Doñana National and Natural Parks

The Doñana National and Natural Parks occupy the northern area of the Guadalquivir river where it meets the Atlantic Ocean
  • Region: Andalucia
  • Provinces: Sevilla, Huelva, Cadiz
  • Declared a Natural Park: 1969 reclassified in 1978
  • In1963 WWF and the Council of Scientific Research bought land (6,794ha) and set up a research station
  • In 1994 it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site  
  • Natural Park surface area: 54,200
  • National Park surface area: 50,720 hectares – Total area: 77,260ha:
  • World Heritage and Special Bird Protection Areas: 50,720ha.
  • National Park and Ramsar site; buffer zone 26,540ha.
Towns and Villages
  • Huelva: Almonte, Hinojos, Bollullos Par del Condado, Rociana del Condado, Bonanes y Lucena del Puerto, Palos de la Frontera, Moguer, La Puebla del Río and the Isla Mayor
  • Sevilla: Aznalcázar, Pilas y Villamanrique de la Condesa.
  • Cádiz: Sanlúcar de Barrameda
Points of interest

The Doñana National and Natural Parks occupy the northern area of the Guadalquivir river where it meets the Atlantic Ocean. Six thousand years ago it would have been a wide estuary, but this has mostly been closed off by a long, natural sand bar. This in turn created a large saline lake which gradually collected silt leaving a huge wetland area with lagoons, marshlands and semi-permanent sand dunes.

Latest news and Iberia Nature Forum discussions here.

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Safeguarding Doñana: Challenges, Controversies, and a Path Forward

The Doñana National and Natural Parks occupy the northern area of the Guadalquivir river where it meets the Atlantic Ocean

Doñana National Park, a bastion of biodiversity in Andalusia, has recently faced controversies that have shaken the faith of its admirers. Despite decades of protection and substantial funding, concerns about the ecosystem’s health have emerged. This article delves into forum discussions on challenges within the park and presents the latest developments, including a significant agreement aimed at securing its future.

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The Encebro (Equus sp.) in Iberia: A Spectacular Extinct Equid

The Encebro (Equus sp.) in Iberia: A Spectacular Extinct Equid

The Encebro, a wild Iberian equid, left an indelible mark on the Iberian Peninsula before facing extinction in the 16th century. Standing at an impressive 1.30 meters and weighing 300 kilograms, this equid outpaced domestic horses in speed, as recorded in medieval texts from the kingdoms of Castile, León, and Portugal. References abound in up to 80 Castilian and Leon “fueros” (See below) from the 12th and 13th centuries, offering a glimpse into its significance in the region’s history.

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Macizo del Montseny Natural Park

Macizo del Montseny Natural Park
  • Region: Catalonia
  • Province: Barcelona and Gerona
  • Declared a Natural Park: Biosphere Reserve 1978. Natural Park 1987
  • Park surface area: 50,166 hectares. Expanded from 30,000 hectares in 2014)
  • Towns and villages: Aiguafreda, Arbucias, Breda, Brull, Campins, Cánoves y Samalús, Figaró-Montmany, Fogás de Monclús, La Garriga, Gualba, Montseny, Riells i Viabrea, San Esteban, San Felíu de, Buxalleu, San Pedro de Vilamajor, Seva and Viladrau

Points of interest

Biosphere reserve

The Macizo del Montseny Natural Park (Just 50 kilometres from Barcelona) is the oldest in Catalonia and is also one of the most important because in a relatively small area there are typical plant communities of the three major European biomes : the Mediterranean (holm oak, cork oak and Aleppo pine), the Eurosiberian (Scots pine, beech and white fir) and boreoalpine (alpine meadow). The Montseny natural fir forest is the southernmost in Europe and this was the main reason that in 1978 UNESCO declared the area a protected Biosphere Reserve.

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