The Costa Ártabra SAC (ES1110002) is located on the northwest coast of Galicia (Spain), entirely within the province of A Coruña. Its boundaries are distributed along the so-called Ártabro Arch, a coastal strip that extends from Cabo Ortegal (Cariño) to the southern end of the Ferrol Estuary, formed by the Punta Coitelada area (Ares). The high conservation values of the Costa Ártabra SAC (ES1110002) make it a prominent area at the regional, Spanish, and European levels. It is of great interest for the interpretation of natural heritage by society. It combines cliffs, dune systems, and wetlands with a marine strip and high biodiversity protected by the Natura 2000 Network.
ZEC Costa Ártabra – ES1110002
OVERVIEW
Area (ha): 7.545,87 ha
Natura 2000 Code: ES1110002
Other protection statuses according to national or regional legislation:
The territorial scope of this SAC partially overlaps with the Ferrolterra Coast – Valdoviño SPA (ES0000258) and connects with the Galician-Cantabrian Western Migratory Corridor SPA (ES0000554). In accordance with Law 42/2007 (state) and Law 5/2019 (regional), this SAC is a Protected Natural Area (PNA), with the category of Protected Area of the Natura 2000 Network. It also includes the delimitation of a Protected Wetland (also a PNA), considered a Protected Area by International Instruments with the category of Ramsar Wetland of International Importance.
CURRENT SITUATION AND CONSERVATION ACTIONS OF THE PROJECT
Approximately 7% of the surface area of the Costa Ártabra SAC (ES1110002) corresponds to marine zones. Of the remaining 83% (land area), natural environments (dune systems, wetlands, coastal scrub, and cliffs) represent 69% of the SAC, areas with forest plantations of non-native species represent 15%, rural areas represent 7%, and urbanized areas represent the remaining 2%.
The marine area of the Costa Ártabra SAC (ES1110002) corresponds to the territorial waters of the Spanish State. On the land surface, the areas closest to the coastline are included in the Maritime-Terrestrial Public Domain, where specific LIFE GLOBAL conservation actions will be carried out. The rest of the land area is almost entirely privately owned. This area boasts a broad complex of coastal ecosystems that harbors high biodiversity, making it a valuable ecological enclave.
Taking into account the strategic role played by these ecosystems, LIFE GLOBAL includes a series of specific conservation measures in the Costa Ártabra SAC (ES1110002) to improve the conservation status of habitat types 4020*, 4040* and 7210*, whose sensitivity and fragility is greater to the threats and pressures detected by this project than in other habitats present.