiversity and distinctiveness of the Colchic forests.There are RAMSAR wetlands in the Kolkheti National Park and the Kızılırmak Delta.