California coastal sage and chaparral ecoregion

California coastal sage and chaparral
Chaparral and pine forests in the Cleveland National Forest
Ecology
Biome	Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub
Bird species	291
Mammal species	74
Geography
Area	36,288 km2 (14,011 sq mi)
Countries	United States and Mexico
States	California and Baja California
Conservation
Habitat loss	26.515%
Protected	17.83%

The California coastal sage and chaparral, a sub-ecoregion of the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion, is found in southwestern California and northwestern Baja California in Mexico.

California coastal sage and chaparral is part of the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome. It covers about 14,000 square miles (36,000 km²) of coastal terraces, plains, and foothills south to the Punta Baja in northern Baja California, including the southern slopes of the Santa Monica Mountains, Santa Ana Mountains, and Santa Rosa Mountains, the San Joaquin Hills, the Channel Islands, Guadalupe Island, and Cedros Island. The climate is Mediterranean, with cool, wet winters and hot, dry summers with fog.

The plant species of the California coastal sage and chaparral ecoregion are diverse, with high endemism. The main plant communities are Coastal sage scrub, California coastal prairie, and Northern coastal scrub.

Prominent coast adjacent species include: California sagebrush (Artemisia californica) and brittlebush (Encelia californica), along with California buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum) and Munz's sage (Salvia munzii).