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
