Sierra de Cazorla Region Guide

ONE WORD DEFINES US: VARIETY

If there is one thing that characterises the region, it is the variety, in its landscapes, in its ecosystems, altitudes ranging from 2,100 metres in the Sierra de la Cabrilla to 360 metres in the vicinity of the Puente de la Cerrada. High peaks are mixed with deep ravines, gentle reliefs and wide valleys, forests, olive groves, high mountain pastures and orchards. Wet, dry and semi-desert areas.

The high average altitude, which exceeds 1,000 metres, gives these mountains a spectacular beauty, with numerous peaks that exceed 2,000 metres. The altitude rises from west to east, but not continuously, but forming sawtooths whose protrusions and inlets are progressively more pronounced, alternating river courses and lines of summits, all the higher the deeper we go into the mountains.

The climate is characterized by cold winters with abundant rainfall (snow above 1,200 meters) and dry and hot summers. Rainfall ranges from 400 mm in the lowlands of the south-western part of the region to 1,600 mm, including 2,000 mm, on the summits. The average annual temperature shows a relatively mild climate.

The natural characteristics of the territory have conditioned its use and exploitation. Traditional uses: livestock farming, forestry and small holdings of traditional crops (olive groves, cereals, horticulture,…) a variety of popular crafts (esparto grass, wicker) have given way to new economic activities: service companies, especially tourism, in the area of the Natural Park. The expansion and intensification of olive groves, which currently occupy 70% of the cultivated area, occupy areas traditionally dedicated to other crops: cereals from the countryside and horticultural crops from the fertile plains of the Guadalquivir and the Guadiana Menor.

From a bird’s eye view in the landscape of this region you can distinguish: the mountain ranges, to the east and the countryside and the depressions of the Guadiana Menor and Guadalquivir, to the west.

LA SIERRA from any point of entry to our region, appears as the backdrop of a wonderful setting, full of scenic charm. Several mountain ranges are aligned from east to west, in the direction in which they decrease in altitude: Cabrilla, Pozo, Cazorla and Quesada, separated by the Guadalentín valley, the Guadalquivir valley and the Tíscar fault.

Peaks separated by large ravines through which streams run that are enclosed in enclosures, jump over waterfalls, slopes covered with pine forests, gall oaks,… High areas with pastures, navas,…: in any corner you can discover species of flora and fauna unique in the world, amazing and long-lived tree specimens… Their relevant characteristics have been reason enough to declare them together with Segura and Las Villas as a Natural Park: “The Sierras de Cazorla, Segura and Las Villas Natural Park”.

Our summits

• Empanadas: 2,107 m
• Cerro de los Tornajos: 2,033 m
• Alto de la Cabrilla: 2,032 m
• Cabins: 2,028 m
• Vulture Prop: 2,007 m
• Cerro Villalta: 1,910 m
• Peña Juana: 1,886 m
• Gilillo: 1,847 m

THE COUNTRYSIDE: SEA OF OLIVE TREES

Between the mountains and the depressions appears the countryside; its relief is soft and plummet. Traditionally, the lowest areas (below 600 metres) were occupied by arable land (cereals, legumes, etc.) while as you ascended in altitude, olive groves were the dominant crop. Near the villages, taking advantage of the small watercourses and traditional terraces, there are still orchards and fruit trees.

At present, the olive grove has been displacing the rest of the crops, the hills are occupied by an immense sea of olive trees, still interrupted by some plots of calm land and small orchards, all framed by the surrounding mountain ranges. In the driest areas, the almond trees splash white in the spring.

Between the wild mountains and the fertile plains are located the villages of our region.

The figures speak:

• Olive grove area: 32,556 hectares.
• Percentage of regional area: 24 %
• Active population employed in its cultivation: 40%
• Olive production: 78,0000,000 kg
• Oil production: 18,000,000 kg
• Number of oil mills: 18

Las Vegas del Guadiana Menor and Guadalquivir

Our two large rivers bathe fertile meadows, which even with ever-present olive groves, show other irrigated crops such as garlic, asparagus, corn, beetroot, alfalfa and small gardens for self-consumption.

The Guadalquivir here shows its calmest face, after descending boxed in from its source, through the mountains in a northerly direction. It varies its course to the south, widening and spilling water through the different crops that it finds in its path, between rows of poplars and ash trees.

The Guadiana Menor, from the Hoya de Baza, crosses the region from the south to the northwest at its confluence with the Guadalquivir. Its green banks stand out like no other in the region. The surrounding steppe landscape, dominated by dry, semi-desert lands, wadis, espartales…, makes this river an oasis of greenery and fertility, in the middle of a beautiful desert landscape.

The depression of the Guadiana Menor is one of the most arid areas of the province of Jaén, it represents the steppe of our region. A multitude of wadis converge in the irregular river, causing strong erosion; giving rise to the so-called “bad lands” or bad lands, occupied by semi-desert vegetation, with some exclusive plant species adapted to saline and gypsum substrates.

 

SIERRAS DE CAZORLA, SEGURA AND LAS VILLAS NATURAL PARK

EXISTING PROTECTIONS:

The Sierras de Cazorla, Segura and Las Villas Natural Park was declared as such by Decree 10/1986 of 5 February. It has a total of 209,300 hectares, and includes the nearly 70,000 hectares of the former National Hunting Reserve of Cazorla and Segura (declared by Law 17/1960 of 21 June). Andalusian Hunting Reserve. On June 30, 1983, what is now the Natural Park was declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO’s “Man and the Biosphere” (MAB) Programme. In October 1988 the European Union declared it a Special Protection Area for Birds (SPA). More recent are the declarations of Site of Community Interest (SCI) in 2006 (Natura 2000 Network). The existence of numerous shelters with cave paintings from the Palaeolithic and Neolithic ages has led UNESCO to recognise the importance of these paintings as they are included in the arch of cave paintings of Levantine Art. Interprovincial complex formed by Granada-Almería-Jaén, declared a World Heritage Site in 2000.

With the joint work of public and private institutions, the park received the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism ( CETS) from EUROPARC in October 2004. This is a quality certificate whose objective is to promote tourism that is aware of the conservation of the environment. Voluntarily following the guidelines of this charter, benefits are achieved in the quality of life of the inhabitants of the area, but it also contributes to promoting a committed tourism industry with quality services, as well as the promotion of artisanal activities that traditionally respect the ecosystem. In September 2024, the CETS was renewed with numerous companies in the natural park and the Distinction of the Integral System of Tourism Quality in Destination (SICTED) in 2011.

Approximately 40% of the regional area belongs to this Protected Area.

In the interior of the Sierra de Cazorla region, one of the areas of maximum protection of the Natural Park is located, the Natural Reserve of Navahondona and Guadahornillos, with an area of 23,151 hectares, in which an impressive Mediterranean forest with a very high degree of conservation stands out in Roblehondo and Fresnedilla.

The management, conservation and administration of this impressive Natural Park correspond to the Ministry of Sustainability and Environment, of the Junta de Andalucía. To ensure the conservation of the most characteristic values, to enable the development of actions for public use, in general, to facilitate the maintenance and improvement of productive uses compatible with the objectives of conservation and promotion, The Natural Park has a Natural Resources Management Plan (PORN) and a Use and Management Plan (PRUG), which pursue, among other primary objectives: resource management, space organization, socio-economic revitalization and nature conservation. Likewise, this Natural Park has a Governing Board, a consultative body to the Ministry of Sustainable Development and representative of all those affected by the declaration of Natural Park (inhabitants through their mayors, hunters, ecologists, farmers, ranchers, businessmen, unions, scientists, universities, social economy, consumers and users…) who press the opinion of those affected, collecting their suggestions and contributions; allowing these members of the Governing Board to participate in the decisions that have to be taken for the correct management of the Natural Park.

 

GEOLOGY

Geology and landscape have varied over millions of years. In a very schematic way, geological history can be summarized as follows: 230 million years ago, the mountain ranges that we see today were the Tethys Sea, in whose shallow waters the current materials were sedimented. This sea began to retreat 25 million years ago, the African and Iberian plates approached and, as a consequence, approximately 10 million years ago the materials folded and rose (alpine orogeny), forming the current mountains. Since then, the erosive processes, which are still at work today, are responsible for shaping the landscape.

Essentially the oldest materials appear in the mountains. Red clays with silts and sands from the Triassic (upper course of the Guadalquivir valley), separate dolomites and limestones from the Jurassic (Sierra de Cazorla), dolomites and limestones from the Cretaceous (Sierra del Pozo and La Cabrilla). In the rest of the territory the materials are more recent: marls and calcarenites from the Miocene in the countryside; and Quaternary gravel, silt and sands on mountain slopes and riverbeds.

The strata, generally limestone and dolomite, appear wrinkled in a succession of synclinal folds (with sunken layers in the core) and anticlines (raised layers in the core), cut by faults. The entire set of rocks that form the sierras is separated from the materials of the Guadalquivir depression by a large reverse fault or “thrust”, so that the sierra is partially mounted on the loams of the depression; these materials are in contrast less deformed.

Georesources: Borosa River Valley, where the anticline of the Puente de los Caracolillos stands out; the Cerrada de Elías and the travertine cornices of the Organs. Other georesources are: La Cerrada de Utrero, the lapiaz de Linarejos and Torcal Llano…

 

HYDROLOGY

The Natural Park is one of the main hydrographic nodes of the Spanish geography, becoming the cradle of a large number of streams and rivers that arise among its limestones. The Guadalquivir and Segura rivers are born in these mountain ranges, being, therefore, the headwaters and dividing lines of two important hydrographic basins. The first pours its waters into the Atlantic basin and the second into the Mediterranean. The Guadalquivir River rises at 1,350 m in the area known as Cañada de las Fuentes (municipality of Quesada), and runs along the slopes of the Sierras de Cazorla, where very close to its source it is dammed in the Cerrada de Utrero, where it receives the Linarejos stream, and then continues in the Sierra de Segura. and to remain calm in the Tranco de Beas Reservoir at about 645 m, where it turns quickly changing direction and looking southwest through the Sierra de Las Villas and thus leave the Park and head towards Andújar (leaving behind the Alto Guadalquivir Natural Park – Pantanos de la Cerrada, Doña Aldonza and Pedro Marín). But before that, it has received water from hundreds of streams and rivers, which add a large amount of crystal clear water to its course; some of them, in the Sierra de Cazorla, are the Arroyos de los Cerezos, del Valle, Sauco, de la Mesa, de los Habares, and rivers such as Borosa, (which already carries the streams of Infierno, Valdeazorillos, de la Reina and de las Truchas). Already in the Sierra de Segura, the Aguamula and Aguarrocón rivers, the streams of Las Espumaderas, del Hombre, Montero, Aguasblanquillas are important tributaries… From the Sierra del Pozo, it has as tributaries, the Guadalentín, with its tributaries of the Tornillos de Gualay and Canaliega streams, of the Rambla, Guazalamanco. It rests in the beautiful Embalse de la Bolera, from where the Guadalentín will later look for the Guadiana Menor and the latter for the Guadalquivir. The Sierra de las Villas tributes water to the streams of María, Cañada de la Madera, Aguascebas Grande and Aguascebas Chico, which form the Aguascebas Reservoir, from which the supply of the liquid element is supplied to the region of La Loma (Úbeda, Torreperogil, Baeza…) to reach the Guadalquivir through Mogón. The Guadalimar River, which rises in the province of Albacete, enters the Natural Park to pour its waters into the Guadalquivir at the height of the Mengíbar reservoir, but transports the flows of the Orcera, Hornos and Vega rivers, waters of these Sierras of the Natural Park.

The Segura River rises in Fuente Segura, at 1,400 m, and very close to Pontones, taking a northeasterly direction until it leaves the Park and continues through the fertile plain of Murcia flowing into the Mediterranean. As it passes through the Natural Park it collects water from many streams and rivers, such as the Azul and Masegoso streams, the Madera river, the Zumeta with its tributaries, which after backing in the Presa de la Vieja, joins the Segura, the Tus river (which provides its waters after feeding the Fuensanta reservoir, already outside the Natural Park). Before leaving the Park, the Segura forms one of the most beautiful reservoirs in this protected natural area, the Anchuricas Reservoir.

FLORA AND FAUNA

The importance of this Natural Park in the context of biodiversity in the Iberian Peninsula is exceptional.

If at first glance everything looks like pine and stone, walk and observe. To date, some 2000 higher plants have been catalogued (17% of the European flora and 25% of the Iberian flora). 50 botanical endemic species have been described: Cazorla geranium (Geranium cazorlense), Cazorla aquileña (Aquilegia cazorlensis), Cazorla erodium (Erodium cazorlanum) and the most emblematic, the Cazorla violet (Viola cazorlensis), almost a hundred are Andalusian endemics, especially Baetic, and many others are Iberian. The Ibero-North African endemic species far exceed one hundred specimens, making this floristic enclave the second most important in all of Western Europe.

As for the fauna: It is very rich and varied, with a large number of different species.

Among the vertebrates, we can distinguish: 12 species of fish (common trout, gypsy barbel, horn, boga…), 21 species of reptiles (including an endemism, the Valverde lizard (Algyroides marchi), leper and European pond turtle, ocellated lizard, ladder snake, horseshoe snake, the snouted viper…) 11 species of amphibians (Baetic midwife toad, gallipato, Iberian newt, Iberian midwife toad, Iberian midwife toad, runner toad…, 186 species of birds (golden eagle, short-toed eagle, Bonelli’s eagle, Egyptian vulture, griffon vulture, bearded vulture, eagle owl…) and 51 mammals (including the unique and agile mountain goat, deer, fallow deer, mouflons, wild boars, wild cat, fox, otter, squirrel, Cabrera vole, 14 species of bats…). There is also a great variety of invertebrates. Among them 112 species of diurnal butterflies (exceptional species such as the Elizabethan butterfly (Graellsia isabelae ceballosi), 181 species of nocturnal butterflies (moths), 64 species of grasshoppers…

 

BIOCLIMATOLOGY

Bioclimatogy tries to reveal the behaviour of living beings as a function of the climate. Plants, due to their own characteristics and especially their immobility, respond clearly to different types of climates, this, together with the soil, being one of the most relevant elements in the determination of plant dynamics.

 

BIOCLIMATIC FLOORS

The effects of temperature are clearly manifested in an altitudinal zoning of vegetation, which can be seen in all the mountains of the globe. Each of the thermoclimatic ranges or spaces that correspond to a more or less homogeneous type of vegetation is what is known as the bioclimatic floor, although the term thermoclimatic floor could be more appropriate. This zoning is peculiar to each of the major climatic regions. Thus, RIVAS MARTÍNEZ (1987) proposes the existence of 6 bioclimatic levels for the Mediterranean Region, established according to the following parameters:

T: Average annual temperature.

M: Average annual temperature of the maximum temperatures of the coldest month.

m: Average annual temperature of the minimum temperatures of the coldest month.

Tt: Thermicity index (T+m+M)10.

 

According to the values of these four parameters and especially the last one, six bioclimatic levels are established, of which three bioclimatic levels are present in these mountain ranges:

Mesomediterranean. It occupies the basal zone, with its upper limit appearing at around 1,200 m. In the coldest areas it can even appear at around 1,100 m., while on the outer slopes of the mountain range exposed to sunshine (southeast slope of the Sierra del Pozo), it can exceed 1,400 m. As bioindicator species of this floor , Pistacia terebinthus, Arbustus unedo, Rosmarinus officinalis, Retama sphaerocarpa, Stipa tenacissima, etc., as well as olive grove crops, can be used.

Supra-Mediterranean. Located above the previous one, its limit is around 1,750-1,800 m. occupying a considerable area in these mountain ranges. Bioindicator species include Echinospartum boissieri, Erinacea anthyllis, Salvia landulifolia, Berberis hispanica, Daphne laureola, Lonicera arborea, Cistus laurifolius, Cytisus reverchonii, Quercus pyrenaica, Festuca hystrix, Helictotrichon filifolium, etc.

Oro-Mediterranean. It appears in the cacuminal areas, so its extension is smaller than those of the previous ones, although it is not negligible, since there are numerous elevations above 1750-1800 m, a level from which the conditions of this floor occur. The landscape change that takes place when passing from the supra to the oro-Mediterranean is by far more pronounced than that which occurs in the meso-supra transition, since the planifolio forest and its degradation thickets disappear, to be replaced by open pine forests, where creeping juniper and cushioned thorny scrub are very significant. Among the bioindicator species we can highlight Juniperus communis subsp. hemisphaerica, Juniperus sabina, Astragalus giennensis, Ptilotrichum spinosum, Genista longipes, etc., which form extensive communities, although all of them can appear scattered in the upper horizons of the supra-Mediterranean.

 

FLOOR	T	m	M	It
CRYOROMEDITERRANEAN	<	< 4 -7	<0	< -30
ORO-MEDITERRANEAN	Verses 4-8	-7 to – 4	0-2	-30 to 60
SUPRA-MEDITERRANEAN	Verses 8-13	-4 to -1	2-9	60 to 210
MESO-MEDITERRANEAN	Verses 13-17	-1 to 4	Verses 9-14	210 to 350
THERMO-MEDITERRANEAN	Verses 17-19	4 to 10	Verses 14-18	350 to 470
INFRA-MEDITERRANEAN	< 19	>10	< 18	>4701

T: Average annual temperature.

m: Average annual temperature of the minimum temperatures of the coldest month.

M: Average annual temperature of the maximum temperatures of the coldest month.

Tt: Thermicity index (T+m+M)10.

 

Bioclimatology in the Natural Park:

Thermoclimate	Altitude	Temperature	Species
MESO-MEDITERRANEAN	Sea level Up to 1,300-1400 meters above sea level	m 1º to 5 ºC M 8º to 14 ºC T 13º to 17 º C	Aleppo pineKermes oak Mastic Strawberry treeHolm oak Peony Sarsaparilla Broom…
SUPRA-MEDITERRANEAN	1,400 to 1,700 m.	m -4º to -5º C M 3º to 8º C T 8º to 13º C	Black pine Holm oak Barberry Aligustre Maple Honeysuckle Sage Cornita Junipers…
ORO-MEDITERRANEAN	+ 1,700 meters above sea level	m -4º to -8º C M 0º to 8º C T 4º to 8º C	Black pineCreeping juniperCreeping juniperPiornal …
m Minimum temperature M maximum temperature T Average annual temperature

 

OMBROCLIMA. The effects of precipitation, on the other hand, are more difficult to establish, especially if there is no availability of moisture over time, depending on the storage capacity or retention capacity of the soil. Evapotranspiration is another element to take into account and that depends on the vegetation cover, insolation, temperature and on a large scale, the latitude. Its strong variations depending on the orientation (in short, the hours of sunshine), mean that the topography plays a very important role in the microclimatic dynamics and thus in the vegetation. The most significant ombral caesuras in the Iberian Peninsula for the Mediterranean territory, according to RIVAS MARTÍNEZ (1987), are the following:

 

OMBROCLIMA P (mm)

< Aggregate 200

Semi-arid 200-350

Dry 350-600

Sub-humid 600-1,000

Wet 1,000-1,600

Hyper-humid > 1,600

 

FLORA

LOS PINARES. There are three main types of pines: the black pine (Pinus nigra subsp. salzmanzannii), the black pine (Pinus pinaster) and the Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis).

The laricio in the highest areas, withstands extreme edaphic, water and thermal conditions very well. With straight bearings, long and flexible needles and small pine cones, it has a highly appreciated wood and is very long-lived. It is accompanied by creeping junipers (Juniperus sabina), junipers (Juniperus communis), hawthorns (Crataegus monogyna)…

At intermediate altitudes the black pine appears, it has a cracked bark with age traversed by purplish/reddish furrows, its needles are rigid and with the sharp end, it has the pine cones sitting. This pine forest is associated in its understory with other species such as the cornicabra or cornita (Pistacia terebinthus), maples (Acer monspessulanum and granatense ), junipers (Juniperus oxycedrus), lavenders or lavender (Lavandula latifolia).

Finally, and in the lowest, driest and sunniest places, we find the Aleppo or halepo pine, with the upper part of the trunk and whitish branches, a globose crown, thin and flexible leaves and elongated and scrambled cones on the peduncles. As always they are not alone, under their shadows we find ourselves; mastic (Pistacia lentiscus), kermes oak (Quecus coccifera) and rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)…

HOLM OAK AND GALL OAK GROVES. While holm oaks (Quercus ilex sub rotundifolia), with evergreen and leathery leaves, endure dry and sunny conditions, gall oaks (Quercus faginea), deciduous oaks, require cool, humid areas with deep soils. As in pine forests, holm oaks and gall oaks do not appear isolated, but accompanied by many other species. In the holm oak groves we can find: barberries (Phillyrea latifolia), strawberry trees (Arbutus unedo)… In areas with more extreme conditions; mastic (Pistacia lentiscus), kermes oak (Quercus coccifera). On the other hand, in gall oaks, maples (Acer monspessulanus, Acer granatense), cherry trees (Prunus mahaleb) are frequent, in the wettest areas gall oaks or oaks as they are called by the mountain rangers, are accompanied by boxwood (Buxuxux sempervirens).

 

The oldest in the place. Ancient trees Witnesses of other times, the millenary trees accompanied our ancestors and continue to give us shade. In these mountain ranges, yew trees that are more than 2,000 years old are located. The yew (Taxus baccata) is an evergreen tree, it does not usually exceed 10 m, its trunk wide with sheets of detached bark, a wide crown and dark green leaves, the fruit reddish. It grows slowly and its wood was once highly prized. The oldest Salgareño pines or laricio pines in Europe, more than 1,000 years old, are located in our mountains, in an area with skeletal soil and an extreme climate, which has prevented them from growing but has saved them from the cut.

 

RIPARIAN FORESTS. Along the multiple streams, gallery forests warn us of their presence; ash trees (Fraxinus angustifolia), willows (Salíx atrocinerea and S. fragilis) and poplars (Populus nigra) are accompanied by brambles and make up a typical and beautiful riverside landscape. These are plant communities that in many cases are classified as HICs (Habitats of Community Interest)

Other forests: Oak groves, hazelnut groves and juniper groves. In addition to the three main types of forest that have been outlined in the previous sections, there are other formations that, although they cover a much smaller area in the Park, nevertheless have an important landscape and scientific value. Oak groves, hazelnut groves and juniper groves are mostly outside the areas of the Park that enjoy a higher level of protection and their conservation conditions are often very precarious. It would be desirable that the sensitivity of the administration towards the natural heritage of the Park was manifested by promoting measures for the effective protection of these plant formations, whose scarcity makes them as valuable as they are vulnerable.

Restricted to some areas of the Sierra de Segura with acidic soils on sunny slopes, the oak groves of Quercus pyrenaica are one of the greatest ecological rarities within the Park as a whole. These forests are rich in tree species (Quercus faginea, Sorbus torminalis, Sorbus aria) and shrubs (Crataegus monogyna, Berberis hispanica, Virburnum lantana, Prunus spinosa, Ilex aquifolium). Hazelnut groves, on the other hand, are also very restricted, but in this case to shady and cool ravines, where the ambient humidity is very high. Although there are some vestiges of hazelnut groves in the southern half of the Park, their presence is more widespread in the Sierra de Segura. Hazelnut (Corylus avellana) is the most characteristic species, along with holly (Ilex aquifolium) and mostajos (Sorbus torminalis). Among the herbs, the presence of wild strawberries (Fragaria vesca) is noteworthy. At the ecological pole opposite to hazelnut groves are the juniper groves of black juniper (Juniperus phoenicea). The limestone substrate that characterises the Park, together with its complex orography, make it frequent in the land where the soil is practically made up of bare rocks or “slabs”. The strong heating of these surfaces by the summer sun, together with their low water retention capacity, make them very arid habitats. Trees 10 meters high are not uncommon even today, but it is enough to contemplate the mute stumps that still persist to understand that today’s juniper groves are a caricature of what they must have been a century or two ago.

Bushes. Shrub formations popularly known as “shrublands” are very often the result of destruction or profound disturbance of the forest caused by logging, slashing, fire, or a combination of these factors. Given the very long history of intense human action on the forests of Cazorla, Segura and Las Villas, it is not surprising that the Park contains a wide range of scrubland of anthropogenic origin. The specific composition, size and physiognomy of the shrubs vary greatly depending on the type of original forest they have replaced, the degree of erosion suffered by the terrain, and the climatic and human management conditions. Thickets dominated by aromatic plants such as lavender (Lavandula latifolia), marjoram (Thymus mastichina) or thyme (Thymus orospedanus), broom dominated by species of legumes (Cytisus reverchonii, Retama sphaerocarpa), or rosemary and gorse where rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), gorse (Ulex parviflorus) and a whole variety of rockroses and jaguars (for example, Cistus albidus; Cistus monspeliensis, Halimium atriplicifolium), often cover large areas of the region in question.

Of greatest interest to the naturalist are some creeping shrubs that occur in areas of stony or sandy soil located at a high altitude. The low water retention capacity of this type of soil, and the harshness of a climate characterised by a dry and warm summer, a cold winter and high levels of solar radiation, determine the peculiar ecological conditions of these areas of the Park. Several species of small, densely thorny hemispherical shrubs (popularly grouped under the name of “piornos” or “nun’s or mother-in-law’s cushions”) are very characteristic elements of these creeping mountain shrubs. These include species such as Erinacea anthyllis, Echinospartum boissieri, Vella spinosa, Hormatophylla spinosa and Genista lobelli, whose geographical distribution is restricted to mountain habitats in the western Mediterranean. Associated with these shrublands are many of the plant species endemic to the Park that have been mentioned in previous sections (e.g. Arenaria alfacariensis, Erodium cazorlanum, Viola cazorlensis, Thysimum cazorlense), as well as many others that are not endemic to the Park but have a very restricted geographical distribution, limited to the mountains of the southern Iberian Peninsula (Pterocephalus spathulatus, Fumana paradoxa, Santolina elegans, Convulvulus boissieri, Centaurea granatensis, Daphne oleoides).

The hanging gardens. It is essential to take into account plant formations or communities that occupy more or less vertical rock walls. Spread throughout the extension of the Park, the vertical walls are one of the most characteristic elements of its landscape. A wide variety of plants occupy them, rooted in small cracks and ledges, or directly on bare rock (rock-dwelling plants). These plant communities rival the creeping shrublands of sandy and stony areas in terms of the variety of endemic plants. The composition of these hanging gardens is highly variable, depending on the orientation of the wall and its degree of humidity. The dry and relatively sunny walls are the ones that contain the fewest species, but even so we can find in them such interesting species as Sarcocapnos baetica, Potentilla petrophila, Hypericum ericoides, Teucrium rotundifolium, Chaenorrhinum villosum or Linaria lilacina. When the walls are in cool places and the sun does not shine on them for too long each day, the number of rock-dwelling species increases, and mentioning them all would result in an endless list. Suffice it to cite as examples Erinus alpinus, Anthyllis ramburii, Saxifraga camposii, Saxifraga rigoi, Campanula mollis, Moehringia intricata and Antirrhinum australe.

Where the hanging gardens acquire a greater spectacularity is on those rocky walls where the water oozes permanently. This is the specific habitat of Pinguicula vallisneriifolia, one of the most picturesque plants in the Park. In some particularly favorable locations, hundreds of plants of this species cover dozens of square meters of wall, as if it were a light green tapestry. The most striking peculiarity of P. vallisneriifolia is its carnivorous habit or, to be more precise, insectivorous. Its long leaves are covered with a large number of small glands that secrete a very sticky substance where insects stick when they land. The same glands also secrete substances that effect the digestion of trapped prey, and the nutrients that are released are absorbed by the plant. The trapped prey is mostly small flies and mosquitoes, so common in damp and shady places. Dozens of digested insect remains accumulate on the leaves of this insectivorous plant, attesting to its success as a hunter.

To understand botanical and faunal diversity, we must go back millions of years, when the flora at our latitude was subtropical. Despite the numerous changes that have occurred, some of these plants still remain today: those typical of the Mediterranean forest, such as the quercineas. The glacial and interglacial periods (between 100,000 and 10,000 years ago) left us with species typical of central European areas such as the yew, and they also led to certain species being isolated from the rest of their populations and adapting differently to the new conditions, constituting most of our endemic species, such as the violet, the geranium or the aquiline. To the history must be added the great diversity of environments, each of which is associated with its own communities of fauna and flora.

FAUNA

The fauna that today inhabits these mountains is very rich and varied, although over time it has suffered the action of man, which caused some of the most important Iberian species to disappear from these mountains, such as the bear (extinct at the beginning of the seventeenth century); the wolf, whose last specimen was killed in 1923 and the same fate befell the roe deer that became extinct in the years 1958-59. Likewise, other species such as deer and wild boar also became extinct. With the declaration of the National Reserve of Cazorla and Segura, the reintroduction of the deer began previously (1952) with six hinds from Cáceres, and 25 gabatos, 16 females and 9 males from El Lugar Nuevo and Hornachuelos. In 1954, from Chanmbord (France), two males and three females of mouflon were brought to Cazorla which, together with another pair from Luxembourg, were released on the Guadahornillos Bridge. This was the first time that this hunting species native to Corsica was introduced into Spain. The wild boars that became extinct from these mountains were reintroduced in 1952 from Doñana and the Sierras de Andújar. In 1956 the fallow deer was introduced, from Riofrío (Segovia), 51 specimens were released in the Pecho de las Instances.

MAMMALS. The large mammals are represented by five species: ibex (Capra pyrenaica hispánica), deer (Cervus elaphus), fallow deer (Dama dama), mouflon (Ovis musimon) and wild boar (Sus scrofa). Of these ungulates, the deer, goat and wild boar are autochthonous, while the mouflon and fallow deer were introduced to enhance the hunting variety when the National Hunting Reserve was created at the end of the fifties.

As a good bioindicator of the degree of conservation of ecosystems, we should look at the presence of small micropredators or carnivorous mammals, represented in this park by 8 species. The most abundant species are the fox (Vulpes vulpes), the marten (Martes foina), the badger (Meles meles), the wildcat (Felis sylvestris) and the genet (Genetta genetta) and the otter (Lutra lutra) is smaller. Other mammals present in the Natural Park are the squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris), the dormouse (Eliomys quercinus), the rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and the hare (Lepus capensis ssp. granatensis).

BIRDS. The high diversity of birds of prey that characterise the Park is a good indicator of its biological richness, highlighting the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), the goshawk (Accipiter gentilis), Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus); Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo); Booted Eagle (Hieraetus pennatus); Bonelli’s Eagle (Hieraetus fasciatus) Hobby (Falco subbeteo;. Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)… reside permanently. Others can only be observed during the migration or wintering seasons; the osprey (Pandion haliaetus) or honey buzzard (Pernis apivorus)

On the other hand, the short-toed snake (Circatetus gallicus), or the hobby (Falco subbuteo) are present during the nesting season.

The griffon vulture (fulvus), the Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus) and the bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) and the Common Falcon (Falco peregrinus) nest on the vertical cliffs. But also in the cliffs and cliffs, they are assiduously used by martins and swifts, insectivorous species that hunt in permanent flight. Among them are the Royal Swift (Apus melba), the Rock Plane (Hirundo rupestris) and the Common House House (Delichón urbica). The first of these species, a close relative of our urban swifts, places its nests inside the cracks of the rocks, while the other two build mud nests under the ledges of the cliffs. Other birds that nest in hollows or crevices of cliffs are the Rock Sparrow (Petronia petronia), the Red-billed Chough (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax) and the Rook (Corvus monedula)…

The Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca); Montagu’s Harrier (Circus pygargus); Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus) and Black Vulture (Aegypius monachus) are occasional visitors. Among the nocturnal birds of prey: Barn Owl (Tyto alba). Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo); Tawny Owl (Strix aluco); Little Owl (Athene noctua).

Among the pine forests, insectivorous birds predominate, such as the capuchin (Parus cristatus), the coal (Parus ater), the great (Parus caeruleus), the firecrest (Regulus ignicapillus), the grosbeak (Coccothraustes coccothraustes), the common bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula), the greenfinch (Carduelis carduelis). Among the granivores, the crossbill (Loxia curvirostra) stands out. Woodpeckers are also common; the Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major), the Woodpecker (Picus viridis)…

In the forests of holm oaks and gall oaks we can see the wren (Troglodytes troglodytes), the short-toed treecreeper (Certhia brachydactyla), the myth treecreeper (Aegithalos caudatus), the nuthatch (Sitta europaea), the blue (Parus caeruleus), the robin (Erithacus rubecula), the jay (Garrulus glandarius) and the blackbird (Turdus merula). Taking advantage of the winter fruits of strawberry trees and durillos, you can observe; warblers (Sylvia atricapilla), various species of thrushes (Turdus philomelos – Turdus viscivorus) and finches (Fringilla coelebs)…

Along the courses of rivers and streams, in the riparian forests, many species are home to such as common nightingales (Luscinia megarhynchos) and nightingales (Cettia cetti), orioles (Oriolus oriolus), warblers (Sylvia atricapilla), robins (Erithacus rubecula), dippers (Cinclus cinclus) and kingfishers (Alcedo atthis). When the waters calm down, forming small lagoons between reeds and bulrushes, the moorhens (Gallinula choropus), common coot (Fulica atra) and blue coot (Anas platyrhynchos) nest; in addition, the grey heron (Ardea cinerea) is also observed in these waterlogged places.

 

AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES. Among the amphibians, the Baetic midwife toad (Alytes dickhilleni); Iberian midwife toad (Alytes obstetricans); Iberian painted toad (Discoglossus galgoni); Southern paintedapillo (Discoglossus jeanneae); spotted toad (Pelodytes punctatus), common toad (Bufo bufo); runner toad (Bufo calamita or Epidalea calamita); common frog (Rana ridibunda); the salamander or “Cloud Lizard” (Salamandra salamandra morenica) and the gallipato (Pleurodeles waltl)…

Among the reptiles are the snouted viper (Vipera latasti); the horseshoe snake (Coluber hippocrepis); the European smooth snake (Coronella austriaca); the southern smooth coronela (Coronella girondica); the ladder snake (Elaphe scalaris); the cowl’s snake (Macroprotodon cucul1atus); the bastard snake (Malpolon monspessulanu); the viperine snake (Natrix maura); the collared snake (Natrix natrix).

The pond turtle (Clemmys caspica); the European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis); blind shingles (Blanus cinereus). Among the lizards we find the red-tailed lizard (Acanthodactylus erythrurus); the Iberian lizard (Podarcis hispanica); long-tailed lizard (Psammodromus algirus); the Cory’s lizard (Psammodromus hispanicus); the ocellated lizard (Lacerta lepida) and especially an endemism, the Valverde’s lizard (Algyroides marchi) discovered in 1959 by José Antonio Valverde. Its known geographical distribution is limited to the Sierras de Cazorla, Segura and the neighbouring Sierra de Alcaraz, constituting an endemic fauna exclusive to this mountain massif. We can also observe the Iberian skink (Chalcides bedriagai) and the tridactyl skink (Chalcides chalcides).

 

FISH. As for the ichthyological fauna, we must highlight the common trout (Salmo trutta fario) in the crystalline, oxygenated and cold waters. Several decades ago, rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) was introduced, which is possibly responsible for the reduction of the common trout in our rivers. The gypsy barbel (Barbus sclateri); The eel (Anguilla anguilla); the river boga (Chondrostoma polylepis); Guadiana boga (Chondrostoma willkommii); carp (Cyprinus carpio); the goby (Gobio gobio); the cacho or cachuelo (Leuciscus pyrenaicus); the tusk (Cobitis paludica) and the Calandino (Tropidophoxinellus alburnoides) which is a fish of the Cyprinidae family, endemic to the Iberian Peninsula.

 

INVERTEBRATES. They are the great unknowns and new species are described year after year, there are at least 40 endemic species or subspecies. More than 100 species of diurnal butterflies stand out, such as the endemic Graellsia isabelae subsp. ceballosi or Zygaena ignifera…

THE INVERTEBRATE FAUNA IN THE NATURAL PARK

	Total Iberian species	Total species of the Park	Proportion (%)
ORTHOPTERA (Grasshoppers)	300	64	21.3 %
HYMENOPTERA:
FORMICIDS (ants)	210	70	33.3 %
APIDAE (Social bees)	42	10	23.8 %
EUMEDIDAE (Pottery wasps)	200	53	26.5 %
LEPIDOPTERA:
ROPALOCEROS (Diurnal	butterflies 250	112	44.8 %
NOCTUIDS (Moths)	710	181	25.5 %

 

OUR EMBLEMS: THE VIOLET OF CAZORLA AND THE BEARDED VULTURE.

The Cazorla violet (Viola cazorlensis), endemic to the Cazorla, Segura and Las Villas mountain ranges, is the symbol of the Natural Park. Its base is woody and the flowers at the end of long peduncles are purplish-pink, with narrow and very long spurs (prolongation of the flower). It is a circumstantial rock-dwelling plant and its concentration in almost inaccessible vertical walls is due to the pressure of herbivores, thus ensuring development.

The bearded vulture (Gypaetus batus barbatus), a scavenger raptor of great size and majestic flight, requires large mountains and steep walls with cavities where it can nest. It is the last link in the food chain, feeding mainly on bones. In the last century it was abundant in the Andalusian mountains, but human pressure (poisoned baits, egg collection…) decreased its population until it disappeared. In view of its disappearance in our environment, a Reintroduction Plan arises that is giving good results

BEARDED VULTURE REINTRODUCTION PROJECT

The last of the Andalusian bearded vultures disappeared from the Sierra de Cazorla at the end of 1986, That same year work began on the reintroduction of the bearded vulture, following the recommendations of the IUCN. In 1996, the Ministry of the Environment signed a collaboration agreement with the Foundation for the Conservation of the Bearded Vulture (FCBV), today merged into the Foundation for the Conservation of Vultures (VCF), for the transfer of specimens to Andalusia and similar negotiations began with the governments of Aragon and Catalonia. To later begin the construction in the Sierra de Cazorla of the Guadalentín Breeding Center in Nava de San Pedro.

Shortly afterwards, the elaboration of a plan for their reintroduction begins, based on the release of young specimens born in captivity so that, when they reach sexual maturity, they reproduce in the environment where they were released; This technique is called free-range breeding or hacking.

On May 13, 2006, Tono, Faus and Libertad became the first three bearded vultures released in Andalusia. From 2006 to 2020, 96 bearded vultures have been released, distributed between the provinces of Jaén and Granada. Up to that year, nine territorial pairs have been formed that have managed to raise seventeen chicks in the wild since 2015, to which must be added several dozen specimens not yet paired.

The Guadalentín Breeding Centre

It is located within the Natural Park, in Nava de San Pedro. It was inaugurated in 1966 and in 2002 the first bearded vulture was born there, “Andalusia”. Since then, 139 chicks have been born at the Center, of which 129 have survived. In total it has 27 specimens, of which twelve form six breeding pairs that produce chicks every year. Since 1999 his work has been included in the European Endagered Species Program (EPP) for the bearded vulture, which is responsible for coordinating captive breeding in Europe and setting guidelines for working with the species. This programme is led by the Venture Conservations Foundation (VCF), the foundation that currently manages the Guadalentín Breeding Centre.

Bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus)

Length: 100-115 cm

Wingspan: 250-285 cm

Weight: 4.5 – 7.1 kg

Life expectancy: up to 40 years in captivity.

Distribution: large mountain ranges in Europe, Africa and Asia. Extinct in many of its former breeding areas, and in regression in most of the current ones.

Threats: The use of poison to kill predators is their main threat, as well as power lines, direct persecution and egg collecting.

A SPECIALIST VULTURE

Its scientific name means “bearded vulture-eagle,” and it certainly shares characteristics of both types of birds. Consummate glider, impressive is his ability to

flight and maneuvering in the air with hardly any flapping.

The bearded vulture specializes in a unique diet: bones. Its main food is the remains of ruminants, being able to swallow large fragments, even vertebrae and long bones of the limbs. If they are too large, it lifts them in flight and throws them against the ground in rocky areas to break them, the so-called “breakers”; From this practice comes its name.

Its digestive system is very efficient at extracting nutrients from bones, being able to do so many months after the animal’s death. This unique adaptation allows it to survive on one-tenth of the carcass available to other meat-eating scavengers, such as its distant relatives the griffon vultures.

Favorable points for observation

Viewpoint

viewpoint

Viewpoint

Path

Nº	PERIOD	PROBABILITY
1	La Atalaya (Puerto de Tíscar)	Media
2	Cortijo del Tío Clemente	Media
3	El Chorro	Media
4	Puerto de las Palomas	Media
5	Poyos de la Mesa	High
6	Viewpoint of the Fishermen’s	High

Data provided by VCF and PRCANA (Plan for the Recovery and Conservation of Blackfagous Birds – NEDE of Andalusia). Data updated July 2024.

 

ALTO GUADALQUIVIR NATURAL AREA.

Puente de la Cerrada reservoir

The Puente de la Cerrada reservoir, located in the northwestern end of the region, is part of the Alto Guadalquivir Natural Park.

Natural Sites, within the categories of protected natural areas, correspond to small areas with a high environmental value. This one in particular stands out for the presence of interesting marsh and riverside vegetation, which serves as food and shelter for species such as swamphen, purple heron, grey heron and malvasia.

It encompasses three reservoirs built from the 1950s on the Guadalquivir River: Puente de la Cerrada (122 hectares), Doña Aldonza (301 hectares) and Pedro Marín (240 hectares). These reservoirs have suffered strong clogging and blinding by the accumulated mud, as a result of the erosion suffered by the Guadalquivir Basin, giving rise to the existence of ecologically very important wetlands.

On its margins, the dominant crop is olive groves. The erosion of its soils, produced by irregular rainfall, rugged relief, easily erodible lithological substrate and soil management typical of this crop, produces great losses of soil, which washed away by the waters fills and fills the reservoirs.

This phenomenon, erosion, which gave rise to the existence of wetlands, is today, however, one of the most important threats they face. The low water level favours the advance of vegetation, altering the habitat of numerous species, especially ducks. To this must be added the constant fluctuations of the hydrological level (these reservoirs are flow regulators).

The plant communities that appear are distributed according to a series of ecological factors: water table, current speed, orientation, soil thickness, anthropic action, etc. They can be distinguished: cattails (Typha latifolia), reeds (Phragmites australis), tarays (Tamarix sp.), willows (Salix alba, Salix purpurea), ash trees (Fraxinus angustifolia), white poplars (Populus alba)…

Within the group of waterfowl, the most abundant are the ducks: mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), Teal (Anas crecca) and Shoveler (Anas clypeata). The mallard, mallard duck or blue duck, is the most abundant duck in the Upper Guadalquivir, it is the largest and remains throughout the year in the place. The male has a green head, as well as the neck, but this one is a little darker, with a thin white collar that gives way to the chestnut chest. The most characteristic is the blue eyeglass. The female, on the other hand, is brown with darker speckles and stripes.

Another mallard, the common teal, smaller but also very abundant, is migratory and is only found in the winter months; Males are distinguished by a green “mask” and a yellow spot at the base of the tail.

The shoveler, easily observed in winter, stands out for its bright white breast (only the males) and for its large and spatulate beak.

In the Cerrada reservoir, unlike the other two reservoirs that make up this Natural Site, diving ducks can be observed, mainly the European Pochard (Aythya ferina) and Tufted Pochard (Aythya filigula). The European pochard, like that of other divers, has a compact body, in its plumage bright colors are absent. The male has a reddish-brown head, black chest and gray body, distinguishable from the tufted duck, in the absence of light flanks.

Among the reedbeds there are stable breeding colonies of Common Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio). This rail, with its harsh and discreet habits, is hidden among the thick vegetation; Hopefully, when we cross a clearing, we will be able to observe it. About the size of a chicken, its purplish-blue color contrasts with the red beak and legs.

Among the rails, in addition to the swamphen, the common coot (Fulica atra ) and the moorhen’s (Gallinula chloropus) are common.

Another of the groups represented are the waders: lapwing (Vanellus vanellus), Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta), Crank-winged (Himantopus himantopus) and Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa). The lapwing is very abundant, especially in cold years. It is a medium-sized bird, black and white, with rounded wings and a short tail, visible in flight; thin bun and long legs, bright greenish sunlight on the back; Both sexes are equal.

The heron family is represented in this Natural Park, although they are not very abundant. The following stand out: The Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea), the Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea), the Cattle Heron (Bubulcus ibis), the Little Egret (Egretta garzetta).

Within the group of birds of prey: the Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus) permanently flies over the reedbeds. In the migratory passage: the Osprey (Pandion haliaetus), is also seen in these lake places.

 

MUSHROOMS AND FUNGI OF THE NATURAL PARK

Fungi, moulds and lichens are one more of the pieces that make up the intricate natural machinery present in the ecosystems of the Natural Park of the Sierras de Cazorla, Segura and Las Villas. Their importance is such that by themselves they constitute what has been called by scientists Kingdom Fungii, this kingdom includes those eukaryotic organisms (which have their DNA internalized in the nucleus of the cells that form them), heterotrophs (lacking chlorophyll they cannot manufacture their own food) and that reproduce by spores. Fungi are present in each and every one of the environments and substrates that we can imagine, developing very important functions within the natural systems they occupy: They decompose dead organic matter in the case of saprophytic fungi, they promote the phenomenon of natural selection by eliminating those weaker individuals (both plants and sick animals) in the case of certain parasitic fungi, strengthen and help the development of certain species of trees through the formation of mycorrhizae in the case of certain symbiotic fungi…

This extraordinary presence in all areas of life and the striking nature of their fruiting bodies, which we call mushrooms, has motivated – of course – that man has collected and used mushrooms for countless purposes since ancient times, as they have served as poison, hallucinogens and the most universal and recognized use, the gastronomic one.

In the mountains of this natural park its inhabitants have given a good account of this food resource, but it is worth mentioning that there has not been as much “mushroom culture” as in other areas of the Iberian geography, focusing on the collection of very few species of all the edible foods that occur in these mountains.

This former consideration of mushrooms as a seasonal food resource has now become a hobby with an increasing number of followers, even posing a threat to the preservation of certain species, such as chanterelles (Lactarius deliciosus, L. sanguifluus), “cañá” mushrooms (Clitocybe geotropa), oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus eringy) and spring mushrooms (Calocybe gambosa).

 

TIPS FOR COLLECTION

We must bear in mind that the collection of mushrooms must be done according to ethical rules of behaviour and others written in legal text, which ensure the preservation of the mushroom that produces these mushrooms. In addition, the existence of certain species of mushroom-producing fungi that can be indigestible, toxic and even deadly make it necessary for the collector to be trained in the knowledge of mushrooms.

 

As for the conservation recommendations, it is worth highlighting:

1. The collected mushrooms should be transported in containers permeable to spores, ideally the traditional wicker basket. The justification lies in the need for the fungus to release the spores that will lead to its reproduction and colonization of new territories, which would not pass through the plastic bags.
2. Between cutting them or pulling them out, there is still no unity of criteria, both methods are feasible. Some mushrooms are recommended to be plucked because their identification may depend on the complete removal of the stem (case of the genera Cortinarius sp. and Amanita sp.), although care must be taken not to remove the underground mycelium of the fungus.
3. Once the mushroom has been picked, it is highly recommended to cover the remaining hole with leaf litter to preserve the humidity and darkness so necessary for the fungus.
4. Rakes and/or hooks that penetrate the soil, irreparably damaging the mycelium and killing the fungus should not be used under any circumstances.
5. If a mushroom is not known, it should not be picked in any way, for its own safety.
6. Mushrooms that are not going to be consumed, or that are not edible, should not be damaged.