The Picos de Europa Special Protected Area (SAC) in Castile and León (ES4130003) is a large area of the Atlantic region, covering more than 100,000 hectares, located northeast of the province of León, occupying the western part of the Picos de Europa massif. It is one of the most outstanding mountainous enclaves in the Cantabrian Mountains, with a high level of botanical, zoological, geological, geomorphological, and landscape interest. It houses unique ecosystems, critical areas for the brown bear and the Cantabrian pitta, and various protected areas. It covers ten municipal areas that extend through the valleys of Alto Porma, Valdeburón, Tierra de la Reina, Riaño, Crémenes, Alión and Alto Cea and the headwaters of the Río Grande, surrounded by high peaks such as Tres Provincias (2,480 m), Pico Murcia (2,349 m), los Mampodres (2,190 m), Peña Ten (2,140 m) and Cuerna (2,155 m).
ZEC Picos de Europa en Castela e León – ES4130003
OVERVIEW
Area (ha): 101.336,66 ha
Natura 2000 Code: ES4130003
The territorial scope of the ZEC includes other protected statuses in accordance with national or regional legislation. Among these, the Picos de Europa Regional Park, declared a Protected Natural Area by Law 12/1994, is worth mentioning. Five wetlands of special interest have been identified within its territory, catalogued by Decrees 194/1994 and 125/2001, as well as a total of 128 public utility forests, ten livestock trails, and three unique trees. It also includes four proposed flora microreserves. Furthermore, it is the scope of the Recovery Plans for the Brown Bear and the Cantabrian Pitta, and includes a critical zone for the Cantabrian Pitta.
CURRENT SITUATION AND CONSERVATION ACTIONS OF THE PROJECT
The majority of land use in the Picos de Europa Special Area (ES4130003) is forested, with a distinction between scrubland (41%), closed forest (26%), pastureland (19%), and open forest (8%). The remaining area is occupied by agriculture (3%), water bodies (2%), and artificial soil (1%).
Regarding land ownership, the majority is public (85%), while private land accounts for 12%. The remaining 3% is considered undetermined. The actions proposed in project 9560*, Endemic Forests with Juniperus spp., are located on public land managed by the JCYL.
The actions proposed by the project within the Picos de Europa SAC on type 9560* Endemic forests with Juniperus spp. will be carried out on Atlantic representations of the same, which are in a favorable conservation status (FV). However, these are strongly connected to the Mediterranean populations of habitat 9560*, in an Unfavorable-Inadequate conservation status, and which are also the subject of LIFE GLOBAL actions in the Fuentes Carrionas and Fuente Cobre-Montaña Palentina SAC (ES4140011). Therefore, the specific LIFE GLOBAL conservation actions on type 9560* will be carried out comprehensively and from a holistic perspective, considering type 9560* as a whole, avoiding any differential treatment of its biogeographical representations that could imply artificial compartmentalization. These actions will significantly contribute to the conservation of habitat type 9560* in the Public Utility Forests of the province of León, managed by the JCYL (National Forestry Commission), which guarantees the availability of the land and its subsequent monitoring and maintenance.