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Natural Paradises. Ecological and Environmental Assets. |
Tarifa boasts a strategic position between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean: from the coasts of which one can make out the African continent, this being partly the cause of the immense environmental, cultural and ecological value it possesses.
It offers three protected natural areas, corroborating the area’s environmental wealth and the beauty of its landscapes.
On the one hand it offers the Playa de los Lances Natural Area; a coastal spot which makes up a small portion of the Atlantic coast and owes its recognition to its status as a nesting zone for birds and many species of resting birds awaiting migration to the African continent in search of higher temperatures.
On the other hand, the majority of the municipal area is comprised of the Los Alcornocales Natural Park (declared a natural resource in 1989) which owes its name to the most common species: the cork oak.
It is considered the last Mediterranean jungle, one of the ten European Natural Wonders and the finest woodland area in Spain.
El Estrecho Natural Park is the latest natural park to be recognised for its high biological and biogeographic interest (declared a natural resource in March 2003).
It is a maritime terrestrial area, hence offering two distinctive and complimentary eco-systems which extend over 54 kilometres of the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts.
Tarifa and its surrounding areas are rich in natural resources as can be observed from its ample beaches with fine, white sand and the sand dunes in Valdevaqueros and Bolonia (Natural monuments since October 2001).
Over the passing of time, various civilizations have left their mark: Tartessans, Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Visigoths, Byzantines, Muslims and Christians. Proof of this can be found in the present day archaeological site and ancient Roman city of Baelo Claudia (which dates from the 2nd Century BC) or the Bronze Age remains of the “Necrópolis de los Algarbes”.
These three natural areas and the wealth of beauty they offer represent an increasingly popular alternative to sea and sand tourism; allowing enjoyment of the environment through the various activities on offer such as: hiking through the Natural Park’s many routes (both mountain and coast based), visits to historic and cultural sites (Castillo de Guzmán el Bueno, the Roman Ruins at Baelo Claudia), the opportunity to study migratory birds at the various observatories or marine life in the waters of the Straits of Gibraltar, it also being possible to scuba dive below the Straits and admire the wealth of submarine species (flora and fauna).
Image: Lysmata seticaudata (photo provided by CIES SUB)