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Somiedo Natural Park (Spanish: Parque Natural de Somiedo) is a protected area located in the central area of the Cantabrian Mountains in the Principality of Asturias in northern Spain. As well as being designated a natural park, it is protected as a Special Area of Conservation, [1] and as one of a number of Biosphere Reserves in the Cantabrian mountains.(see note 1 )
Somiedo Natural Park | |
---|---|
Parque Natural de Somiedo | |
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape) | |
Location | Spain |
Area | 39,164 ha |
Established | 1988 |
Governing body | Principality of Asturias |
It covers 39,164 hectares, corresponding geographically with the municipality of Somiedo, which is completely included in the park, as well as the municipalities of Belmonte and Teverga.
Lakes in the park have been designated a natural monument, the Conjunto Lacustre de Somiedo.
The farming methods traditional to the area are regarded as an example of sustainable living, and were a factor in UNESCO's designation of the park as a Biosphere Reserve in 2000. Of particular interest is the braña, a traditional system of livestock herding based on transhumance, which makes use of high pastures for summer grazing. [2] There is interest in preserving the traditional buildings of the brañas not only for farming purposes but also as a tourist attraction. [3]
UNESCO is considering the inclusion of Somiedo in a World Heritage Site, for which transhumance would be one of the defining characteristics. [4]
The park is a stronghold of the Cantabrian brown bear. In 2009 the Spanish newspaper El País referred to Somiedo with its 30 bears as the Spanish Yellowstone. [5] The Fundación Oso Pardo (FOP) opened an interpretation centre in October 2011 called “Somiedo y el Oso” in Pola de Somiedo.
The total number of bears in Spain is small and the government classes them as endangered. The bears' future is put at risk by fragmentation of their habitat in the Cantabrian Mountains. A need has been identified to develop wildlife corridors specifically for bears using appropriate vegetation and initiatives to promote co-existence with human inhabitants of the mountains. The European Union's LIFE Programme has provided funding for a corridor linking the natural park via Leitariegos to another area of bear habitat. [6] [7]
The European Union designated the park a Special Protection Area for birds in 1989. [1] Birds include the Cantabrian capercaillie. The number of capercaillies in the park has declined significantly, but there are efforts to reverse the decline via a recovery plan for the subspecies. The plan, which operates across a number of SPAs, has been supported by the LIFE Programme. [8] [9]
The natural park is also part of an Important Bird Area, called Babia-Somiedo. [10]
The Vaqueiros de Alzada are a northern Spanish nomadic people in the mountains of Asturias and León, who traditionally practice transhumance, i.e. moving seasonally with cattle.
The Cantabrian Mountains or Cantabrian Range are one of the main systems of mountain ranges in Spain. They stretch for over 300 km (180 miles) across northern Spain, from the western limit of the Pyrenees to the Galician Massif in Galicia, along the coast of the Cantabrian Sea. Their easternmost end meets the Sistema Ibérico.
Cangas del Narcea is the oldest municipality in the Principality of Asturias in Spain. It is also the largest municipality in Asturias. It is in the southwest of Asturias, on the Asturian border with León. Formerly, Cangas del Narcea was known as Cangas de Tineo . Cangas del Narcea is also the name of the municipality's capital, and one of the judicial districts in Asturias.
Babia Góra National Park is one of the 23 national parks in Poland, located in the southern part of the country, in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, on the border with Slovakia. Its headquarters are located in Zawoja. A Nature Reserve which roughly covered the area of the modern-day national park was created in 1933, with the actual park established on October 30, 1954. Since 1976, it has been designated by UNESCO as a biosphere reserve.
Somiedo is a municipality in the Autonomous Community of the Principality of Asturias, Spain. It is bordered on the north by Belmonte de Miranda, on the east by Teverga, on the west by Tineo and Cangas del Narcea, and on the south by the province of León.
Los Ancares is a district in northern Spain, which is noted for its unspoilt landscapes and ecological importance. The area takes its identity from the Sierra de los Ancares mountains which form a political and linguistic boundary between the autonomous communities of Galicia and Castile and León. The Spanish term Los Ancares Leoneses is sometimes used to refer to the zone on the Castile and León side of the sierra, which is in the basin of the river Sil. Os Ancares Lucenses is the corresponding term for the Galician side of the sierra: in Spanish, the name is Los Ancares.
The Picos de Europa National Park is a National Park in the Picos de Europa mountain range, in northern Spain. It is within the boundaries of three autonomous communities, Asturias, Cantabria and Castile and León, which are represented on the body which runs the park. The park is also a popular destination for hikers and trekkers.
San Glorio is a mountain pass in the Cantabrian Mountains of Northern Spain. The pass reaches an elevation of 1610 meters along the national highway N621 which connects the city of León with Cantabria and which passes through Asturias. The pass is situated some 800m from the southern border of the Picos de Europa National Park, a park included in UNESCO's World Network of Biosphere Reserves and shared by the provinces of León, Asturias and Cantabria. The valleys of this part of the Cantabrian Mountains include sites in the European Union's Natura 2000 network and Special Protection Areas for the conservation of wild birds. San Glorio is used as a corridor by the Cantabrian brown bear Ursus arctos, catalogued in Spain as being in danger of extinction. Moreover, the slopes of the glacial valleys making up the surrounding region are home to an important variety of plant life.
The Cantabrian brown bear, Iberian brown bear, or Iberian bear is a population of Eurasian brown bears living in the Cantabrian Mountains of Spain.
Mancha Húmeda is a Spanish wetland area which was designated a Biosphere reserve in 1980.
The Redes Natural Park is located in the Principality of Asturias in northern Spain. Its total area is 377.36 km2 (145.70 sq mi), split between two municipalities: Caso and Sobrescobio. It was declared a natural park in 1996.
Fuentes del Narcea, Degaña e Ibias Natural Park is a natural park in the Principality of Asturias in northern Spain. It protects a natural landscape at the sources of the rivers Narcea and Ibias. It is located within the municipalities of Cangas del Narcea, Degaña and Ibias. The park was designated in 2002 and incorporated the preexisting Muniellos biosphere reserve, which was extended in 2003.
Under UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme, there are 308 biosphere reserves recognized as part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves in Europe and North America. These are distributed across 41 countries in the region.
Montaña Palentina is a natural park in the north of the province of Palencia in Castile and León, Spain.
The Muniellos Nature Reserve is a protected area of woodland in Asturias, Spain. The area of the nature reserve is 5,488 ha. The main species of tree is oak: it has been described as probably the best preserved Quercus robur forest in Spain.
Saja-Besaya Natural Park is Cantabrias largest natural park on the northern slope of the Cantabrian Mountains in West Central Cantabria, Spain. Its hunting reserve is approximately 1800km², the largest and most important in Spain.
Saliencia Lakes are a conjoined group of post-glacial lakes in Somiedo, Asturias, Spain. They are situated in the Somiedo Natural Park and are composed of the following: Calabazosa, Cerveriz, Almagrera Lagoon, and Lago de la Cueva. Lago del Valle, at 5,085 feet (1,550 m) above sea level, is the largest in the group and is the principality's largest lake. Fauna in the lake valley includes the presence of Eurasian brown bear, Otter, Egyptian vulture and Golden eagle. The majority of amphibians inside the park are found by these lakes, including Alpine newt, Palmate newt, Fire salamander, common toad, Common midwife toad, Common frog, and the Iberian frog. The lakes are protected space within the World Network of Biosphere Reserves of Somiedo Natural Park, declared a natural monument on 22 May 2003. Myth has it that the lakes are guarded by xanas.
A braña is a seasonal pasture in the Cantabrian Mountains of northwest Spain, particularly in Asturias, Cantabria, and northern León. Brañas support several types of transhumance and can be used during different periods of the year, though the word is most often associated with summer usage.
The Cuenca Alta del Manzanares Regional Park, created in 1985, is the natural space protected area with the largest extension in the Community of Madrid (Spain) and one of the most ecologically and scenically valuable. It is located in the northwest of the region and extends around the upper course of the Manzanares River, along 42 583 ha. Its main municipalities of reference are Manzanares el Real and Hoyo de Manzanares. Unesco declared it a Biosphere Reserve in 1992.
Babia is a region(comarca) in the León province, Spain. The region is divided into Babia de Arriba and Babia de Abajo, corresponding to town councils of Cabrillanes and San Emiliano. In 2004, a part of its region became a Biosphere reserve.