The Redes Natural Park (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

: Parque Natural de Redes) is located in the

Principality of Asturias Asturias (, ; ast, Asturies ), officially the Principality of Asturias ( es, Principado de Asturias; ast, Principáu d'Asturies; Galician-Asturian: ''Principao d'Asturias''), is an autonomous community in northwest Spain. It is coextensiv ...

in northern

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") , ...

. Its total area is , split between two

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

: Caso () and

Sobrescobio Sobrescobio (; ast, Sobrescubiu) is a municipality in the Autonomous Community of the Principality of Asturias, Spain. It is bordered on the north by Piloña, on the east by Caso, on the south by Aller, and on the west by Laviana. It is situate ...

(). It was declared a natural park in 1996.

Conservation

In September 2001, the park was included by

Unesco The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...

in the global network of

Biosphere reserves Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) is an intergovernmental scientific program, launched in 1971 by UNESCO, that aims to establish a scientific basis for the improvement of relationships between people and their environments. MAB's work engag ...

. Redes is one a group of biosphere reserves in the

Cantabrian Mountains , etymology=Named after the Cantabri , photo=Cordillera Cantábrica vista desde el Castro Valnera.jpg , photo_caption=Cantabrian Mountains parallel to the Cantabrian Sea seen from Castro Valnera in an east-west direction. In the background, ...

, which includes

Picos de Europa National Park The Picos de Europa National Park ( es, Parque Nacional de Picos de Europa) is a National Park in the Picos de Europa mountain range, in northern Spain. It is within the boundaries of three autonomous communities, Asturias, Cantabria and Casti ...

and

Somiedo Natural Park Somiedo Natural Park (Spanish: Parque Natural de Somiedo) is a protected area located in the central area of the Cantabrian Mountains in the Principality of Asturias in northern Spain. As well as being designated a natural park, it is protecte ...

. Since 2007 there has been discussion of creating a single super-reserve called ''Gran Cantabrica'' to protect the mountain eco-system. This integration is expected to benefit animals such as the

Cantabrian brown bear The Cantabrian brown bear, Iberian brown bear, or Iberian bear (scientifically ''Ursus arctos pyrenaicus'') is a population of Eurasian brown bears (''Ursus arctos arctos'') living in the Cantabrian Mountains of Spain. On average, females weigh , ...

which have been adversely affected by

habitat fragmentation Habitat fragmentation describes the emergence of discontinuities (fragmentation) in an organism's preferred environment (habitat), causing population fragmentation and ecosystem decay. Causes of habitat fragmentation include geological process ...

. Since 2003 Redes has been protected as 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 certa ...

for birds.

Tourist attractions

There are three

natural monument A natural monument is a natural or natural/cultural feature of outstanding or unique value because of its inherent rarity, representative of aesthetic qualities or cultural significance. Under World Commission on Protected Areas guidelines, na ...

s in the park: * ''Ruta del Alba'', an old miners' road by the river Alba. :es:Ruta del Alba * Deboyu Cave * El Tabayón del Mongayu (waterfall) There are various museums in the area including a bee-keeping museum.

Flora

Temperate deciduous woodland is typical of the park.

Fauna

Farming

The human population carries out traditional livestock farming including

transhumance Transhumance is a type of pastoralism or nomadism, a seasonal movement of livestock between fixed summer and winter pastures. In montane regions (''vertical transhumance''), it implies movement between higher pastures in summer and lower val ...

using high pastures called "brañas". The biosphere reserve aims to protect traditional farming as a sustainable use of natural resources.

Mammals

s are often found in the park, which appears to have a key role in the corridors used by this endangered species. Genetic studies show that the surviving Cantabrian brown bears were divided in the twentieth century into two populations separated by a bear-free zone. (This rupture has been interpreted as the consequence of the development of communication infrastructures and human pressure). However, genetic evidence has been found in Redes of hybridisation, the result of recent breeding between individuals from the two populations. This is good news for the bears as it shows that they have found a way to reverse the fragmentation of their habitat. There is a breeding population of wolves.

Birds

Bird-life includes the

Cantabrian Capercaillie The Cantabrian capercaillie (''Tetrao urogallus cantabricus'') is a subspecies of the western capercaillie in the grouse family Tetraonidae. It is one of two subspecies found in Spain. Description The capercaillie is a large grouse, in length, ...

, a member of the grouse family which is dependent on large tracts of mature woodland. The subspecies has been in decline, partly related to a decline in the quality of its habitat. A recovery plan has been in operation, funded by

the LIFE Programme The LIFE programme (French: L’Instrument Financier pour l’Environnement) is the European Union's funding instrument for the environment and climate action. The general objective of LIFE is to contribute to the implementation, updating and d ...

, which is due to end in 2016. The recovery plan operates across 16

SPAs Spas or SPAS may refer to: * Spa, a therapeutic water treatment Geography * Spas, Russia, several rural localities in Russia * Spas, Lviv Raion, Lviv Oblast, a village in Lviv Raion in Lviv Oblast, Ukraine * Spas, Sambir Raion, Lviv Oblast, a vil ...

, including Redes. There has been work to improve the birds' habitat and to reintroduce them to areas where it appears they have become extinct. Reintroductions have involved a facility for raising capercaillies in captivity at

Invertebrates

Gastropod species include the

Kerry slug The Kerry slug or Kerry spotted slug (''Geomalacus maculosus'') is a species of terrestrial, pulmonate, gastropod mollusc. It is a medium-to-large sized, air-breathing land slug in the family of roundback slugs, Arionidae. Adult Kerry slug ...

References

External links

Walking route of Alba

* {{Authority control Protected areas of Asturias Biosphere reserves of Spain Natural parks of Spain Special Protection Areas of Spain Protected areas established in 1996 Cantabrian Mountains Natural parks of Asturias