Catalonia, Spain

Regional Replicators

Catalonia, in the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula, features 9700 named mountains divided into three regions: the Pyrenees, the Catalan Coastal Range, and the Catalan Central Depression. Nearly half of the Pyrenees, stretching 200 km along the northern edge, resides within Catalonia, connecting with the Axial Pyrenees to the west. 

Catalonia lies entirely in the Mediterranean basin, characterized by summer droughts and precipitation concentrated in spring and summer. Climate change projections provided by most models confirm that there will be an increase in the average annual temperature between +0.9°C to +2°C for the period between 2031 and 2050 for Catalonia as a whole. Despite most models suggesting a decline in precipitation levels, episodes of torrential rain may also increase. Thus, the severity and duration of droughts could increase significantly due to the combined effect of increased temperature and a decline in precipitation. This will notably impact forest fire risk, which has been increasing during the last decades.