 The Los Alcornocales Natural Park, with a surface area of approximately 170,000 hectares, is located on the western end of the Bética mountain range, and is the third largest protected natural area in Andalucia. It belongs to the province of Cádiz, apart from its northwesterly border which is located within the province of Málaga. Within the former are 16 municipal districts (Alcalá de los Gazules, Algar, Algeciras, Arcos de la Frontera, Benalup, Benaocaz, Castellar de la Frontera, El Bosque, Jerez de la Frontera, Jimena de la Frontera, Los Barrios, Medina Sidonia, Prado del Rey, San José del Valle, Tarifa and Ubrique) and one (Cortes de la Frontera) in the latter.
Geographically, it borders the “Sierra de Grazalema” Natural Park to the North; the Campiña of Cádiz to the West; the Janda Depression and Sierra de Fates to the Southeast; the Straits of Gibraltar to the South, and the Campo de Gibraltar (Spanish county surrounding Gibraltar) and River Guadiaro valley to the Southeast and East, respectively. It is in the shape of a spindle, with a maximum width East-West of 35 Km. and length North-South of 80 Km., approximately.
Surface area of the Los Alcornocales Natural Park | SURFACE AREA OF THE LOS ALCORNOCALES NATURAL PARK | | Municipality | Municipal Surface Area
(Hectares) | Park Surface Area
(Hectares) | Importance of each
municipality (%) | | Alcalá de los Gazules | 47.960 | | 32.709 | | 68,2 | | | Algar | 2.660 | | 208 | | 7,8 | | | Algeciras | 8.510 | | 1.827 | | 21,5 | | | Arcos de la Frontera | 52.760 | | 1.720 | | 3,3 | | | Barrios (Los) | 33.100 | | 25.282 | | 76,4 | | | Benalup | 6.070 | | 2.472 | | 40,7 | | | Benaocaz | 6.940 | | 65 | | 0,9 | | | Bosque (El) | 3.080 | | 414 | | 13,4 | | | Castellar de la Frontera | 17.880 | | 14.225 | | 79,6 | | | Cortes de la Frontera | 17.590 | | 12.289 | | 69,9 | | | Jerez de la Frontera | 118.830 | | 19.170 | | 16,1 | | | Jimena de la Frontera | 34.570 | | 21.572 | | 62,4 | | | Medina Sidonia | 48.740 | | 10.363 | | 21,3 | | | Prado del Rey | 4.860 | | 516 | | 10,6 | | | San José del Valle | 22.380 | | 6.302 | | 28,2 | | | Tarifa | 41.810 | | 17.422 | | 41,7 | | | Ubrique | 6.980 | | 2.042 | | 29,3 | | | Total | 474.720 | | 168.598 | | 35,5 |
It consists of a series of steep mountain ranges with marked inclines, following a general North-South direction in the northern area and Southeast-Northeast direction in the southern area, with the highest point being the Aljibe Peak (1.092 metres).
Geologically, it is characterized, almost entirely, by the presence of materials with lithostratigraphic features and specific structures, known as the Units of Gibraltar County, with the Unit of Aljibe being worthy of note due to its surface area (more than 90% of the Natural Park). This Unit is made up of two levels: a first level, which forms the base, composed of clay-like materials, very evocative, interspersed with sandstone and limestone, known as Jimena Clay or “Serie de Base del Aljibe” and a second level, the most characteristic of the series and most widely represented, which corresponds to the Gavala or Aljibe Sandstone, which stratifies in powerful sandbanks often exceeding a dozen metres.
 The peculiar geomorphology of the Natural Park is mainly due to the disposition and lithology of the principal surface materials, i.e., the sandstone and clay of the Unit of Aljibe. However, the presence of other geological units in the case of the Subbético in the extreme Northwest of the Park, and the post-orogenic land on its Southwestern border together wit those which fill the alluvial fertile lowlands, diversify the shapes of the landscape creating an area of extreme physical complexity.
The climate of the Natural Park, due to its geographical location (at the entrance of the Straits of Gibraltar) and orography (frequent North-South alignment of the mountain ranges and altitudes) is different to the Mediterranean climate which it belongs to. Eastern winds predominate, known as the Levantes, with a frequency exceeding 43 per cent, followed by the Western winds (Ponientes) with a frequency between 18 and 28 per cent. The average speed of the wind exceeds 48 km/h in Tarifa, with spells of more than 109 km/h, which can reach as high as 147 km/h, mainly with easterly winds. This wind strength is due to the “Venturi effect” produced by the Bética and Rifeña mountain ranges which narrow, like a funnel, at the Straits of Gibraltar.
The Atlantic West and Southwest winds (Poniente winds) are humid and fresh and it is due to them that most of the precipitations in the area are produced. The most characteristic winds from the East and Southeast (Levante winds) are those originated by the depression of thermal origin which in the summer covers the Sahara desert, as a consequence of the high temperatures. These winds, as corresponds to their continental and meridian origin, are warm and dry, above all in the flat areas of the Natural Park.
 The relative humidity that comes with the Western wind is around 85%, coming down as low as 45% and even 20% when Eastern winds pick up. However, in those areas close to the Straits and in the greatest heights of the mountainous region, their effects are the opposite, as the scarce humidity absorbed on their way through the Mediterranean Sea is condensed in the summits as it climbs the mountain ranges, producing stagnant clouds which determine the presence of thick and persistent fog known locally as the Levant Beards.
All this contributes to soften the effects of the Mediterranean summer drought climate in the high crests of the Natural Park, producing a special type of vegetation known as the forests of fog.
The temperatures are characterized by their relative mildness and regularity, as an expression of the oceanic influence in the climate of the Straits region. The average annual temperatures decrease in South-North and West-East direction due to the altitude, so that the isothermal lines reproduce the landscape, with the annual average being on the coasts and western areas around 17 or 18 C, and oscillating between 13 or 16 C in the highest topography.
The elevated rainfall which characterizes this territory is due as much to the proximity of the Atlantic as to the peculiar alignment of the mountainous region. The total annual rainfall oscillates between 700 and 1.800 mm, divided between the months of September to April, and maintaining strong correlation with the altitude. Another outstanding fact is that of the elevated torrential nature of the precipitations, those registered oscillating within one sole day between 31 and 59 per cent of the monthly average for the rainy months, without any substantial differences with regard to altitude and orientation. The period of water shortage begins around the middle of April for the Natural Park, lasting until the middle of September or October. From May to July, part of the evaporation-transpiration is provided from the ground water reserves, with these drying up around the middle of September or October, when the precipitations become more generalized.
The special geological characteristics of the Aljibe Unit make the aquifers which define the Natural Park present themselves as superimposed on different levels, partially disconnected to each other, producing numerous resurgence points, trickling at different heights and with scarce flows. The greatest of these flows does not exceed 3 litres per second, with the majority below one litre per second, all with marked seasonality. All this brings about a dense surface hydrology which is markedly seasonal, with scarce water flow. The difficulty of retaining subterranean water has necessitated the regulation of dams. Only the Barbate dam has a capacity of 231 Hm3, many more than subterranean waters which produce less than 100 Hm3/year.
 The Natural Park has two great hydrographic basins: the Mediterranean (48% of the surface area) and the Atlantic (52%). The waters which flow into the Atlantic Ocean are from the Barbate river (with its tributaries Almodóvar and Celemín), Guadalete (which originates in the Grazalema mountain range) and Jara. The rivers of Guadiaro, Guadarranque and Palmones direct their waters towards the Mediterranean Sea. At the foot of the Luna and Algarrobo mountain range two other very short rivers also originate which empty their waters into the Mediterranean: Miel and Guadalmesí.
With regard to subterranean hydrology, there are five hydro geological units to be found: Aquifers in the Aljibe Sandstone (with approximate average resources for the whole of the Unit of 20 to 25 hm3/year); Carbonated Aquifer from the Sierra de las Cabras (with approximate average resources of 5,5 hm3/year); Guadarranque-Palmones Plioquaternary (approximate average resources of 16 to 18 hm3/year); Guadiaro-Hozgarganta Alluvial (approximate average resources of 15 to 20 hm3/year) and Quaternary Aquifer of the Janda and Barbate (20hm3/year).
Making the most of the physical/chemical characteristics of the edaphic substrate dominant in the sandstone and mildness of the climate, together with the anthropic advantages due to the use made of the earths crust, the cork oak grove is highly developed in these mountain ranges and it is the most common example of vegetation in the Natural Park, which is reflected in its name.
The Natural Park of Los Alcornocales and the Ronda Mountain Range constitute one of the four “source regions” of the Cork Oak (Quercus suber) in Andalucia, together with the Eastern and Western Sierra Morena and the Huelva coastline and the Bajo Guadalquivir. The Andalucian cork oak grove (alcornocal) consists of 245.000 hectares, equivalent to almost 50% of the subericola distribution within Spain and 10% worldwide. Amongst them, the Los Alcornocales Natural Park contains a cork oak grove of some 119.000 hectares.
The environmental heterogeneity of the territory diversifies the vegetation and breaks up the continuous blanket of cork oaks. So, in the shady areas and stream beds of the mountains with deep ground and high relative humidity, the cork oak grove is overtaken by gall oak forests; the poor soil of the mountain sides is covered with a scrubland of broom, rockroses, oak thicket and heather. Wild olive trees grow on the clay areas. The limestone zones are home to hawthorn, holm and gall oaks, and gallery forests of ash, elms and poplars.
 The characteristic vegetation to be found in Los Alcornocales, unique in Europe, is undoubtedly the riverbank forests called “canutos”, and called Mist Forests when they spread outside their natural area of ravines and gullies and reach very shady areas. Bay, rhododendron, alders, glossy buckthorn and holly are the outstanding species in this type of vegetation.
The Alcornocales Natural Park is home to many different species of fauna due to the diversity of its ecosystems and its geographical location close to the Straits of Gibraltar.
Amongst the large herbivores adapted to these forests, special mention should be made of the roe deer. With the disappearance of large carnivores such as the bear and wolf in the XVIII and XIX centuries, respectively, due to human persecution, there are now only minor carnivores living in the Park today such as the fox, mongoose, genet, badger, weasel, etc., who mainly take advantage of the trophic level occupied by small mammals such as the rabbit, dormouse, field mouse, mole, shrew, etc. In the mountain streams the otter continues to play a key role in the aquatic trophic cycle, hunting the barb and bogue fish and the eel. Special mention should be made of the birds of prey to be found there in the summer, such as the booted eagle and the short-toed eagle, together with the resident Bonelli´s eagle, as well as the sparrow hawk, goshawk, buzzard, kestrel, Egyptian vulture, peregrine falcon and the griffon vulture. The heart-rending cries of the little owl or the piercing calls of the eagle owl and the tawny owl can be heard at night.
 The overlap areas of the different ecosystems within the Natural Park are characterized by the increased diversity of small birds, such as the common agata, chaffinch, blue tit, great tit, phoenicurus, jay, curruca, thrushes, greenfinch, house martin, woodpecker, amongst others, with diversity culminating during the months of summer due to the arrival of the African contingent, and reaching the lowest point during the winter, when these leave and only the hibernators or sedentary remain.
The hollows in sandstone ridges, mainly the limestone caves within the Natural Park (Motilla-Ramblazo Group, Sierra de las Cabras), act as a shelter for eleven species of cave bats. Under the rocks, amongst the thicket or sheltered in the cool of the streams, up to ten species of amphibians have been found and twenty reptiles, it is only in the Natural Park that 50% of the entire continental herpeto-fauna can be found. Finally, although human presence in the study area goes back to the Paleolithic (100.000-50.000 years A.C.), as demonstrated by the Laguna de la Janda, site of the presence of the so-called “Man of Gibraltar” of Neanderthal origin, amongst others, it is not until the III-IV millennium A.C., in the Neolithic Era, when cultural manifestations start to appear throughout virtually the whole of the Natural Park (dolmens, necropolis, shelters with schematic paintings, etc.), the result of the general populating of the mountain ranges, where agriculture and livestock husbandry was practiced, alternated with harvesting and hunting.
Since then, the Natural Park has been subjected to a variety of economic activities such as: forestry (charcoal, cork, thinning, forest repopulating and planting, etc); harvesting (palm, heather, mushrooms, etc); livestock (goats, cows and pigs, mainly) and hunting (principally the common and roe deer). These interventions are not distributed uniformly over either time or space throughout the territory, with the type, intensity and frequency varying in accordance with its different areas.
The response of the various ecosystems to these interventions depends, on the one hand, on the type of exploitation, its spatial dimension, intensity and frequency; and on the other, on a series of factors or processes inherent to the ecosystem itself or the physical medium within which it develops: limiting factors (water availability, temperature, nutrients, radiation), self-organizing processes (related to the degree of complexity of the system) and disorganizing factors (fire, plague, etc). The interaction of this group of factors and processes, together with the handling endured, produces the current landscapes of the different terrestrial ecosystems of the Natural Park.
 It is worth noting the multiplicity of the physical and functional relations established between the Natural Park and its surroundings. Surrounded by important nuclei of economic dynamism, such as the Bahía de Cadiz (Bay of Cadiz), the Campo de Gibraltar, Jerez de la Frontera, Ronda and the Costa del Sol, the Natural Park has a low density of human presence, as a result of the gradual disappearance of the disseminated population settlements in the interior of the Park throughout the second half of the XX century.
On the other hand, the links of the Natural Park with some of the main urban centres of Andalucia and, in particular, the demands that these urban centres have made on the Park have introduced substantial differences, as much in the landscape as in the functionality of each of the component areas. The embedding of physical infrastructures such as large dams (Guadarranque, Charco Redondo, Celemin, Almodovar, Barbate), the high tension electrical network, or the network of roads, are all important examples of the strategic role of the Natural Park in the urban system and in relation to its surroundings.
Use of the Natural Park Resources
The Park has a relevant amount of resources, both natural and of historic heritage. The existence of these resources has traditionally facilitated the development of different economic activities, such as forestry, harvesting, livestock husbandry and hunting which explains why human presence has been so marked in this area since prehistoric times.
The current area occupied by the cork oak grove represents 50% of that dedicated to the production of cork in Andalucia, which roughly equals a quarter of the national area devoted to this. The most widespread traditional use of the Natural Park resources is the extraction of cork. It is estimated that 26.000 tm of humid cork is produced in this area annually. The quality of the product obtained is average and is thereby limited through scarce added value. The majority of the industries in the area only carry out the first phase of the procedural chain (preparatory industries), with the subsequent phases being completed in the great transforming industries of Cataluña and Portugal.
Cork was used in the old days for regional crafts (making beehives, etc) and it is not until the second third of the last century that it’s intensive and planned extraction began, which was motivated by demand from the wine industry.
“Descorche” (uncorking) is the name given to the procedures required for the extraction of cork, which are carried out in June through to the middle of August. In the last few years between 40 and 80 uncorking procedures have been carried out annually in the Natural Park, in which between 20 and 40 workers take part, labour that is exclusively masculine.
Use Of Livestock In The Natural Park
Within the Natural Park there are a large number of areas appropriate for livestock exploitation. Of the breeds within the Park, of special note is the “vaca retinta” (dark brown cow), an indigenous breed perfectly adapted to the area and whose evaluation could be interesting. There are also some livestock farms for the “lidia” bull: generally black bulls bred for bull-fighting. Goat and ovine livestock are currently barely existent. However, their recovery is being pursued thanks to various cheese-making initiatives promoted by current rural development strategies in the area. Pig livestock disappeared from the area in the sixties due to problems with swine fever. However, the market which today is opening up for quality produce from the Iberian pig has encouraged the introduction of some high quality porcine livestock farms in the area.
Use Of Wildlife Hunting In The Natural Park
Hunting is a resource which offers very good profitability; due to which there are many estates in the Park dedicated to this activity (almost 70% of the area is considered especially apt for hunting). The predominant species are the common and roe deer, although there are also other minor hunting reserves. As most of these reserves are privately owned there has been scant communication about this activity to the tourist-hunting fraternity, which explains why its repercussion on the local economy is not elevated despite being a sector which could generate employment and income within the area.
Other Uses In The Natural Park
A. The “Carboneo” (production of charcoal using residues of the cork oak). This activity is considered to be the one which has most shaped the idiosyncrasy of this natural space in the past. The privileged geographical location of the Park, between the Bay of Cadiz and that of Algeciras together with the existence of a prime material of excellent quality and the presence of large marketing companies all contributed towards establishing the Park territory as a first class distribution centre for charcoal in the area.
The work related to this activity (tree felling, segmenting and pruning) all meant significant improvements for the cork oak grove as when done well they increase the production of acorns and improve the shape of the tree, thereby increasing the production of cork and improving the surface and shape of the cork obtained.
The decline of this activity represented the loss of an activity which generated much employment.
Currently, charcoal production is restricted to the self-supply of small owners.
B. Harvesting of palm trees. In the fifties the harvesting of palm trees or palm leaves was generalized, with various processing workshops being set up in some of the villages within the Natural Park. The palm leaf was harvested in fertile lowlands and surrounding open country, with a beast of burden being essential for the task. In these “palm factories” the leaf was soaked, milled, combed and raked until it became a vegetable “mane”, a textile product destined for the filling of armchairs, cushions or mattresses. The appearance of petroleum derivatives made this usage non-competitive, with the industrial devices associated with the elaboration of the “manes” closing down, to such a point that today there are none in the Park, and the palm is no longer harvested.
C. The harvesting of aromatic and medicinal plants. The harvesting of plants destined for gastronomic consumption such as bay or oregano has been a traditional form of use of these Park resources. In the fifties a wide variety of medicinal plants were used from the Natural Park, in demand from foreign consumers. The species most in demand were mint tea and mustard.
The main products used are mint tea, butcher’s broom, Lavender, laudanum, chicory and bay. Also of note are oregano and thyme. Currently essential oils, air fresheners, perfumes, colognes, gel and soaps are being produced, all based on these natural products.
D. Harvesting of wild produce (asparagus, cardoons, snails, figs, others). The most used produce is asparagus, cardoons, baby goats and large and small snails, although also worthy of mention is the harvesting of figs and strawberry bushes in the summer and hearts of palm in the winter. The marketing of these products these days is carried out by direct sales on the streets, or to established buyers in villages who will thereafter take the produce to surrounding markets.
E. Use of Pine trees. The value of the pine nut in recent times, as well as forests re-populated in the fifties and sixties being put into production, have made this usage possible. The pine nut is destined primarily for confectioners, with excellent marketing prospects, fundamentally in the United States. But it is Italy that markets the majority of the production. However, the viability of this species is being discussed, as well as that of other conifers within the Natural Park, due to their high flammability and because although they are species perfectly adapted to the terrain, they are not indigenous to it.
F. Use of Mushrooms. The use of mushrooms is one of the latest usages in the area. In the various villages of the Natural Park, once the product is harvested it is sold to intermediaries or to direct buyers who in turn sell it to consumers, mostly outside the region. In fact, mycology culture is maintained in very few areas of Andalucia. One of the main problems associated with it comes from the irregularity of its production. Other uses worthy of mention are the use of the strain heather and its transformation and manufacture into smoking pipes, and the use of the Tarama heather for the manufacture of heather structures and wood huts.
Also noteworthy are the forestry activities such as clearing, pruning, soil cleaning and treating against pests and diseases.
Although these latter activities are very marginal, and some have even disappeared altogether, their recuperation and operation could increase the diversity of activities, generate employment and income within the region, reinforcing the image of unaltered natural countryside, deeply rooted in its traditional activities and which due to its originality and its peculiarities complement the provision of ethnic rural tourism.
Declaration of the Los Alcornocales Natural Park
The Alcornocales Natural Park (Cádiz-Málaga) is protected in accordance with article 7º of the 2/89 Law of 18th July, by means of which the Inventory of Protected Natural Areas of Andalucia is approved, and additional measures are established for their protection.
Moreover, the mass of cork oak groves in the Natural Park are listed in the V Programme for Community Action, catalogued amongst the main residual forests of the community; and their associated organic wealth, as well. In addition, it has been declared as an Area of Special Protection for Birds (ZEPA), nº 049, in accordance with Directive 79/409/CEE related to the Conservation of Wild Birds. The cataloguing of an area such as ZEPA implies its consideration as a Special Conservation Zone (ZEC), in accordance with Directive 92/43/CEE on Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Flora and Fauna and, therefore, its inclusion in the NATURA NETWORK 2000 by virtue of its Art. 3.1.
An example of the value of this area is as follows:
- It is a forest mass of 170.025 Hectares with an abundance of cork oaks, Andalucian oak, as well as holm oaks, carobs and centenary wild olive trees.
- It has an immense capacity to regenerate the air, creating oxygen via photosynthesis
- It has an infinite capacity to retain water in such as way that it could be considered the “natural reservoir” of Cádiz, (with the reservoirs of Guadalcin, Hurones, Barbate, Chraco Redondo, Guadarranque, Celemin and Almodovar also being within Cadiz).
- The diversity of flora and fauna species to be found therein probably constitutes the most representative sample of all the Mediterranean biological communities, within a border of one of the most extensive cork oak groves in Europe.
- It is a guarantee against erosion and the advance of the desert.
- It maintains unique endemic ecosystems with relics from another era of life on Earth
- It contains a wide variety of landscapes, shaped by the mountains and valleys it hosts.
- The cultural and historical legacy, with a multitude of prehistoric remains and from the different cultures of our predecessors, is present in many corners of this natural parkland.
- It is a place for the sustenance and wealth of the many people who still live from the exploitation of its resources, as much from agro-forestry as from livestock and hunting.
- It is a place for leisure and entertainment for the many inhabitants who live in its surroundings and periphery.
- In conclusion, it is somewhere to get in touch with Nature through a multitude of opportunities: science, culture, aesthetics, sports, education, tourism, etc.
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