The Madeira Island possesses the largest and dest-conserved Laurissilva forest in the World, occupying an area of 14.953,7 ha, completely included in the Natural Park of Madeira as Partial Natural Reserve and Integral Natural Reserve. It is considered a Special Protection Zone according to the Directive of Wild Birds and a Communitarian Place of Interest under the Directive of Habitats. It is also constituted as a Biogenetic Reserve of the European Council since 1992, and was included in the List of World Natural Heritage of UNESCO in December 1999. The designation of Laurissilva comes from the Latin words Laurus (laurel, lauraceae) and Silva (forest, wood) and it is considered a relic from the Tertiary Period.

Biological invasions are nowadays the second biggest cause for the loss of the Laurisilva biodiversity, changing the ecosystems structures and functions. This problem is also admitted as being one of the primary components for the global changes that occur at a growing rate all over the world. As for the introduced species, the eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus) and the silver wattles (Acacia dealbata) are occupying several areas which were once prospering associations of indigenous species. However, the existence of environmental management plans foresee the reversal of this trend, through the cutting and uprooting of infesting species, and their substitution with indigenous species.

The agricultural species predominantly used in the Madeira Island are the banana plant (Musa sp.) and the vineyard (Vitis sp.), although we may find small orchards and plots with several kinds of cultivations all over the island.