Original announcement of the event on this website (April 2010)
For the GEO article in Spanish language, please go to the downloads section.
Following weeks of preparation the long awaited day had finally come. At 10 am on a sunny Saturday in June, about 80 nature lovers had answered to GEO Spain's call to celebrate for the first time ever a very special event on the Iberian Peninsula: GEO-Biodiversity Day. With this call the magazine wanted to make a small contribution towards raising the awareness among Spaniards - and ultimately among that of people all over the world - for the necessity to protect nature, and with it it's biodiversity.
Among the findings were:
Orchids:
Other Flora: Out of the park's 1500 plant species (estimates go up to as high as 2000) the inventory came up to some 6 to 8 percent. 125 species could be identified for sure.
Butterflies: 10 species. This comes up to 7,7, percent of the 130 species native to the park. Worth mentioning as well: the insects were observed in different stages of metamorphosis: as adult specimen, caterpillars and as eggs.
Birds: 32 species were either seen or heard during the course of the day. The natural park is home to seven species of birds of prey, comprising approximately 673 or 875 breeding pairs. Most of the common species could be monitored, among them Sparrow hawk (Accipiter spec.) and Booted eagle (Aquila pennata).
Mammals:Amphibians and reptiles: Various wetlands and pools were checked out. Because of the long distances between their search areas the group had to travel by car. Various toad- and lizard species were sighted plus two snakes: Ladder snake (Rhinechis scalaris) and Southern smooth snake (Coronella girondica). All in all 11 species (6 amphibians and 5 reptiles) were found.
Pamasius apollo and Graellsia isabellae.
Alto Tajo Nature Park has signed the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism in September 2009. The plan of action for the next five years aims at letting those people, who live in the region, benefit economically from the development of tourism, without interfering with the Park's natural treasures.
|
GEO coverage of Biodiversity Action Day in Spain and the world (GEO Spain, October 2010, in Spanish) |
4.7 M |
