''Cabo de Gata-Níjar'' Natural Park in the southeastern corner of

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a ...

's largest protected coastal area, a wild and isolated landscape. Spain's southeast coast, where the park is situated, is a region in

mainland Europe Continental Europe or mainland Europe is the contiguous continent of Europe, excluding its surrounding islands. It can also be referred to ambiguously as the European continent, – which can conversely mean the whole of Europe – and, by ...

with a

hot desert climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk''), is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

: BWh). The eponymous mountain range of the ''Sierra del Cabo de Gata'', with its highest peak El Fraile, form a volcanic rock formation with sharp peaks and crags in red and ochre hues. It falls steeply to the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...

, creating jagged high cliffs riven by gullies, creating hidden coves and white, sandy beaches. Offshore are numerous tiny rocky islands and extensive coral reefs teeming with marine life. Its climate is dry, with rainfall below a year and average yearly temperatures above . In 1997, it was designated as a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

Biosphere Reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or o ...

. In 2001, it was included among the

Specially Protected Areas of Mediterranean Importance Specially Protected Areas of Mediterranean Importance (SPAMI) 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 s ...

, due to the adsorptive properties and low permeability of its clays, the area was studied as a possible place for deep storage of sealed

radioactive waste Radioactive waste is a type of hazardous waste that contains radioactive material. Radioactive waste is a result of many activities, including nuclear medicine, nuclear research, nuclear power generation, rare-earth mining, and nuclear weapons r ...

Geology, geography, climate, and vegetation

Las-salinas-de-cabo-de-gata-iglesia-de-san-miguel

Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park is characterised by

volcanic rock Volcanic rock (often shortened to volcanics in scientific contexts) is a rock formed from lava erupted from a volcano. In other words, it differs from other igneous rock by being of volcanic origin. Like all rock types, the concept of volcanic r ...

formations as well as

lava flows Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a fracture in the crust, on land or un ...

, volcanic domes, and volcanic

caldera A caldera ( ) is a large cauldron-like hollow that forms shortly after the emptying of a magma chamber in a volcano eruption. When large volumes of magma are erupted over a short time, structural support for the rock above the magma chamber is ...

s. The park joined UNESCO's

Global Geoparks Network UNESCO Global Geoparks (UGGp) are geoparks certified by the UNESCO Global Geoparks Council as meeting all the requirements for belonging to the Global Geoparks Network (GGN). The GGN is both a network of geoparks and the agency of the United Nati ...

in 2006, and it is also a member of the

European Geoparks Network The European Geoparks Network (EGN) functions as the regional organization of the Global Geoparks Network (GGN) and the UNESCO International Geosciences and Geoparks Programme (UNESCO-IGGP). Its main objective is to ensure cooperation between geop ...

. 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 sand bar. The salt flats are a

Ramsar site A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O) *** Permanent 8 ha (P) *** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts) **

Posidonia ''Posidonia'' is a genus of flowering plants. It contains nine species of marine plants ("seagrass"), found in the seas of the Mediterranean and around the south coast of Australia. The APG system (1998) and APG II system (2003) accept this ge ...

'' and offshore

coral reef A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups. Co ...

s, both contributing to increase the numbers of resident and transient marine species. A part of the total designated protected area is a

marine reserve A marine reserve is a type of marine protected area (MPA). An MPA is a section of the ocean where a government has placed limits on human activity. A marine reserve is a marine protected area in which removing or destroying natural or cultural ...

, extending underwater to a depth of . The area has a

(

: ''BWh'') with rather mild temperatures year round for the heavy maritime influence. The annual average temperature is about , and the average annual rainfall is of , recorded at the Faro del Cabo de Gata ''(36°43'18.8 N, 2°11'34.69" W)'' during the period 1961–1990, making this area one of the driest place in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

(this excludes the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...

, which are also part of

but geographically belong to the continent of

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, which have a hot desert climate on most of the islands, specifically on the islands of

Fuerteventura Fuerteventura () is one of the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean, part of the North Africa region, and politically part of Spain. It is located away from the northwestern coast of Africa. The island was declared a biosphere reserve by UNES ...

and

Lanzarote Lanzarote (, , ) is a Spanish island, the easternmost of the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. It is located approximately off the north coast of Africa and from the Iberian Peninsula. Covering , Lanzarote is the fourth-largest of the i ...

in the

Province of Las Palmas The Province of Las Palmas (, ; es, Provincia de Las Palmas) is a province of Spain, consisting of the eastern part of the autonomous community of the Canary Islands. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, capital city of this province and of the isla ...

).Capel Molina, J.J. (1995) ''Mapa pluviométrico de España Peninsular y Baleares (en el periodo internacional 1961-1990) Investigaciones Geográficas nº 13: 29-466ISSN 0213-4691'
pdf
Idioma: español. Acceso: 3/7/2009. The characteristic vegetation in the terrestrial zone is a drought-adapted flora: large agave, prickly pear, dwarf fan palms, and a number of

xerophyte A xerophyte (from Ancient Greek language, Greek ξηρός ''xeros'' 'dry' + φυτόν ''phuton'' 'plant') is a species of plant that has adaptations to survive in an environment with little liquid water, such as a desert such as the Sahara or pl ...

s (some of which are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

). There is ''

seagrass Seagrasses are the only flowering plants which grow in marine environments. There are about 60 species of fully marine seagrasses which belong to four families (Posidoniaceae, Zosteraceae, Hydrocharitaceae and Cymodoceaceae), all in the orde ...

in the marine zone.

Human impact on the park

Historically, due to the harsh conditions for agriculture and its isolated location, habitation has been sparse and this has kept the area relatively unspoilt, an unusual feature along the Spanish Mediterranean coast. In 1997, 3,500 people were recorded as living within the boundaries. The natural park protection has now received promises to keep the residential expansion under control. Dotted around the natural park are abandoned farms, houses, factories, and sometimes, whole villages dating back to various periods in time. The exact reasons for the abandonment are not clear, but it is thought that the harsh conditions for agriculture together with questionable permissions to build and the prevailing economic climate at the time, would be major factors. Sadly, this is something that continues to this day with perhaps the most infamous example being the Algarrobico. In 2003, a hotel project was started at Playa del Algarrobico between Carboneras and Mojacar, just inside the park. Work on the project was halted, but demolition, which is opposed by 14 municipalities, has yet to be carried out. Several reputable sources claim with good evidence, that this project is an illegal development although it seems that more recently demolition plans are moving closer. In 2021, the highest regional court of Andalusia ruled that the hotel did not have to be destroyed because the real estate developer had a valid building license. There are also a number of abandoned villages and buildings that are considered to be of historical importance and so remain as they have been left. Good examples of this are the deserted mining villages around Rodalquilar. Although the villages or "ghost towns" and the former gold mines are a blot on the landscape, they are a big attraction. Sadly there are also a number of national treasures that lie in ruins, and an example of this is Cortijo del Fraile. Every now and then there is a move to restore it, but as yet, nothing has happened except a few efforts to raise money.

Tourism

Tourism is one of the biggest industries in the Parque Natural de Cabo de Gata with a huge number of visitors coming mainly during the spring and summer months. In 1998, there were 500,000 tourists visiting the area and although the number of visitors has declined in the past years (2011/2012) due to economic conditions across Europe, tourism still remains strong. Over recent years there has been a trend toward

sustainable Specific definitions of sustainability are difficult to agree on and have varied in the literature and over time. The concept of sustainability can be used to guide decisions at the global, national, and individual levels (e.g. sustainable livin ...

/ eco tourism and visitors can enjoy environmentally-friendly outdoor activities such as bird watching, photography experiences, geological field-trips, as well as the more established diving and boat excursions. There are a number of arts and crafts based on local traditions that are still carried out around the Parque Natural de Cabo de Gata and especially so in the little Moorish "pueblo blanco" of

Níjar Níjar () is a Spanish municipality in the province of Almería, Andalusia. It lies in the eastern part of Almería, in the Sierra de Alhamilla and the south-eastern Mediterranean coast, in the Campo de Níjar, near the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natur ...

. The traditional arts and crafts include ceramics, pottery, carpet making and woven goods (baskets, hats, shoes, etc.) made from

esparto grass Esparto, halfah grass, or esparto grass is a fiber produced from two species of perennial grasses of north Africa, Spain and Portugal. It is used for crafts, such as cords, basketry, and espadrilles. '' Stipa tenacissima'' and '' Lygeum spart ...

. The same arts and crafts are found in many different places around the natural park alongside painting, sculpture, and photography. Also one may find in several of the pueblos, craft market stalls selling hand-made (hecho de mano) jewellery, leather goods, and clothing, in addition to local shops selling local produce such as olive oil, wine, almonds, tomatoes, and so on. There also has been an increase in the number of health retreats that offer holistic therapies, meditation, and yoga. While the hiking network is not extensive, there are a number of senderos that provide for some good day hikes. The Caldera de Majada Redonda is one such trail that leads to the center of an ancient volcano caldera.

Towns

There are some small towns in the Cabo de Gata area.

Agua Amarga

Translated from the Spanish, Agua Amarga literally means "bitter water". This name dates back to when trains used to bring minerals from the mines in the Sierra Alhamilla and chemicals used in the mining process would taint the wells in the town. These days Agua Amarga is one of the hot-spots for visitors to the Parque Natural de Cabo de Gata. It is a seaside town. This small village is surrounded by many small beaches with crystalline water and submarine life, adapted for snorkeling.

Cabo de Gata

The strip of beach known as Playa de San Miguel and the adjacent road stretches from the small village of Cabo de Gata to La Fabriquilla before ascending a tiny mountain pass toward th
Arrecife de las Sirenas
and the stunning beaches beyond. This coastal strip is generally known as Cabo de Gata although it comprises several little smaller villages (pueblitos) including Cabo de Gata, Almadraba de Monteleva, and La Fabriquila. At Almadraba de Monteleva are the salt works that are still operational, next to the salt works are the ram shackled and salt-blasted houses of former workers, some of which are still occupied. Opposite these houses is the church of San Miguel. Behind the salt-works are the lagoons known as ''Las Salinas de Cabo de Gata'', as previously mentioned. Cabo de Gata has tradition of fishing, which continues to this day, and there are a number of old fishing boats that have been left along the Playa de San Miguel as artifacts of days gone by. These are said to have an important ethnological value and so are left as a "living museum".

Carboneras

The pueblo of

Carboneras Carboneras is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality of Almería (province), Almería province, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Demographics References External links *Carboneras- Sistema de Información Multiterritorial de ...

is located near to the easternmost border of Parque Natural de Cabo de Gata and is a fairly large town. Located just a little out-of-town and en route to Agua Amarga, is the

naturist beach A nude beach, sometimes called a clothing-optional or free beach, is a beach where users are at liberty to be nude. Nude beaches usually have mixed bathing. Such beaches are usually on public lands, and any member of the public is allowed to u ...

of Playa de los Muertos (the Beach of the Dead), which is reported to have been voted one of the country's top beaches. Carboneras is also known as a town of live music due to the Teatro de Musica and a number of other smaller venues hosting live music all year round. At its western edge it has an industrial area that combines a power station, a large cement plant, one of Europe's largest desalination ( reverse-osmosis) plants and a port, all of which pre-date the setting up the national park. The power station has been used for

carbon capture Carbon capture may refer to: * Carbon capture and utilization, where the captured carbon dioxide is used * Carbon sequestration, where the captured carbon dioxide is stored ** Carbon capture and storage, referring to carbon sequestration from point ...

research. Whilst the desalination plant, provides water to the local communities, as well as the burgeoning green house based vegetable industry.

Las Negras

Las Negras is a little different from the other pueblos in Parque Natural de Cabo de Gata. It is a little sea-side village towards the eastern end of the natural park and just to the west of Agua Amarga. Las Negras has some rather odd buildings that are very 1970s in appearance because it has been developed in a more modern style to other towns. From Las Negras there is a footpath to Cala de San Pedro, which takes about 40 minutes to an hour to walk; alternatively, one may take a boat.

Los Albaricoques

Movie buffs may recognise Los Albaricoques as being the pueblo of Agua Caliente in the seminal films of

Sergio Leone Sergio Leone (; 3 January 1929 – 30 April 1989) was an Italian film director, producer and screenwriter credited as the pioneer of the Spaghetti Western genre and widely regarded as one of the most influential directors in the history of cin ...

. The final shootout in the

spaghetti Western The Spaghetti Western is a broad subgenre of Western films produced in Europe. It emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's film-making style and international box-office success. The term was used by foreign critics because most o ...

film ''For a Few Dollars More'' took place in the centre of Los Albaricoques. The economy of Los Albaricoques relies heavily on the agriculture that surrounds the village; arguably, some of the best tomatoes from Spain are grown in this area, notably the 'Raff'. There is only one shop and two bars in Los Albaricoques. One of these bars, Hostal Alba, is a mecca for film buffs and a tribute to the village's cinematic history. Not far from the pueblo of Los Albaricoques is the infamous Cortijo del Fraile, the backdrop for Federico Garcia Lorca's seminal play, ''

Bodas de Sangre ''Blood Wedding'' ( es, link=no, Bodas de sangre) is a tragedy by Spanish dramatist Federico García Lorca. It was written in 1932 and first performed at Teatro Beatriz in Madrid in March 1933, then later that year in Buenos Aires, Argentina. ...

'' (Blood Wedding), which features a crime of passion that took place close by.

Níjar

is located inland and on the northern edge of the natural park. Níjar hosts processions on Semana Santa (Holy Week). In the bigger towns and cities around Spain, these processions are quite lavish including at times some very intricate animatronics but in smaller towns, such as in Níjar, they are much more "earthy" affairs.

Rodalquilar

The pueblo of Rodalquilar sits in the middle of the Parque Natural de Cabo de Gata and is a haven for the local artistic community. There are several galleries showing off painting, photography, pottery, and ceramics. Rodalaquilar is a sleepy town with some nice places to eat and stunning beaches and could not be more different from its past, for it is known in the province of Almería for ancient mines of gold. A trip to the natural park is not complete without a visit to the goldmines and abandoned miner villages. One of the more popular "must see" beaches near Rodalquilar is Playa el Playazo. This beach is 400 meters long and 30 meters wide, and its sand is golden and fine. In common with many of the beaches in the middle and toward the western end of the natural park, the sea offers a good visibility for snorkelling or diving.. El Playazo is encircled by a mountain as well as by the Saint Ramon's Castle. This Castle was built in the 18th century so that the coast of Almería could defend itself from sea attacks. Rodalquilar was the townsite for the Rodalquilar Gold Mine, which operated intermittently from Roman times to the mid 1960s. The new mineral Rodalquilarite was discovered there. The abandoned mine workings were used for a post-apocalyptic film set

San José

San José is a small fishing port in the centre of the natural park and is accessible from

Almería Airport Almería Airport () is an airport located east of Almería city centre, in the province of Almería in Andalusia, Spain. It is close to the main tourist centers of the province such as the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park, El Ejido, Mojácar ...

and the Autovia A-7. San José is most popular during the spring and summer months. This is because of the activities that the beaches of San José can offer such as snorkel or swimming. The local tourist office offers a reference point for activities in the Parque Natural de Cabo de Gata.

Various other

There are a number of smaller towns and villages in the Parque Natural de Cabo de Gata that are worth mentioning and each with its own charm and historical or ethnological importance. Campohermoso, Fernán Pérez,

Isleta del Moro Isleta del Moro is a fishing town located near Los Escullos, in Cabo de Gata. It was frequented by Arabs The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciatio ...

Los Escullos Los Escullos is a village in the municipality of Níjar, province of Almería, Spain. It is located inside Cabo de Gata Natural Park, Níjar. In the surroundings of the town we have located some sights such as "La playa del Arco" or "La cala del ...

, Pozo de los Frailes, and San Isidro are just some of them. Isleta del Moro and Los Escullos are particularly interesting as they are along the coast and have some stunning, if not smaller beaches. There is a network of footpaths (senderos) that connect all the seaside towns and pueblos.

Flora

There are more than 1,000 plants recorded in the reserve, some of which are

to the Parque Natural de Cabo de Gata and some of which have become symbols of the natural park. The Natural Park of Cabo de Gata presents special weather conditions, which permit the plants taking advantages of the rain. These plants are very diverse, surviving the weather and adapting to the characteristics of the ground.

European fan palm

The European fan palm (''Chamaerops humilis'') is a shrub-like clumping palm, with several stems growing from a single base. It is the only palm species native to continental Europe and is mainly found in southwestern Europe (Spain, Portugal, Italy, Malta and certain locations on the Mediterranean coast of France) and northwest Africa (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia). Europe's only native palm, supplements the meagre

groundwater Groundwater is the water present beneath Earth's surface in rock and soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. About 30 percent of all readily available freshwater in the world is groundwater. A unit of rock or an unconsolidate ...

supplies with

dew Dew is water in the form of droplets that appears on thin, exposed objects in the morning or evening due to condensation. As the exposed surface cools by radiating its heat, atmospheric moisture condenses at a rate greater than that at wh ...

and airborne moisture.

''Agave americana'' (Pita)

One of the most familiar plant species in the natural park is Agave (Pita) Americana, a native of tropical America and Mexico. Common names include century plant, maguey (in Mexico), or American aloe (it is not, however, closely related to the genus Aloe). The name "century plant" refers to the long time the plant takes to flower. The number of years before flowering occurs depends on the vigor of the individual plant, the richness of the soil, and the climate; during these years the plant is storing in its fleshy leaves the nutrients required for the effort of flowering.

Dragoncillo del Cabo

Some of the plants endemic to the Parque Natural de Cabo de Gata include the pink

snapdragon ''Antirrhinum'' is a genus of plants commonly known as dragon flowers, snapdragons and dog flower because of the flowers' fancied resemblance to the face of a dragon that opens and closes its mouth when laterally squeezed. They are native to r ...

(''Antirrhinum charidemi''), known to the locals as the ''Dragoncillo del Cabo''. This endemic plant is called as the ''Dragoncillo del Cabo'' because its flower are pink with dark veins. It grows in rock cracks, rocky slopes and volcanic slopes near the sea.

Other plants

Iberia's largest population of

jujube Jujube (), sometimes jujuba, known by the scientific name ''Ziziphus jujuba'' and also called red date, Chinese date, and Chinese jujube, is a species in the genus ''Ziziphus'' in the buckthorn family Rhamnaceae. Description It is a smal ...

(''Ziziphus zizyphus''), a thorny shrub, populates the

steppe In physical geography, a steppe () is an ecoregion characterized by grassland plains without trees apart from those near rivers and lakes. Steppe biomes may include: * the montane grasslands and shrublands biome * the temperate grasslands, ...

and is known locally as Azofeifa. The scrubland is composed of

olive tree The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'', meaning 'European olive' in Latin, is a species of small tree or shrub in the family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin. When in shrub form, it is known as ''Olea europaea'' ...

s (''Olea europaea''), mastic (''Pistacia lentiscus''),

Kermes oak ''Quercus coccifera'', the kermes oak, is an oak bush in the '' Ilex'' section of the genus. It is native to the Mediterranean region and Northern African Maghreb, south to north from Morocco to France and west to east from Portugal to Cyprus ...

s (''Quercus coccifera''),

(''Stipa tenacissima''),

thyme Thyme () is the herb (dried aerial parts) of some members of the genus ''Thymus'' of aromatic perennial evergreen herbs in the mint family Lamiaceae. Thymes are relatives of the oregano genus ''Origanum'', with both plants being mostly indigenou ...

(''Thymus'') and

rosemary ''Salvia rosmarinus'' (), commonly known as rosemary, is a shrub with fragrant, evergreen, needle-like leaves and white, pink, purple, or blue flowers, native plant, native to the Mediterranean Region, Mediterranean region. Until 2017, it was kn ...

(''Rosmarinus officinalis''). Around the salt flats are colonies of

saltwort Saltwort is a common name for various genera of flowering plants that thrive in salty environments, typically in coastal salt marshes and seashores, including: :*''Salsola'' and related genera within subfamily ''Salsoloideae'' :*''Salicornia'' :*'' ...

common reed ''Phragmites australis'', known as the common reed, is a species of plant. It is a broadly distributed wetland grass that can grow up to tall. Description ''Phragmites australis'' commonly forms extensive stands (known as reed beds), which may ...

s (''Phragmites australis'') and the

glasswort The glassworts are various succulent, annual halophytic plants, that is, plants that thrive in saline environments, such as seacoasts and salt marshes. The original English glasswort plants belong to the genus ''Salicornia'', but today the glass ...

(''Salicornia fruticosa''). In the coastal waters are extensive beds of

(''

Posidonia oceanica ''Posidonia oceanica'', commonly known as Neptune grass or Mediterranean tapeweed, is a seagrass species that is endemic to the Mediterranean Sea. It forms large underwater meadows that are an important part of the ecosystem. The fruit is free f ...

''), which is endemic to the Mediterranean, and 260 species of

seaweed Seaweed, or macroalgae, refers to thousands of species of macroscopic, multicellular, marine algae. The term includes some types of '' Rhodophyta'' (red), ''Phaeophyta'' (brown) and ''Chlorophyta'' (green) macroalgae. Seaweed species such as ...

Fauna

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 A Special Protection Area (SPA) is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union (EU) have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and cert ...

for bird-life. The salt flats provide an important habitat for both the resident birds and the thousands of migrating birds who stop on their journey between Europe and Africa. Species found around the salt flats include

flamingo Flamingos or flamingoes are a type of Wader, wading bird in the Family (biology), family Phoenicopteridae, which is the only extant family in the order Phoenicopteriformes. There are four flamingo species distributed throughout the Americas ...

s (''Phoenicopterus roseus'');

grey Grey (more common in British English) or gray (more common in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is "without color", because it can be composed o ...

(''Ardea cinerea''); purple herons (''Ardea purpurea'');

stork Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long, stout bills. They belong to the family called Ciconiidae, and make up the order Ciconiiformes . Ciconiiformes previously included a number of other families, such as herons an ...

s; cranes; waders including

avocet The four species of avocets are a genus, ''Recurvirostra'', of waders in the same avian family as the stilts. The genus name comes from Latin , 'curved backwards' and , 'bill'. The common name is thought to derive from the Italian ( Ferrarese) ...

s and

oystercatcher The oystercatchers are a group of waders forming 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. The e ...

s; and overwintering

duck Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfamilies, they are a form t ...

s. Many species of

lark Larks are passerine birds of the family Alaudidae. Larks have a cosmopolitan distribution with the largest number of species occurring in Africa. Only a single species, the horned lark, occurs in North America, and only Horsfield's bush lark occu ...

live on the steppe, including the rare Dupont's lark (''Chersophilus duponti'') and there are also

little bustard The little bustard (''Tetrax tetrax'') is a bird in the bustard family, the only member of the genus ''Tetrax''. The genus name is from Ancient Greek and refers to a gamebird mentioned by Aristophanes and others. Distribution It breeds in South ...

s (''Tetrax tetrax'') and

stone curlew The stone-curlews, also known as dikkops or thick-knees, consist of 10 species within the family Burhinidae, and are found throughout the tropical and temperate parts of the world, with two or more species occurring in some areas of Africa, Asia, ...

s (''Burhinus oedicnemus''). Sea birds include

yellow-legged gull The yellow-legged gull (''Larus michahellis'') is a large gull found in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, which has only recently achieved wide recognition as a distinct species. It was formerly treated as a subspecies of either the Cas ...

s (''Larus michahellis''),

tern Terns are seabirds in the family Laridae that have a worldwide distribution and are normally found near the sea, rivers, or wetlands. Terns are treated as a subgroup of the family Laridae which includes gulls and skimmers and consists of e ...

razorbill The razorbill, razor-billed auk, or lesser auk (''Alca torda'') is a colonial seabird and the only extant member of the genus '' Alca'' of the family Alcidae, the auks. It is the closest living relative of the extinct great auk (''Pinguinis im ...

s (''Alca torda''),

shag Shag, or Shagged, or Shagger, or Shagging, or Shags may refer to: Animals * Shag or cormorant, a bird family ** European shag, a specific species of the shag or cormorant family ** Great cormorant another species of the family People Pseudonym ...

s, the occasional puffin (''Fratercula arctica'') and Cory's (''Calonectris diomedea'') and

Balearic shearwater The Balearic shearwater (''Puffinus mauretanicus'') is a medium-sized shearwater in the seabird family ''Procellariidae''. ''Puffinus'' is a New Latin loanword based on the English "puffin" and its variants, that referred to the cured carcass of ...

s (''Puffinus mauretanicus''). The wealth of animal life provides prey for a number of

raptor Raptor or RAPTOR may refer to: Animals The word "raptor" refers to several groups of bird-like dinosaurs which primarily capture and subdue/kill prey with their talons. * Raptor (bird) or bird of prey, a bird that primarily hunts and feeds on ...

osprey The osprey (''Pandion haliaetus''), , also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor reaching more than in length and across the wings. It is brown o ...

s (''Pandion haliaetus''),

peregrine falcon The peregrine falcon (''Falco peregrinus''), also known as the peregrine, and historically as the duck hawk in North America, is a Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan bird of prey (Bird of prey, raptor) in the family (biology), family Falco ...

s (''Falco peregrinus''),

kestrel The term kestrel (from french: crécerelle, derivative from , i.e. ratchet) is the common name given to several species of predatory birds from the falcon genus ''Falco''. Kestrels are most easily distinguished by their typical hunting behaviou ...

s (''Falco tinnunculus''), and

eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...

s. Approximately 15 species of reptile are found in the park, including

Italian wall lizard The Italian wall lizard or ruin lizard (''Podarcis siculus'', from the Greek meaning agile and feet) is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. ''P. siculus'' is native to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, France, Italy, Serbia, Montenegro ...

s (''Podarcis sicula''),

ocellated lizard The ocellated lizard or jewelled lizard (''Timon lepidus'') is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae (wall lizards). The species is endemic to southwestern Europe. Common names Additional common names for ''T. lepidus'' include eyed liza ...

s (''Timon lepidus''),

grass snake The grass snake (''Natrix natrix''), sometimes called the ringed snake or water snake, is a Eurasian non-venomous colubrid snake. It is often found near water and feeds almost exclusively on amphibians. Subspecies Many subspecies are recogniz ...

s (''Natrix natrix''), and Lataste's viper (''Vipera latastei''). The maritime reserve is home to various species of

crustacean Crustaceans (Crustacea, ) form a large, diverse arthropod taxon which includes such animals as decapods, seed shrimp, branchiopods, fish lice, krill, remipedes, isopods, barnacles, copepods, amphipods and mantis shrimp. The crustacean group ...

mollusc Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is esti ...

s, and

fishes Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of li ...

including the

common cuttlefish #REDIRECT Common cuttlefish #REDIRECT Common cuttlefish {{redirect category shell, {{R from other capitalisation{{R from move ...

{{redirect category shell, {{R from other capitalisation{{R from move ...

(''Sepia officinalis''), the ''

Pinna nobilis ''Pinna nobilis'', common name the noble pen shell or fan mussel, is a large species of Mediterranean clam, a marine bivalve mollusc in the family Pinnidae, the pen shells. *''Pinna gigas'' Chemnitz It reaches up to of shell length.Zavodn ...

'' clam that produces

sea silk Sea silk is an extremely fine, rare, and valuable fabric that is made from the long silky filaments or byssus secreted by a gland in the foot of pen shells (in particular ''Pinna nobilis''). The byssus is used by the clam to attach itself to t ...

, the

Mediterranean moray The Mediterranean moray (sometimes also called Roman eel, ''Muraena helena'', ''زريمباية'') 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. Its bite can be d ...

(''Muraena helena'') that was regarded as a delicacy by the Romans, the

garfish The garfish (''Belone belone''), also known as the garpike or sea needle, is a pelagic, oceanodromous needlefish found in brackish and marine waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean, Caribbean, Black, and Baltic Seas. Description The ...

(''Belone belone''), and flying gurnard (''Dactylopterus volitans''), which uses its enlarged

pectoral fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as ...

s to "walk" along the ocean floor. Seaweeds host fish such as

bream Bream ( ) are species of freshwater and marine fish belonging to a variety of genera including '' Abramis'' (e.g., ''A. brama'', the common bream), '' Acanthopagrus'', ''Argyrops'', '' Blicca'', '' Brama'', '' Chilotilapia'', ''Etelis'', '' L ...

and

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 u ...

. Among the mammals in the park are

common genet The common genet (''Genetta genetta'') is a small viverrid indigenous to Africa that was introduced to southwestern Europe. It is widely distributed north of the Sahara, in savanna zones south of the Sahara to southern Africa and along the coa ...

s (''Genetta genetta''),

wild boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...

(''Sus scrofa''), the

garden dormouse The garden dormouse (''Eliomys quercinus'') is a rodent in the dormouse family. Characteristics The garden dormouse is gray or brown, with a whitish underside. It has black eye markings and large ears. Its hair is short, and its tail has a whi ...

(''Eliomys quercinus''), and the

least weasel The least weasel (''Mustela nivalis''), little weasel, common weasel, or simply weasel is the smallest member of the genus '' Mustela,'' family Mustelidae and order Carnivora. It is native to Eurasia, North America and North Africa, and has bee ...

(''Mustela nivalis''), the smallest terrestrial mammalian carnivore. The

used to provide a habitat for the endangered

monk seal Monk seals are earless seals of the tribe Monachini. They are the only earless seals found in tropical climates. The two genera of monk seals, ''Monachus'' and ''Neomonachus'', comprise three species: the Mediterranean monk seal, ''Monachus mona ...

(''Monachus monachus''). Up until the 1960s it was one of the last locations where this seal bred in Spain, the islet of

Tabarca Tabarca (, ), officially Nueva Tabarca and also known as ''Isla Plana'' (Spanish) and as ''Nova Tabarca'' and ''Illa Plana'' in Valencian, is an islet located in the Mediterranean Sea, close to the town of Santa Pola, in the province of Alican ...

being the other one. Although occasionally sighted offshore, no seals have bred in the park since 1965.

Media

Notable movies were filmed in the natural park, at the Playa de Mónsul, such as ''

Antony and Cleopatra ''Antony and Cleopatra'' (First Folio title: ''The Tragedie of Anthonie, and Cleopatra'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The play was first performed, by the King's Men, at either the Blackfriars Theatre or the Globe Theatre in around ...

'' (1972), ''

The NeverEnding Story ''The Neverending Story'' (german: Die unendliche Geschichte) is a fantasy novel by German writer Michael Ende, published in 1979. The first English translation, by Ralph Manheim, was published in 1983. The novel was later adapted into several f ...

'' (1984), ''

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen ''The Adventures of Baron Munchausen'' is a 1988 adventure fantasy film co-written and directed by Terry Gilliam, and starring John Neville, Sarah Polley, Eric Idle, Jonathan Pryce, Oliver Reed, Robin Williams and Uma Thurman. An interna ...

'' (1988), ''

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade ''Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade'' is a 1989 American action film, action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg, from a story co-written by executive producer George Lucas. It is the third installment in the Indiana Jones, ''Indiana ...

'' (1989) and ''

Talk to Her ''Talk to Her'' ( es, Hable con ella) is a 2002 Spanish drama written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar, and starring Javier Cámara, Darío Grandinetti, Leonor Watling, Geraldine Chaplin, and Rosario Flores. The film follows two men who form an u ...

'' (2002). British band

Jamiroquai Jamiroquai () are an English funk and acid jazz band from London. Formed in 1992, they are fronted by vocalist Jay Kay, and were prominent in the London-based funk and acid jazz movement of the 1990s. They built on their acid jazz sound in the ...

filmed the video for their 1996 single " Cosmic Girl" in the natural park.

Notes

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cabo De Gata-Nijar Natural Park Geography of the Province of Almería Deserts of Spain Deserts of Europe Global Geoparks Network members Marine reserves of Spain Natural parks of Spain Natural parks of Andalusia Ramsar sites in Spain Special Protection Areas of Spain Protected areas established in 1997 Geoparks in Spain Volcanoes of Spain Miocene volcanoes