The Costa da Morte SAC (ES1110005) is located on the northwest coast of the province of A Coruña (Galicia, Spain) and includes cliffs, dune systems, and a wide marine strip, which is home to a high level of biodiversity protected by the Natura 2000 Network. It is the area with the largest coastal territorial distribution in all of Galicia, stretching from Praia de Alba (Sabón, Arteixo) to Cabo Fisterra, including the territories of the municipalities of Arteixo, Cabana de Bergantiños, Camariñas, Carballo, Cee, Fisterra, Laracha, Laxe, Malpica de Bergantiños, Muxía, Ponteceso, and Vimianzo. However, this spatial extension is not continuous, since the space itself includes several zones of discontinuity of protection in areas where key elements for biodiversity are not present, as they have been replaced by urban areas and grey infrastructure.
ZEC Costa da Morte – ES1110005
OVERVIEW
Area (ha): 11.809 ha
Natura 2000 Code: ES1110005
The territorial scope of this SAC partially overlaps with that of the Costa da Morte (North) SPA (ES0000176) and the Galician-Cantabrian Western Migratory Corridor SPA (ES0000554). Furthermore, in accordance with Law 42/2007 (state) and Law 5/2019 (regional), the territorial scope of the Costa da Morte SAC is simultaneously considered a Protected Natural Area, with the category of Protected Area of the Natura 2000 Network. A Protected Area has also been identified by International Instruments with the status of Biosphere Reserve: the Mariñas Coruñesas and Terras do Mandeo Biosphere Reserve.
CURRENT SITUATION AND CONSERVATION ACTIONS OF THE PROJECT
Approximately 34% of the Costa da Morte SAC (ES1110005) is marine. The remaining 66% (land area) is comprised of natural environments (dune systems, wetlands, coastal scrub, and cliffs), 5% of which are planted with non-native species, and the remaining 1% is urbanized.
The marine surface of the Costa da Morte SAC (ES1110005) constitutes the territorial waters of the Spanish State. On land, the areas closest to the coastline are included in the Maritime-Terrestrial Public Domain, where LIFE GLOBAL’s specific conservation actions will be carried out. The remaining land surface is almost entirely privately owned. The Costa da Morte SAC is an area with a broad complex of coastal ecosystems that harbors high biodiversity, making it a valuable ecological enclave.
Considering the strategic role played by these ecosystems, LIFE GLOBAL includes a series of specific conservation measures in the SAC Costa da Morte (ES1110005) to improve the conservation status of habitat types 4020* and 7220*, whose sensitivity and fragility is greater to the threats and pressures detected by this project than in other habitats present.