Sanabria Lake Natural Park
Encyclopedia
The Sanabria Lake Natural Park (Spanish: Parque Natural del Lago de Sanabria) is a natural park
located around Lake Sanabria in the Sanabria comarca, northwest part of the Zamora province
, in the mountainous area of Sierra Segundera and Sierra de la Cabrera
. It occupies a surface area of 22,365 ha
, with heights ranging from 997 meters in the lake banks to the 2,124 meters of the peak of Peña Trevinca
.
With its 318.7 ha
, the lake that gives the name to the park is the largest glacial lake
of Iberian Peninsula
. Its maximum depth is 51 meters. There are a number of lagoons scattered in the mountains and its canyon
s that show the action of the glacier
activity of the Quaternary
and make it a great place to study the action of glacier
s over the terrain. Along with innumerous streams and the luxuriant and varied vegetation in every level, the park possesses high aesthetic and landscape value.
, Cobreros
, Trefacio
y Porto de Sanabria.
is one of the main features of the ecosystem
of the park. Woods of oak
s coexist with birch
es, willow
s, hollies
and yews
along with large extensions of scrubland. The abundance of lagoons, sources and streams allows the existence of peat bogs
, a rarity in these latitudes.
The fauna is varied: roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus), wolf (Canis lupus), partridge (Perdix perdix), golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), otter (Lutrinae) and trout
are some of the numerous species found in the park which are protected by law since 1978.
When i visited the lake in July 2011, it smelled like a broken sewer pipe. As if the local sewersystem is ending in the lake.
The center offers a privileged view over the lake. In summer it is open to the general public every day in summer. In winter, from Monday to Friday it is only available to organised groups, who may have a guide to show the park, opening to the general public in Saturdays and Sundays.
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...
located around Lake Sanabria in the Sanabria comarca, northwest part of the Zamora province
Zamora (province)
Zamora is a Spanish province of western Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Castile and León.The present-day province of Zamora province was one of three provinces formed from the former Kingdom of León in 1833, when Spain was re-organised into 49 provinces.It is bordered by...
, in the mountainous area of Sierra Segundera and Sierra de la Cabrera
Sierra de la Cabrera
The Sierra de la Cabrera is a mountain range in northern Spain. The landscape shows evidence of past glaciation.The Sierra de la Cabrera gives its name to a Site of Community Importance , and a Special Protection Area ....
. It occupies a surface area of 22,365 ha
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
, with heights ranging from 997 meters in the lake banks to the 2,124 meters of the peak of Peña Trevinca
Trevinca
Peña Trevinca , also known as Trevinca, is a mountain in northern Spain. It is located at the confluence of the Montes de León and the Macizo Galaico on the boundary between the autonomous communities of Galicia and Castile and León...
.
With its 318.7 ha
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
, the lake that gives the name to the park is the largest glacial lake
Glacial lake
A glacial lake is a lake with origins in a melted glacier. Near the end of the last glacial period, roughly 10,000 years ago, glaciers began to retreat. A retreating glacier often left behind large deposits of ice in hollows between drumlins or hills. As the ice age ended, these melted to create...
of Iberian Peninsula
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
. Its maximum depth is 51 meters. There are a number of lagoons scattered in the mountains and its canyon
Canyon
A canyon or gorge is a deep ravine between cliffs often carved from the landscape by a river. Rivers have a natural tendency to reach a baseline elevation, which is the same elevation as the body of water it will eventually drain into. This forms a canyon. Most canyons were formed by a process of...
s that show the action of the glacier
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
activity of the Quaternary
Quaternary
The Quaternary Period is the most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the ICS. It follows the Neogene Period, spanning 2.588 ± 0.005 million years ago to the present...
and make it a great place to study the action of glacier
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
s over the terrain. Along with innumerous streams and the luxuriant and varied vegetation in every level, the park possesses high aesthetic and landscape value.
Municipalities
The park spans across the municipalities of GalendeGalende
Galende is a municipality located in the province of Zamora, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2009 census , the municipality has a population of 1,313 inhabitants....
, Cobreros
Cobreros
Cobreros is a municipality located in the province of Zamora, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2009 census , the municipality has a population of 613 inhabitants.-Notable locals:* José Mingorance, Spanish international footballer....
, Trefacio
Trefacio
Trefacio is a municipality located in the province of Zamora, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 247 inhabitants....
y Porto de Sanabria.
Flora and fauna
The great biodiversityBiodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
is one of the main features of the ecosystem
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
of the park. Woods of 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...
s coexist with birch
Birch
Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...
es, willow
Willow
Willows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
s, hollies
Holly
Ilex) is a genus of 400 to 600 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. The species are evergreen and deciduous trees, shrubs, and climbers from tropics to temperate zones world wide....
and yews
Taxus baccata
Taxus baccata is a conifer native to western, central and southern Europe, northwest Africa, northern Iran and southwest Asia. It is the tree originally known as yew, though with other related trees becoming known, it may be now known as the English yew, or European yew.-Description:It is a small-...
along with large extensions of scrubland. The abundance of lagoons, sources and streams allows the existence of peat bogs
Bog
A bog, quagmire or mire is a wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often mosses or, in Arctic climates, lichens....
, a rarity in these latitudes.
The fauna is varied: roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus), wolf (Canis lupus), partridge (Perdix perdix), golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), otter (Lutrinae) and trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
are some of the numerous species found in the park which are protected by law since 1978.
When i visited the lake in July 2011, it smelled like a broken sewer pipe. As if the local sewersystem is ending in the lake.
Visiting the Park
The Park Interpretation Center is located in the restored monastery of San Martín de Castañeda, a medieval building that belonged to Cistercian monks. The center has a permanent exhibition that shows the natural, social and cultural aspects of the park using scale models, explanation panels and audiovisual presentations, etc., which present the geological history of the place, the human activities and the conservation strategies.The center offers a privileged view over the lake. In summer it is open to the general public every day in summer. In winter, from Monday to Friday it is only available to organised groups, who may have a guide to show the park, opening to the general public in Saturdays and Sundays.