The Urbasa and Andía Special Protected Area (ZEC) is located in the western half of the Autonomous Community of Navarre, dominated by forests, pastures, and meadows, with significant natural and conservation values, straddling the humid northwestern Navarre region and central-western Navarre. It encompasses the Urbasa and Andía mountain ranges, Monte Limitacións das Améscoas, including the segregated portion of Facero 104, the Zunbeltz estate (Yerri), and parts of the Zudaire (Lower Améscoa), Guesálaz, and Sakana areas (from Ekai to Ziordia).
ZEC Urbasa e Andía – ES2200021
OVERVIEW
Area (ha): 27.857,68 ha
Natura 2000 Code: ES2200021
Other protection statuses according to national or regional legislation:
Within the territorial scope of the SAC, other protection statuses are included in accordance with national or regional legislation, such as the inclusion of the Sierras de Urbasa y Andía Natural Park (PN-2, 20,941.69 ha) in the Network of Protected Natural Areas of Navarre. Furthermore, the SAC has its own Management Plan, approved by Regional Decree 228/2007, of October 8, which designates the Site of Community Importance known as “Urbasa y Andía” as a Special Conservation Area and approves its Management Plan.
CURRENT SITUATION AND CONSERVATION ACTIONS OF THE PROJECT
Most of the SAC is occupied by deciduous forests (66%), although the area occupied by mesoxerophilous grasslands (22%) and scrub and shrubland (6%) is also very significant. The SAC is completed by rocky (1%) and mesophilous grasslands (1%), as well as improved pastures (2%) and forest plantations (2%).
In terms of ownership, more than half of the territory, the Urbasa and Andía mountain ranges, belongs to the Autonomous Community of Navarre (56.7%). The remainder is divided between the communal lands of the municipalities included in the ZEC (25.1%) and the Xunta do Monte Limitada (17.2%). Only a small proportion of the ZEC (1.0%) belongs to private owners, most of whom have plots smaller than 5 hectares.
In the context of the Navarre region, the Urbasa and Andía SAC is essential for the conservation of the hygrophilous sedges of THIC 4020* (28.66 ha, 9.65% of the total Natura Network). Furthermore, regarding the Genista anglica subtype of sedges, the SAC hosts the second-highest percentage of presence in the Natura Network (24.46%). Compared to other LIFE GLOBAL priority habitats, the SAC hosts a small area of THIC 6230*. 28.66 ha of the THIC area have been assigned to the SAC. The actions to be carried out in the Urbasa and Andía SAC (ES2200021) will consist of improving its structure and future prospects by protecting it from anthropogenic conditions in habitats 4020* and 6230*.