Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park
Encyclopedia
Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park is a natural park
in Andalusia
, Spain
, near the city of Almería
. It is the largest terrestrial-maritime reserve in the European Western Mediterranean Sea
, covering 460 km² including the town of Carboneras
, the mountain range of Sierra de Cabo de Gata, and 120 km² of the sea as a part of a Marine reserve
. It is of volcanic origin and is centred around the Cabo de Gata headland. Its climate is semiarid to the extent of being the driest location in Europe
. In 1997 it was designated as a UNESCO
Biosphere Reserve
. In 2001 it was included among the Specially Protected Areas of Mediterranean Importance
. In 2010 it was proposed as a dump for nuclear waste.
lava flows, volcanic domes, volcanic caldera
s. The park joined UNESCO's Global Geoparks Network in 2006, and is also a member of the European Geoparks Network
.
Between the village of San Miguel and the Cabo de Gata point are salt flats (Las Salinas de Cabo de Gata) separated from the sea by a 400 m (0.24 mi) sand bar.
The salt flats are a Ramsar site.
Its coasts have seagrass beds of the Posidonia
genus and offshore coral reef
s, both dramatically increasing the numbers of resident and transient marine species. 120 km² of the total designated protected area are a Marine reserve
, extending underwater to a depth of 60 metres (197 ft).
The area is semi-arid, the average temperature is 18 °C and it has the lowest rainfall in the Iberian peninsula
and the whole Europe, its average precipitation being a mere 120 to 180 mm (4.72 to 7.09 in) annually.
The characteristic vegetation in the terrestrial zone is matorral
, an abundance of drought-adapted flora: low-growing vegetation, dwarf fan palms and a number of xerophyte
s (some of which are endemic).
There is Posidonia
seagrass
in the marine zone.
The main towns are Níjar
, inland from the coast (and outside the protected area), and Carboneras
at the eastern extreme of the park. San Jose de Nijar is one of the main villages on the coast. Formerly a fishing village, it now has a small tourist industry as it provides easy access to the Playa de los Genoveses and the Playa de Mónsul. Almadraba de Monteleva, in the east of the park, formerly had a sea salt
extraction industry.
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There are over 1,000 plants recorded in the reserve, some of which are endemic to the park, including the pink snapdragon
(Antirrhinum charidemi), known to the locals as the Dragoncillo del Cabo. The majority of the species are adapted for the semi-arid conditions: the European fan palm (Chamaerops humilis), Europe's only native palm, supplements the meagre groundwater supplies with dew and airborne moisture. Iberia's largest population of jujube
(Ziziphus zizyphus), a thorny shrub, populates the steppe
. The scrubland is composed of olive tree
s (Olea europaea), mastic (Pistacia lentiscus), Kermes oak
s (Quercus coccifera), esparto grass (Stipa tenacissima), thyme
(Thymus) and rosemary
(Rosmarinus officinalis).
Around the salt flats are colonies of saltwort
s, common reeds (Phragmites australis) and the glasswort (Salicornia fruticosa). In the coastal waters are extensive beds of seagrass
(Posidonia oceanica
), which is endemic to the Mediterranean, and 260 species of seaweed
.
1,100 species of fauna have been recorded within the park, the majority of which are birds.
The European Union has designated a Special Protection Area
for bird-life.
The salt flats provide an important habitat for both the resident birds and the thousands of migrating birds that stop on their journey between Europe and Africa. Species found around the salt flats include flamingo
s (Phoenicopterus roseus); grey
(Ardea cinerea) and purple heron
s (Ardea purpurea); stork
s; crane
s; waders including avocet
s and oystercatcher
s; and overwintering duck
s.
Many species of lark
live on the steppe, including the rare Dupont's lark
(Chersophilus duponti) and there are also little bustard
s (Tetrax tetrax) and stone curlew
s (Burhinus oedicnemus). Sea birds include yellow-legged gull
s (Larus michahellis), tern
s, razorbill
s (Alca torda), shag
s, the occasional puffin
(Fratercula arctica) and Cory's
(Calonectris diomedea) and Balearic shearwater
s (Puffinus mauretanicus). The wealth of animal life provides prey for a number of raptor
s: osprey
s (Pandion haliaetus), peregrine falcon
s (Falco peregrinus), kestrel
s (Falco tinnunculus) and eagle
s.
Approximately 15 species of reptile are found in the park, including Italian wall lizard
s (Podarcis sicula) (uniquely in Spain), ocellated lizards (Timon lepidus), grass snake
s (Natrix natrix) and Lataste's viper (Vipera latastei).
The maritime reserve is home to various species of crustacean
s, molluscs and fishes including the common cuttlefish
(Sepia officinalis), Pinna nobilis which produces sea silk
, the Mediterranean moray
(Muraena helena) which was regarded as a delicacy by the Romans, the garfish
(Belone belone) and flying gurnard (Dactylopterus volitans), which uses its enlarged pectoral fins to "walk" along the ocean floor. Seaweeds host fish such as bream and grouper
.
Among the mammals in the park are common genet
s (Genetta genetta), wild boar (Sus scrofa), the garden dormouse
(Eliomys quercinus) and the least weasel
(Mustela nivalis), the smallest terrestrial mammalian carnivore. The seagrass used to provide a habitat for the endangered monk seal
(Monachus monachus).
Up until the 1960s it was one of the last locations where this seal bred in Spain, the islet of Tabarca
being the other.
Although occasionally sighted offshore, no seals have bred in the park since 1965.
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...
in Andalusia
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, near the city of Almería
Almería
Almería is a city in Andalusia, Spain, on the Mediterranean Sea. It is the capital of the province of the same name.-Toponym:Tradition says that the name Almería stems from the Arabic المرية Al-Mariyya: "The Mirror", comparing it to "The Mirror of the Sea"...
. It is the largest terrestrial-maritime reserve in the European Western Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
, covering 460 km² including the town of Carboneras
Carboneras
-External links: - Sistema de Información Multiterritorial de Andalucía - Diputación Provincial de Almería* - Satellite relief maps and aerial photography*...
, the mountain range of Sierra de Cabo de Gata, and 120 km² of the sea as a part of a Marine reserve
Marine reserve
For the United States Marine Corps Reserve see: Marine Forces ReserveA marine reserve is an area of the sea which has legal protection against fishing or development. This is to be distinguished from a marine park, but there is some overlap in usage...
. It is of volcanic origin and is centred around the Cabo de Gata headland. Its climate is semiarid to the extent of being the driest location in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. In 1997 it was designated as a UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
Biosphere Reserve
Biosphere reserve
The 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:...
. In 2001 it was included among the Specially Protected Areas of Mediterranean Importance
Specially Protected Areas of Mediterranean Importance
Specially Protected Areas of Mediterranean Importance are sites "of importance for conserving the components of biological diversity in the Mediterranean; contain ecosystems specific to the Mediterranean area or the habitats of endangered species; are of special interest at the scientific,...
. In 2010 it was proposed as a dump for nuclear waste.
Geology and geography
Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park is characterised by volcanic rock formations -lava flows, volcanic domes, volcanic caldera
Caldera
A caldera is a cauldron-like volcanic feature usually formed by the collapse of land following a volcanic eruption, such as the one at Yellowstone National Park in the US. They are sometimes confused with volcanic craters...
s. The park joined UNESCO's Global Geoparks Network in 2006, and is also a member of the European Geoparks Network
European Geoparks Network
The European Geoparks Network, often known as the EGN, is a trans-national partnership of Geoparks across Europe formed in 2000 to provide mutual support to established and prospective Geoparks across the continent...
.
Between the village of San Miguel and the Cabo de Gata point are salt flats (Las Salinas de Cabo de Gata) separated from the sea by a 400 m (0.24 mi) sand bar.
The salt flats are a Ramsar site.
Its coasts have seagrass beds of the Posidonia
Posidonia
Posidonia is a genus of flowering plants. It contains two to nine species of marine plants , found in the seas of the Mediterranean and around the south coast of Australia....
genus and offshore coral reef
Coral reef
Coral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups. The polyps...
s, both dramatically increasing the numbers of resident and transient marine species. 120 km² of the total designated protected area are a Marine reserve
Marine reserve
For the United States Marine Corps Reserve see: Marine Forces ReserveA marine reserve is an area of the sea which has legal protection against fishing or development. This is to be distinguished from a marine park, but there is some overlap in usage...
, extending underwater to a depth of 60 metres (197 ft).
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...
and the whole Europe, its average precipitation being a mere 120 to 180 mm (4.72 to 7.09 in) annually.
The characteristic vegetation in the terrestrial zone is matorral
Matorral
Matorral is a Spanish word, along with tomillares, for shrubland, thicket or bushes. It is used in naming and describing a Mediterranean climate ecosystem in Southern Europe.-Mediterranean region:...
, an abundance of drought-adapted flora: low-growing vegetation, dwarf fan palms and a number of xerophyte
Xerophyte
A xerophyte or xerophytic organism is a plant which has adapted to survive in an environment that lacks water, such as a desert. Xerophytic plants may have adapted shapes and forms or internal functions that reduce their water loss or store water during long periods of dryness...
s (some of which are endemic).
There is Posidonia
Posidonia
Posidonia is a genus of flowering plants. It contains two to nine species of marine plants , found in the seas of the Mediterranean and around the south coast of Australia....
seagrass
Seagrass
Seagrasses are flowering plants from one of four plant families , all in the order Alismatales , which grow in marine, fully saline environments.-Ecology:...
in the marine zone.
Human impact on the park
Originally due to the harsh conditions for agriculture and its isolated location, habitation has been historically sparse, which has kept the area relatively virgin, something rather unlikely in the Spanish costa. 3,500 people were recorded as living within the boundaries in 1997. The Natural park protection it now receives promises to keep residential expansion under control. However, tourism has boomed recently and in 1998 there were 500,000 tourists visiting the area, especially during Summer. The tourists stay in nearby hotels from where they make a day trip to the Natural park beaches. An illegal hotel was built in 2003 at Algarrobico inside the park.The main towns are Níjar
Níjar
-External links: - Sistema de Información Multiterritorial de Andalucía - Diputación Provincial de Almería...
, inland from the coast (and outside the protected area), and Carboneras
Carboneras
-External links: - Sistema de Información Multiterritorial de Andalucía - Diputación Provincial de Almería* - Satellite relief maps and aerial photography*...
at the eastern extreme of the park. San Jose de Nijar is one of the main villages on the coast. Formerly a fishing village, it now has a small tourist industry as it provides easy access to the Playa de los Genoveses and the Playa de Mónsul. Almadraba de Monteleva, in the east of the park, formerly had a sea salt
Sea salt
Sea salt, salt obtained by the evaporation of seawater, is used in cooking and cosmetics. It is historically called bay salt or solar salt...
extraction industry.
Flora
SnapDragon
SnapDragon is a contemporary jazz band based in San Antonio, Texas. The group released their debut CD, "Stealing a Moment" on Humbug Records in 2008, and the 10-song CD soon broke the Top 100 in U.S radio airplay...
(Antirrhinum charidemi), known to the locals as the Dragoncillo del Cabo. The majority of the species are adapted for the semi-arid conditions: the European fan palm (Chamaerops humilis), Europe's only native palm, supplements the meagre groundwater supplies with dew and airborne moisture. Iberia's largest population of jujube
Jujube
Ziziphus zizyphus , commonly called jujube , red date, Chinese date, Korean date, or Indian date is a species of Ziziphus in the buckthorn family Rhamnaceae, used primarily as a fruiting shade tree.-Distribution:Its precise natural distribution is uncertain due to extensive cultivation,...
(Ziziphus zizyphus), a thorny shrub, populates the steppe
Steppe
In physical geography, steppe is an ecoregion, in the montane grasslands and shrublands and temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biomes, characterized by grassland plains without trees apart from those near rivers and lakes...
. The scrubland is composed of olive tree
Olive
The olive , Olea europaea), is a species of a small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean Basin as well as northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea.Its fruit, also called the olive, is of major agricultural importance in the...
s (Olea europaea), mastic (Pistacia lentiscus), Kermes oak
Kermes Oak
Quercus coccifera, the Kermes Oak, is an oak in the Turkey oak section Quercus sect. Cerris. It is native to the western Mediterranean region and Northern African Maghreb, from Morocco and Portugal east to Libya and Greece.-Description:...
s (Quercus coccifera), esparto grass (Stipa tenacissima), thyme
Thyme
Thyme is a culinary and medicinal herb of the genus Thymus.-History:Ancient Egyptians used thyme for embalming. The ancient Greeks used it in their baths and burnt it as incense in their temples, believing it was a source of courage...
(Thymus) and rosemary
Rosemary
Rosemary, , is a woody, perennial herb with fragrant, evergreen, needle-like leaves and white, pink, purple or blue flowers, native to the Mediterranean region. It is a member of the mint family Lamiaceae, which includes many other herbs, and is one of two species in the genus Rosmarinus...
(Rosmarinus officinalis).
Around the salt flats are colonies of saltwort
Saltwort
Saltwort is a common name for several genera of flowering plants, including:*Batis, family Bataceae*Salicornia and Salsola, family Amaranthaceae*Salsola kali, prickly saltwort...
s, common reeds (Phragmites australis) and the glasswort (Salicornia fruticosa). In the coastal waters are extensive beds of seagrass
Seagrass
Seagrasses are flowering plants from one of four plant families , all in the order Alismatales , which grow in marine, fully saline environments.-Ecology:...
(Posidonia oceanica
Posidonia
Posidonia is a genus of flowering plants. It contains two to nine species of marine plants , found in the seas of the Mediterranean and around the south coast of Australia....
), which is endemic to the Mediterranean, and 260 species of seaweed
Seaweed
Seaweed is a loose, colloquial term encompassing macroscopic, multicellular, benthic marine algae. The term includes some members of the red, brown and green algae...
.
Fauna
The European Union has designated a Special Protection Area
Special Protection Area
A 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 salt flats provide an important habitat for both the resident birds and the thousands of migrating birds that stop on their journey between Europe and Africa. Species found around the salt flats include flamingo
Greater Flamingo
The Greater Flamingo is the most widespread species of the flamingo family. It is found in parts of Africa, southern Asia , and southern Europe...
s (Phoenicopterus roseus); grey
Grey Heron
The Grey Heron , is a wading bird of the heron family Ardeidae, native throughout temperate Europe and Asia and also parts of Africa. It is resident in the milder south and west, but many birds retreat in winter from the ice in colder regions...
(Ardea cinerea) and purple heron
Purple Heron
The Purple Heron is a wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, breeding in Africa, central and southern Europe, and southern and eastern Asia. The European populations are migratory, wintering in tropical Africa; the more northerly Asian populations also migrate further south within Asia...
s (Ardea purpurea); stork
Stork
Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long, stout bills. They belong to the family Ciconiidae. They are the only family in the biological order Ciconiiformes, which was once much larger and held a number of families....
s; crane
Crane (bird)
Cranes are a family, Gruidae, of large, long-legged and long-necked birds in the order Gruiformes. There are fifteen species of crane in four genera. Unlike the similar-looking but unrelated herons, cranes fly with necks outstretched, not pulled back...
s; waders including avocet
Avocet
The four species of Avocets are a genus, Recurvirostra, of waders in the same avian family as the stilts.Avocets have long legs and long, thin, upcurved bills which they sweep from side to side when feeding in the brackish or saline wetlands they prefer...
s and oystercatcher
Oystercatcher
The oystercatchers are a group of waders; they form the family Haematopodidae, which has a single genus, Haematopus. They are found on coasts worldwide apart from the polar regions and some tropical regions of Africa and South East Asia...
s; and overwintering duck
Duck
Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
s.
Many species of lark
Lark
Larks are passerine birds of the family Alaudidae. All species occur in the Old World, and in northern and eastern Australia; only one, the Shore Lark, has spread to North America, where it is called the Horned Lark...
live on the steppe, including the rare Dupont's lark
Dupont's Lark
The Dupont's Lark is the only lark in the genus Chersophilus.-Description:Like most other larks, Dupont's Lark is an undistinguished looking species on the ground. It is 17–18 cm long, slim, with a long neck, long legs and a fine slightly curved bill...
(Chersophilus duponti) and there are also little bustard
Little Bustard
The Little Bustard is a large bird in the bustard family, the only member of the genus Tetrax. It breeds in southern Europe and in western and central Asia. Southernmost European birds are mainly resident, but other populations migrate further south in winter...
s (Tetrax tetrax) and stone curlew
Stone Curlew
The Stone Curlew, Eurasian Thick-knee, or Eurasian Stone-curlew Burhinus oedicnemus is a northern species of the Burhinidae bird family....
s (Burhinus oedicnemus). Sea birds include yellow-legged gull
Yellow-legged Gull
The Yellow-legged Gull , sometimes referred to as Western Yellow-legged Gull , is a large gull of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, which has only recently achieved wide recognition as a distinct species...
s (Larus michahellis), tern
Tern
Terns are seabirds in the family Sternidae, previously considered a subfamily of the gull family Laridae . They form a lineage with the gulls and skimmers which in turn is related to skuas and auks...
s, razorbill
Razorbill
The Razorbill is colonial seabird that will only come to land in order to breed. It is the largest living member of the Auk family. This agile bird will choose only one partner for life and females will lay one egg per year. Razorbills will nest along coastal cliffs in enclosed or slightly exposed...
s (Alca torda), shag
Cormorant
The bird family Phalacrocoracidae is represented by some 40 species of cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed recently, and the number of genera is disputed.- Names :...
s, the occasional puffin
Atlantic Puffin
The Atlantic Puffin is a seabird species in the auk family. It is a pelagic bird that feeds primarily by diving for fish, but also eats other sea creatures, such as squid and crustaceans. Its most obvious characteristic during the breeding season is its brightly coloured bill...
(Fratercula arctica) and Cory's
Cory's Shearwater
The Cory's Shearwater is a large shearwater in the seabird family Procellariidae.This species breeds on islands and cliffs in the Mediterranean, with the odd outpost on the Atlantic coast of Iberia. The nest is on open ground or among rocks or less often in a burrow where one white egg is laid,...
(Calonectris diomedea) and Balearic shearwater
Balearic Shearwater
The Balearic Shearwater is a medium-sized shearwater in the seabird family Procellariidae. It was long regarded a subspecies of the Manx Shearwater; see there for more on the Puffinus puffinus superspecies; following an initial split it was held to be a subspecies of the "Mediterranean Shearwater"...
s (Puffinus mauretanicus). The wealth of animal life provides prey for a number of raptor
Bird of prey
Birds of prey are birds that hunt for food primarily on the wing, using their keen senses, especially vision. They are defined as birds that primarily hunt vertebrates, including other birds. Their talons and beaks tend to be relatively large, powerful and adapted for tearing and/or piercing flesh....
s: osprey
Osprey
The Osprey , sometimes known as the sea hawk or fish eagle, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey. It is a large raptor, reaching more than in length and across the wings...
s (Pandion haliaetus), peregrine falcon
Peregrine Falcon
The Peregrine Falcon , also known as the Peregrine, and historically as the Duck Hawk in North America, is a widespread bird of prey in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-gray back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache"...
s (Falco peregrinus), kestrel
Common Kestrel
The Common Kestrel is a bird of prey species belonging to the kestrel group of the falcon family Falconidae. It is also known as the European Kestrel, Eurasian Kestrel, or Old World Kestrel. In Britain, where no other brown falcon occurs, it is generally just called "the kestrel".This species...
s (Falco tinnunculus) and eagle
Eagle
Eagles are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than 60 species occur in Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just two species can be found in the United States and Canada, nine more in...
s.
Approximately 15 species of reptile are found in the park, including Italian wall lizard
Italian Wall Lizard
The Italian wall lizard or Ruin lizard is a species of lizard in the Lacertidae family. P. sicula is native to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, France, Italy, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovenia and Switzerland, but has also been introduced to Spain, Turkey, and the United States. P...
s (Podarcis sicula) (uniquely in Spain), ocellated lizards (Timon lepidus), grass snake
Grass Snake
The grass snake , sometimes called the ringed snake or water snake is a European non-venomous snake. It is often found near water and feeds almost exclusively on amphibians.-Etymology:...
s (Natrix natrix) and Lataste's viper (Vipera latastei).
Crustacean
Crustaceans form a very large group of arthropods, usually treated as a subphylum, which includes such familiar animals as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles. The 50,000 described species range in size from Stygotantulus stocki at , to the Japanese spider crab with a leg span...
s, molluscs and fishes including the common cuttlefish
Common Cuttlefish
The Common Cuttlefish or European Common Cuttlefish is one of the largest and best known cuttlefish species. It grows to 49 cm in mantle length and 4 kg in weight...
(Sepia officinalis), Pinna nobilis which produces sea silk
Sea silk
Sea silk is an extremely fine, rare and valuable fabric produced from the long silky filaments or byssus secreted by a gland in the foot of several bivalve molluscs by which they attach themselves to the sea bed....
, the Mediterranean moray
Mediterranean moray
The Mediterranean moray is a fish of the moray eel family. It has a long eel-like body and is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea...
(Muraena helena) which was regarded as a delicacy by the Romans, the garfish
Garfish
The garfish , or sea needle, is a pelagic, oceanodromous needlefish found in brackish and marine waters of the Eastern Atlantic, the Mediterranean Sea, the Baltic Sea, etc. The fish lives close to the surface and has a migratory pattern similar to that of the mackerel, arriving a short time before...
(Belone belone) and flying gurnard (Dactylopterus volitans), which uses its enlarged pectoral fins to "walk" along the ocean floor. Seaweeds host fish such as bream and grouper
Grouper
Groupers are fish of any of a number of genera in the subfamily Epinephelinae of the family Serranidae, in the order Perciformes.Not all serranids are called groupers; the family also includes the sea basses. The common name grouper is usually given to fish in one of two large genera: Epinephelus...
.
Among the mammals in the park are common genet
Common Genet
The Common Genet , also known as the Small-spotted Genet or European Genet, is a mammal from the order Carnivora, related to civets and linsangs. The most far-ranging of all the fourteen species of genet, it can be found throughout Africa, parts of the Middle East, and in Europe in Spain, Portugal,...
s (Genetta genetta), wild boar (Sus scrofa), the garden dormouse
Garden dormouse
The garden dormouse is a rodent in the dormouse family.- Features :Garden dormice are typically in length, with the tail adding an additional . They weigh . The coat is gray or brown, with a white underside...
(Eliomys quercinus) and the least weasel
Least Weasel
The least weasel is the smallest member of the Mustelidae , native to Eurasia, North America and North Africa, though it has been introduced elsewhere. It is classed as Least Concern by the IUCN, due to its wide distribution and presumably large population...
(Mustela nivalis), the smallest terrestrial mammalian carnivore. The seagrass used to provide a habitat for the endangered monk seal
Mediterranean Monk Seal
The Mediterranean monk seal is a pinniped belonging to the Phocidae family. At some 450-510 remaining individuals, it is believed to be the world's second-rarest pinniped , and one of the most endangered mammals in the world.It is present in parts of the Mediterranean Sea and the eastern Atlantic...
(Monachus monachus).
Up until the 1960s it was one of the last locations where this seal bred in Spain, the islet of Tabarca
Tabarca
Tabarca , is an islet located in the Mediterranean Sea, close to the town of Santa Pola, in the province of Alicante, Valencian community, Spain...
being the other.
Although occasionally sighted offshore, no seals have bred in the park since 1965.
See also
- European Geoparks NetworkEuropean Geoparks NetworkThe European Geoparks Network, often known as the EGN, is a trans-national partnership of Geoparks across Europe formed in 2000 to provide mutual support to established and prospective Geoparks across the continent...
- Global Geoparks Network