Zahara de la Sierra Nature

Zahara de la Sierra is located within the boundary of Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park (Sierra: a group of several small ranges). This Natural Park straddles the provinces of Cádiz and Málaga (535 sq km in total, at altitudes from 250m to 1654m above sea level). It encompasses the most southwesterly mountain range in Europe (the tip of the Cordillera Bética) and is among the areas of greatest ecological importance in the south of the peninsula, and therefore of great significance in Spain as a whole.

This most important and unique mountain wilderness is bounded by the towns of Zahara, Grazalema, Ubrique and El Bosque. The landscape, dotted with white villages, ranges from pastoral river valleys to precipitous gorges and rocky summits. The mountains acting as a wall which traps many of the clouds, creating a microclimate that explain the lush vegetation covering the surrounding park, home to a spectacular variety of fauna and botanical species dating from before the Ice Age.

The Natural Park was made an UNESCO 'Biosphere Reserve' in 1977 and is also considered by the European Union as an 'Area of Special Protection for Birds'.

It's main activities are centred on woodcutting and cattle farming. Industrial activities include the manufacture of woolen shawls and leather products; other sources of income are hunting, recreational fishing and Eco-tourism.

FLORA: The Grazalema National Park has an astonishingly varied flora (just over 1,300 plant species), some of which are unique to the region. This abundance is largely due to the fact that, during the last ice age, many plants that were killed off further north were able to survive at this southerly latitude.

Forest and woodlands: The particular conditions of this region, plus the wet and cool summers, are essential to the survival of the famous and rare pinsapo or Spanish fir (Abies pinsapo), native only to this area of Europe. A 3 sq km of Spanish fir forest (to be found in The Sierra del Pinar) is all that remains as a relic of the Tertiary Period, which ended about 2.5 million yeras ago. The Spanish fir likes north facing slopes from 1000 up to 1800m, it can grow up to 25m high and lives for up to 500 years.
The rest of the mountain area is clothed with some species of cedros (cedars) and several varieties of pinos (pines): pino carrasco (Aleppo pine), pino maritimo (maritime pine), pino laricio (black pine) and pino piñonero (umbrella pine).
The lower slopes and gentler hill areas are covered in beautiful Mediterranean woodland, with trees adapted to a warm, fairly dry climate, such as acebuche (wild olive), almendro (almond) and algarrobo (carob) and the three types of oaks: the two evergreen encina (holm or ilex oak) and alcornoque (cork oak), and the quejigo (gall oak), whose leaves fall in autumn.
Along the river valleys you will find a rich variety of trees like: álamos (poplar), fresnos (ash), sauces (willow), arces (maple), olmos (elm) and alisos (alder).
Although not natural, everywhere you will find (otherwise it would not be Andalucía) the dominant olivo (olive tree), which lines upon lines upon lines stretching over the rolling horizon and far beyond.
Herbs: The more common ones are: brezo (heather) enebro (juniper), hinojo (fennel), lavanda (lavender), romero (rosemary), tomillo (thyme), tojo (gorse) and shrubs of jara family (cistus).

FAUNA: The wildlife is also among the most diverse in Europe and although many animals are nocturnal if you know where to look, you are unlikely to go home disappointed.

Mammals: The most popular one is the cabra montés (ibex), a stocky mountain goat (males have distinctive long horns) that spends summer clambering around high altitude precipices and descends lower in winter. The Natural Park has an ibex population of approximately 500. Others beasts include the mainly nocturnal jabalí (wild boar), ciervo (red deer), corzo (roe deer) and gamo (fallow deer). Small mammals also common are the gineta (genet), meloncillo (Egyptian mongoose), garduña (beech marten), ardilla (red squirrel), tejón (badger) and the zorro (fox). The streams and riverbanks are the domain of nutrias (otters) and ratas de agua (water voles).
Among them a lot of domesticated animals grazing in semi-liberty, specially the cerdo ibérico (Iberian pig).

Birds: The Sierra also supports a wealth of bird-life (over 117 diferent species of birds), wintering species as well as summer visitors. March and April are particularly good months for birdwacthers.
Among the resident species you will find large and small birds of prey like the águila imperial (Spanish Imperial eagle) -found in no other country-, the águila real (golden eagle), and several other eagles (such as Bonelli´s, and booted eagles), the acrobatic milano real (red kites), the common cernícalo (kestrel), águila ratonero (buzzard), the gavilán (sparrowhawk) and, finally, aguiluchos (harriers) and búhos (owls).
But the kings of the larger birds in this area the buitre negro (black vulture), the alimoche (Egyptian vulture), and above all, the buitre leonado (griffon vulture) that can be seen flying over Zahara, and it makes one of the largest colonies in Europe.
Other characteristic birds are the oropéndola (golden oriole), the orange-and-black alubilla (hoopoe), various pájaros carpinteros (woodpeckers) and the gold, brown and turquoise abejarruco (bee-eater).
Among the birds of passage than emigrates from Africa across the Strait of Gibraltar the two more common are the nice cigüeña blanca (white stork), who nests from spring to summer on electricity pylons, trees and towers; and the flamenco rosa (flamingo) looking for large wetlands. There are also hundreds of thousands of others migratory birds, including all kind of patos (wild ducks).

Other fauna: includes the colorful mariposas (butterflies), murciélagos (bats), salamandras (salamanders), camaleones (chameleons), numerous lagartos (lizards), and serpientes (snakes).