SIERRA NEVADA The pilot area ES-4 Sierra Nevada is located in the province of Granada (South-east Spain) within the centre of the Penibetican Mountain Range and the Sierra Nevada National and Natural Park and Biosphere reserve. It also includes the Sierra Nevada Special Protected Area (SPA) and the Sites of Community Importance (SCI) Sierra Nevada and Sierra Nevada Noroeste. The selected area covers a total surface of 137.400 ha.
The area is characterized by a wide range of altitude and therefore, wide climate variations. Areas with scarce vegetation dominate the landscape followed by coniferous trees and crops (mixed crops, dry-farmed and irrigation crops, as well as olive groves). Oak trees and shrublands appear to a lesser extend. As for the rest of the pilot areas, public land represents a small percentage of the total land property (15%).
Sierra Nevada Pilot area includes 21 municipalities: Lugros, Jerez del Marquesado, Alquife, Dúrcal, Dílar, Monachil, Nigüelas, Lecrín, Lanjarón, Cañar, Soportújar, Bubión, Capileira, Bérchules, Trévelez, Alpujarra de la Sierra, Valor, Nevada, Aldeire, Lanteira and Güéjar Sierra. Both hunting and stockbreeding are important economic activities in the area, where it can be found a total of 66 hunting areas and 44.562 livestock units, mainly sheep, goats and cattle. Why is this area important?
Its geological history and strategic geographical location provide this area with a great botanical richness, being the place with the highest concentration of endemisms in the whole European continent.
The pilot area represents the South-western boundary for different ecosystems like oak groves and high-mountain pastures and, therefore, for several bird species linked to these ecosystems like Ortolan Bunting, Hawfinch, Tawny Owl and Eurasian Nightjar, or the important populations of Alpine Accentor, White-throated Dipper and Ring Ouzel.
It is also remarkable the presence of cliff-nesting raptors like Golden Eagle, Bonelli’s Eagle and Peregrine Falcon, and large populations of Red billed Chough and Goshawk. In addition to this, the reintroduction of Bearded Vulture, endangered emblematic species, is planned in the area once one of its main conservation problems, poisoned baits, is eradicated.
Information about the incidence of poison in this area is available here: Andalusian Strategy Against Poison.
Discover the area!
Take a look at our Photo Gallery
ADR Alpujara-Sierra Nevada
ADR Comarca de Guadix
GDR del Valle Lecrín-Temple-Costa
GDR Arco Noreste de la Vega de Granada
Want to know more?
Freephone Against Poison
900 811 482
Contact Fundación Gypaetus
Sierra Nevada Pilot Area C/ Guadalajara, nº 3 Monachil (Granada) Tel: 958 56 43 11 tec.snevada.life.iap@gypaetus.org www.gypaetus.org |