Urkiola Natural Park is a protected area located in the southeastern corner of

Biscay Biscay (; eu, Bizkaia ; es, Vizcaya ) is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lordship of Biscay, lying on the south shore of the eponymous bay. The capital and largest city is Bilbao. B ...

and

Álava Álava ( in Spanish) or Araba (), officially Araba/Álava, is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lordship of Álava, former medieval Catholic bishopric and now Latin titular see. Its ca ...

in the northern Basque Country,

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 ...

. It is a protected area of . It was declared a Natural Park on 29 December 1989. The Park's highest mountain summit is

Anboto Anboto () is a limestone mountain of the Western Basque Country, the highest peak of the Urkiola range and not far from the Urkiola mountain pass between Durango and Vitoria-Gasteiz. Description An immense mass of limestone, very compact an ...

at . This mountain has a strong mythological significance. Is the main dwelling of Mari, a figure of

Basque mythology The mythology of the ancient Basques largely did not survive the arrival of Christianity in the Basque Country between the 4th and 12th century AD. Most of what is known about elements of this original belief system is based on the analysis of ...

. Urkiola Natural Park and

Gorbea Natural Park The Gorbeia Natural Park ( eu, Gorbeiako natura parkea, es, Parque natural del Gorbeia) is the largest in the Basque Country, Spain. The park is located in the municipalities of Orozko, Zeberio and Zeanuri in Biscay and Zigoitia, Zuia and Ur ...

form an important environmental unit. Landscape features and easy access have been fundamental to leisure and sports use.

Description and access

Urkiola Natural Park covers an area of and has a perimeter of . The Natural Park is located in eight municipalities, seven in

and one in

Landscape

The landscape of Urkiola Park consists of limestone masses. These rocks have steep slopes, with gullies and cliffs. Karst plains support a diverse and rugged landscape consisting of different proportions of shrubs, grasses, rocks, beech and pine forests. Mining activity is important in the park and its vicinity. While mineral extraction has been a traditional activity within the land that makes up the Urkiola Natural Park, the mines were closed long ago. LImestone quarries, opencast mines that have a great impact on the landscape, have remained active since the formation of Urkiola Natural Park.

Geology

The abundance of limestone and rainfall in the area has led to a very rich

karstic Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

relief, with many caves with prehistoric remains of human occupation,

sinkholes A sinkhole is a depression or hole in the ground caused by some form of collapse of the surface layer. The term is sometimes used to refer to doline, enclosed depressions that are locally also known as ''vrtače'' and shakeholes, and to openi ...

and

fissures A fissure is a long, narrow crack opening along the surface of Earth. The term is derived from the Latin word , which means 'cleft' or 'crack'. Fissures emerge in Earth's crust, on ice sheets and glaciers, and on volcanoes. Ground fissure ...

Climate

The climate is warm oceanic, with high rainfall with a clear decrease in the summer. Most of the park is about above sea level. The annual rainfall is around . The temperature is mild, with a marine influence, and a range between mean minimum and maximum average , with an annual average of .

Vegetation and Fauna

Vegetation

The vegetation of Urkiola Natural Park presents typical features of the Cantabrian-Atlantic provinces of the Euro-Siberian region, with features of the Mediterranean region. The vegetation is: * Altitudes above , where there is presence of boreal-alpine floral elements. * Large area of limestone rock mass which favour the development of sub-Mediterranean floral elements.

Flora

The park's vegetation has been influenced by human exploitation through centuries of occupation. Obviously the height and geology also determine the type of vegetation. Have cataloged a total of 694 taxa (species, subspecies and hybrids), among which 156 are classified as being of special interest because of their special endemism. In the Urkiola Natural Park there aren't own unique species.

Fauna

The fauna of Urkiola Natural Park consists mainly of typical Euro-Siberian species. Others are Mediterranean origin, Ethiopian Eastern and cosmopolitan. The distribution is the following: * Euro-Siberian: 83%. * Mediterranean: 13%. * Cosmopolitan 3%. * Ethiopian Eastern: 1%. 126 species of vertebrates have been catalogued, excluding Chiroptera (bats), The following table shows the distribution according to their class: In the park are a number of protected species, 64 are included in the "National Catalogue of Endangered Species". There are three species can be caught and 12 that can be hunted. Mugarra, pared 1

The Birds Directive of the European Community protects 19 species while the Habitats Directive protects the other 15. There are 106 species that are protected by the Berne Convention, 30 for the Bonn Convention and 15 by the Washington Convention. The "Basque Catalogue of Threatened Species" includes 36 species that are present in the park.

The history of human occupation

Urkiola Natural Park contains traces of human occupation since prehistoric times. The caves in the gorge of Atxarte, in the massif of Anboto attest to this. Some ceramic fragments from the Roman Empire and Middle Ages are to be found in the remains of walls in the park.

Uses of resources in the park

Logging

Logging in Urkiola Natural Park has taken place since time immemorial, in particular beech pollard used for making

charcoal Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood (or other animal and plant materials) in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents. In the traditional version of this pyrolysis process, cal ...

, and oaks used for firewood, and pine plantations for the production of paper pulp. Urkiola

Between 1990 and 2006 of forest have been planted in different species, including of hardwood, mainly beech, birch and oak, and of conifers, primarily Douglas fir, radiata pine, larch and Sitka spruce.

Agricultural and livestock activities

Livestock and pastoral activity has actively contributed to the formation of the current landscape of the park. Livestock primarily consists of sheep, cattle and horses. The sheep are for producing milk for cheese and curds. The cattle and horses are raised for meat.

Hunting and Fishing

Hunting and fishing activities have little relevance within the Urkiola Natural Park. Around the park hunting is provided in some specific areas where it is mainly for migratory species like

woodcock The woodcocks are a group of seven or eight very similar living species of wading birds in the genus ''Scolopax''. The genus name is Latin for a snipe or woodcock, and until around 1800 was used to refer to a variety of waders. The English name ...

dove Columbidae () is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily ...

and thrush. Hunted species include hares, which maintain a high population, and there is some wild boar, deer and partridge. Fishing is non-existent within the Park area.

References

External links

Urkiola Natural Park Official Website

Parque Natural de Urkiola en la web de la Diputación Foral de Bizkaia

Parque Natural de Urkiola, Información sobre Urkiola

Escalada en Atxarte
{{Authority control Geography of Álava Geography of Biscay Natural parks of Spain Protected areas of the Basque Country (autonomous community) Tourist attractions in Álava