Natural Spaces of Andalucia.

Today in Andalucia you will find five nature parks, four nature reserves, six protected areas and five described as “natural monuments”. It has taken two decades to get to this stage, but well worth the effort, when you visit the areas for yourself.

The nature parks include Sierra de las Nieves, Grazalema, Los Alcornocales, Sierra Tejeda-Almijara and Montes de Malaga. These areas are covered in forest, with trees such as pines, oak and cork oak. Only in two of these areas can you see the now rare species of pinsapo pine, the Sierra de las Nieves and Grazalema. Although the Malaga area has 5000 hectares of pinsapo forest it is still considered to be in danger of extinction.

Los Alcornales is considered one of Europe`s most important green zones. This is due to its huge oak and cork oak forests, which cover an area of 168,000 hectares. Its climate resembles that of northern Spain, with pleasant temperatures of 20 degrees when the rest of Malaga is sweltering in temperatures of 35 degrees. This climate gives way to a great growth of ferns not normally associated so far south.

The Sierra Tejeda-Almijara nature park is the most easterly in the Malaga area. Its biggest treasure is its population of 1300 mountain goats.

The Montes de Malaga is an area of 5000 hectares of woodland, and because of its closeness to Malaga, it acts as giant air filter for the city. The area was reforested thirty years ago, when the vines were wiped out by disease. Now the wildlife is returning, the most important being the Griffin Vulture, Booted Eagle and wild boar.