Costa Almeria

Declared a Biosphere Reserve, the Cabo de Gata-Nijar Park 38,000 hectares of land and 12,000 hectares of sea are one of south-eastern Spain's most valuable protected spaces.

All who visit are surprised by the apparently inhospitable area's rich ecosystems and economic resources such as the salt pans and mining activity which man has used wisely since antiquity, maintaining a careful environmental balance. The surprise is even greater for divers, able to enjoy the impressive sights of waht is hidden beneath the Park's waves.

The species of flora are small and adapted to resist high temperates and able to store scarce water. among the types of flora to be seen are bufalaga (a type of laurel), small-flowered gorse, mastic tree, wild olive, asparagous, esparto, and Persian berry, pride of place however goes to the palmetto, the only native European palm and symbol of the Natural Park.

The different types of terrain to be found in the Natural Park are the habitat of a wide range of fauna that includes amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.

Almeria province