Golden Gate Biosphere Reserve
Encyclopedia
The Golden Gate Biosphere Reserve is a biosphere reserve
in Northern California
. It was created by UNESCO
in 1988, and encompasses thirteen protected areas in the San Francisco Bay Area
. It encompasses a diverse range of marine, coastal and upland habitats of the California chaparral and woodlands
and Northern California coastal forests
ecoregions, including mixed evergreen forest
s, Coast Redwood forests, Douglas-fir
forests, Bishop pine
forests, oak
forests, woodlands and savannas, northern coastal scrub
, chaparral
, coastal dune, coastal strand
, tidepools, kelp forest
s, coastal grassland
s, and marshes.
The conservation units that make up the biosphere reserve include:
Biosphere reserve
The Man and the Biosphere Programme of UNESCO was established in 1971 to promote interdisciplinary approaches to management, research and education in ecosystem conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.-Development:...
in Northern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. It was created by UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
in 1988, and encompasses thirteen protected areas in the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
. It encompasses a diverse range of marine, coastal and upland habitats of the California chaparral and woodlands
California chaparral and woodlands
The California chaparral and woodlands is a terrestrial ecoregion of lower northern, central, and southern California and northwestern Baja California , located on the west coast of North America...
and Northern California coastal forests
Northern California coastal forests
The Northern California coastal forests are a temperate coniferous forests ecoregion of coastal Northern California, USA.-Setting:The ecoregion lies close to the Pacific Ocean, and is kept moist by Pacific Ocean storms during the winter months, and by coastal fogs in the summer months...
ecoregions, including mixed evergreen forest
California mixed evergreen forest
California mixed evergreen forest is an ecoregion, of the temperate broadleaf and mixed forests biome, that occurs in the Pacific Coast Ranges of southwestern Oregon and California, and in the Coast, Transverse, and Peninsular Ranges in California...
s, Coast Redwood forests, Douglas-fir
Douglas-fir
Douglas-fir is one of the English common names for evergreen coniferous trees of the genus Pseudotsuga in the family Pinaceae. Other common names include Douglas tree, and Oregon pine. There are five species, two in western North America, one in Mexico, and two in eastern Asia...
forests, Bishop pine
Bishop Pine
The Bishop Pine, Pinus muricata, is a pine with a very restricted range: mostly in the U.S. state of California, including several offshore Channel Islands, and a few locations in Baja California, Mexico...
forests, oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
forests, woodlands and savannas, northern coastal scrub
Northern coastal scrub
Northern coastal scrub is a scrubland plant community of California and Oregon. It occurs along the Pacific Coast from Point Sur on the Central California coast in Monterey County, California, to southern Oregon...
, chaparral
Chaparral
Chaparral is a shrubland or heathland plant community found primarily in the U.S. state of California and in the northern portion of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico...
, coastal dune, coastal strand
Coastal Strand
Coastal Strand is a term used to describe a plant community of flowering plants that form along the shore in loose sand just above the high tide line, the on West Coast of the United States.Many plants that grow in this area are endemic to the strand...
, tidepools, kelp forest
Kelp forest
Kelp forests are underwater areas with a high density of kelp. They are recognized as one of the most productive and dynamic ecosystems on Earth. Smaller areas of anchored kelp are called kelp beds....
s, coastal grassland
California coastal prairie
California coastal prairie, also known as northern coastal grassland, is a grassland plant community of California and Oregon in the Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands Biome...
s, and marshes.
The conservation units that make up the biosphere reserve include:
- Audubon Canyon Ranch
- Bodega Marine ReserveBodega Marine ReserveBodega Marine Reserve is a nature reserve on the coast of northern California, located in the vicinity of the Bodega Marine Laboratory on Bodega Head...
- Cordell Bank National Marine SanctuaryCordell Bank National Marine SanctuaryCordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary is a marine sanctuary located of the coast of California, at . It protects an area of of marine wildlife. The administrative center of the sanctuary is on an offshore granite outcrop by , located on the continental shelf off of California...
- Golden Gate National Recreation AreaGolden Gate National Recreation AreaThe Golden Gate National Recreation Area is a U.S. National Recreation Area administered by the National Park Service that surrounds the San Francisco Bay area. It is one of the most visited units of the National Park system in the United States, with over 13 million visitors a year...
- Gulf of the Farallones National Marine SanctuaryGulf of the Farallones National Marine SanctuaryThe Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary is one of 13 marine sanctuaries in the U.S., found outside San Francisco's Golden Gate surrounding the Gulf of the Farallones-History:...
- Farallon National Wildlife Refuge
- Jasper Ridge Biological PreserveJasper Ridge Biological PreserveThe Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve is a 1,200 acre is a nature preserve and biological field station owned by Stanford University, located at south of Sand Hill Road and west of Interstate 280 in Portola Valley, California. It is used by students, researchers, and docents to conduct biology...
- Marin Municipal Water DistrictMarin Municipal Water DistrictThe Marin Municipal Water District is the government agency that provides drinking water to southern and central Marin County, California. Chartered in 1912, it became California's first municipal water district...
- Mount Tamalpais State ParkMount Tamalpais State ParkMount Tamalpais State Park is a California state park, located in Marin County, California. The primary feature of the park is the Mount Tamalpais. The park contains mostly redwood and oak forests. The mountain itself covers around . There are about of hiking trails, which are connected to a...
- Point Reyes National SeashorePoint Reyes National SeashorePoint Reyes National Seashore is a park preserve located on the Point Reyes Peninsula in Marin County, California, USA. As a national seashore, it is maintained by the US National Park Service as a nationally important nature preserve within which existing agricultural uses are allowed to continue...
- San Francisco Peninsula Watershed (San Francisco Public Utilities CommissionSan Francisco Public Utilities CommissionThe San Francisco Public Utilities Commission is a public agency of the City and County of San Francisco that provides water, wastewater, and power services to the City and an additional 1.6 million customers within three San Francisco Bay Area counties.The SFPUC manages a complex water supply...
) - Tomales Bay State ParkTomales Bay State ParkTomales Bay State Park is a California state park in Marin County, California. It consists of approximately 2,000 acres divided between two areas, one on the west side of Tomales Bay and the other on the east side. The main area, on the west, is part of the Point Reyes peninsula, and adjacent to...
- Samuel P. Taylor State ParkSamuel P. Taylor State ParkSamuel P. Taylor State Park is a state park located in Marin County, California. It contains approximately of redwood and grassland. The park contains about of old-growth forest, some of which can be seen along the Pioneer Tree Trail.-History:...