Guadarrama National Park
Encyclopedia
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
: Parque Nacional de Guadarrama) is a proposed National Park
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
in Spain. The project would protect some of the most ecologically valuable areas of the mountain range of Guadarrama
Sierra de Guadarrama
The Sierra de Guadarrama is a mountain range forming the main eastern section of the Sistema Central, the system of mountain ranges at the centre of the Iberian Peninsula. It is located between the Sierra de Gredos in the province of Ávila, and Sierra de Ayllón in the province of Guadalajara...
(Sistema Central
Sistema Central
The Sistema Central is one of the main systems of mountain ranges in the Iberian Peninsula.-Description:The Sistema Central is a primary feature of the Meseta Central, the inner Iberian plateau, splitting the meseta into two parts...
), located in the Community of Madrid and Castile and León
Castile and León
Castile and León is an autonomous community in north-western Spain. It was so constituted in 1983 and it comprises the historical regions of León and Old Castile...
(provinces of Segovia
Segovia (province)
Segovia is a province of central/northern Spain, in the southern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is bordered by the provinces of Burgos, Soria, Guadalajara, Madrid, Ávila, and Valladolid....
and Ávila
Ávila (province)
Ávila is a province of central-western Spain, in the southern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is bordered on the south by the provinces of Toledo and Cáceres, on the west by Salamanca, on the north by Valladolid, and on the east by Segovia and Madrid. Ávila has a...
). As proposed at the beginning of the 21st century, the Park would have been the fourth-largest in Spain. However, the project ran into difficulties in 2008, and proposals for a reduced version of the park emerged which would make it the fifth-largest. As at 2010 the park was still under discussion at regional level, and had yet to be considered by the national government.
Ecology
The project aims to protect the eleven different ecosystems present in the Guadarrama mountains, including the only Iberian examples of "high Mediterranean mountain". Altogether, in the zone which might be declared National Park there are more than 1,280 different species, of which 13 are in danger of extinction, more than 1,500 native plants and 30 different types of vegetation. The species of animals in the mountains represent 45% of the total fauna of Spain and 18% of European fauna. The vegetation features the Scots PineScots Pine
Pinus sylvestris, commonly known as the Scots Pine, is a species of pine native to Europe and Asia, ranging from Scotland, Ireland and Portugal in the west, east to eastern Siberia, south to the Caucasus Mountains, and as far north as well inside the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia...
, the 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...
, the juniper
Juniper
Junipers are coniferous plants in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on taxonomic viewpoint, there are between 50-67 species of juniper, widely distributed throughout the northern hemisphere, from the Arctic, south to tropical Africa in the Old World, and to the...
, the oak and piorno
Fabaceae
The Fabaceae or Leguminosae, commonly known as the legume, pea, or bean family, is a large and economically important family of flowering plants. The group is the third largest land plant family, behind only the Orchidaceae and Asteraceae, with 730 genera and over 19,400 species...
and many other species. As regards fauna, there are many mammals such as deer (red
Red Deer
The red deer is one of the largest deer species. Depending on taxonomy, the red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Asia Minor, parts of western Asia, and central Asia. It also inhabits the Atlas Mountains region between Morocco and Tunisia in northwestern Africa, being...
, roe
Roe Deer
The European Roe Deer , also known as the Western Roe Deer, chevreuil or just Roe Deer, is a Eurasian species of deer. It is relatively small, reddish and grey-brown, and well-adapted to cold environments. Roe Deer are widespread in Western Europe, from the Mediterranean to Scandinavia, and from...
and fallow
Fallow Deer
The Fallow Deer is a ruminant mammal belonging to the family Cervidae. This common species is native to western Eurasia, but has been introduced widely elsewhere. It often includes the rarer Persian Fallow Deer as a subspecies , while others treat it as an entirely different species The Fallow...
), wild boar, wild goats, badgers, several mustelidae
Mustelidae
Mustelidae , commonly referred to as the weasel family, are a family of carnivorous mammals. Mustelids are diverse and the largest family in the order Carnivora, at least partly because in the past it has been a catch-all category for many early or poorly differentiated taxa...
s, wild cats, foxes, hares, etc.; many species of waterfowl in the reservoirs, and great raptors like the Spanish Imperial Eagle
Spanish Imperial Eagle
The Spanish Imperial Eagle, Iberian Imperial Eagle or Adalbert's Eagle is a threatened species of eagle that only occurs in central and south-west Spain, adjacent areas of Portugal and possibly northern Morocco, although the latter is disputed...
or the Eurasian Black Vulture
Eurasian Black Vulture
The Cinereous Vulture is also known as the Black Vulture, Monk Vulture, or Eurasian Black Vulture. It is a member of the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as kites, buzzards and harriers.This bird is an Old World vulture, and is only distantly related to the...
.
History of Attempts to designate the Park
The Peñalara Mountain climbing society proposed in the 1920s that the Guadarrama mountain range (in Spanish: Sierra de Guadarrama) should be declared a National Park. This project had to be put on hold until the beginning of the 21st century, when the Community of Madrid revived the project. In the absence of a designated national park, some areas of the sierra were given alternative protection:- Since 1984 El EscorialEl EscorialThe Royal Seat of San Lorenzo de El Escorial is a historical residence of the king of Spain, in the town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, about 45 kilometres northwest of the capital, Madrid, in Spain. It is one of the Spanish royal sites and functions as a monastery, royal palace, museum, and...
has been protected as a World Heritage SiteWorld Heritage SiteA UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
(The Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial and Natural Surroundings). - There is a natural parkNatural park (Spain)In Spain, a natural park is a natural space protected for its biology, geology, or landscape, with ecological, aesthetic, educational, or scientific value whose preservation merits preferential attention on the part of public administration. The regulation of the activities that may occur there...
, the Peñalara Natural Park, designated in 1990. The natural park includes wetland areas which are important for amphibians, and in 2006 these were designated a Ramsar site, Humedales del Macizo de Peñalar. The natural park is within the boundaries of a Special Protection AreaSpecial Protection AreaA Special Protection Area or SPA is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds.Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and certain particularly threatened birds.Together with Special...
for bird-life. - The upper Manzanares River basin was designated in 1992 as a biosphere reserveBiosphere reserveThe 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:...
(Cuenca Alta del Río Manzanares). The Biosphere Reserve includes a Regional Park.
In 2006 it appeared that the designation of the National Park was imminent.
A plan for the part of the National Park falling within the boundaries of the Community of Madrid was approved in November 2006. However, the plan was not submitted to the national authorities, as might have been expected.
Planning in Castile and Leon
The autonomous community of Castile and LeónCastile and León
Castile and León is an autonomous community in north-western Spain. It was so constituted in 1983 and it comprises the historical regions of León and Old Castile...
agreed in principle to the inclusion of part of its territory in the proposed National Park, but delays in creating the corresponding plan made it appear in early 2008 that the project was being put aside. It was reported in the press that as Castile and Leon had been suffering from population loss, the regional government was reluctant to restrict development in an area which was attractive to developers because of its proximity to the Spanish capital. However, the arrest of population decline was not the official explanation for lack of progress with the park (although the regional government cited population decline as a reason for supporting development on ecologically valuable sites elsewhere in the autonomous community, such as San Glorio
San Glorio
San Glorio is a mountain pass in the Cantabrian Mountains of Northern Spain. The pass reaches an altitude of 1609 metres along the national highway N621 which connects the city of León with Cantabria and which passes through Asturias....
). The reason given publicly for the lack of progress with the national park was a desire to protect the interests of "traditional" uses of the land, including commercial forestry which is prohibited in Spanish national parks. There were indications that Castile and Leon would prefer its side of the sierra to be given a lower level of protection than implied by national park status (eg. a natural park
Natural park (Spain)
In Spain, a natural park is a natural space protected for its biology, geology, or landscape, with ecological, aesthetic, educational, or scientific value whose preservation merits preferential attention on the part of public administration. The regulation of the activities that may occur there...
, or "regional park").
However, in 2009 Castile and León indicated it would approve a plan for the national park in 2010, albeit a scaled-down version, and this timetable was adhered to. The Community of Madrid made similar proposals for a scaled-down park (see below).
Planning in the Community of Madrid
In late 2008 the Community of Madrid proposed to reduce the size of the Madrid portion of the national park, citing the interests of "traditional" uses of the land which might be restricted by planning regulations. The President of the Community,Esperanza Aguirre
Esperanza Aguirre
Esperanza Aguirre y Gil de Biedma, Countess of Murillo, Grandee of Spain, DBE is a Spanish politician and the current President of Madrid...
, argued that traditional uses were the best conservation strategy, and she specified the keeping of livestock, mountaineering and forestry as being traditional in the sierra. Aguirre subsequently clarified that she considered hunting and fishing as being in the same category.
Aguirre suggested that the area to be protected was not being reduced in size, but rather the level of protection was to be reduced outside a core area. The area of the national park would be largely confined to the summits. Lower down the slopes there would be plenty of opportunities to build houses in the sierra.
More detailed proposals were produced in 2009, and received a positive response from the municipios affected, which welcomed the scope for increased urbanisation.
See also
- List of national parks of Spain
- Sierra de GuadarramaSierra de GuadarramaThe Sierra de Guadarrama is a mountain range forming the main eastern section of the Sistema Central, the system of mountain ranges at the centre of the Iberian Peninsula. It is located between the Sierra de Gredos in the province of Ávila, and Sierra de Ayllón in the province of Guadalajara...
- Peñalara Natural Park
- PeñalaraPeñalaraPeñalara is the highest mountain peak in the mountain range of Guadarrama, a subsection of Spain's larger Sistema Central mountain chain which lies at the center and divides the Iberian Peninsula. Straddling the provinces of Madrid and Segovia, Peñalara reaches a height of 2,428 metres above sea...
- La PedrizaLa PedrizaLa Pedriza is a geological feature of great scenic and leisure interest. It is located on the southern slopes of the Guadarrama mountain range. Access is from Manzanares el Real, a municipality northwest of the Community of Madrid...
External links
- La Comunidad concluye el proyecto del Parque Nacional de la Sierra de Guadarrama 2006 report from the Community of Madrid's Website, accessed September 2008
- Official map of the madrilenian area of the Guadarrama National Park
- Video of the Guadarrama National Park
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