en Els Ports Natural Park Parc Natural Generalitat dels Ports de Catalunya Els Ports Natural Park Els Ports, the mountains located in Catalonia, Valencia and Aragón, are a limestone massif of scarped, abrupt relief that humans have shaped since prehistoric times. In Els Ports human beings have always found a source of natural resources for their subsistence and for their interests. Subtle fragments of history such as masía farmhouses, lime kilns, snow wells, charcoal bunkers, dry stone walls and stone-paved paths currently shape the landscape. Despite the intense human impact, the current appearance of this territory, which historically has been much explored and exploited, is of an untameable natural area brimming with wildlife. The importance of its natural values and the need to conserve them prompted the Government of Catalonia to create the Els Ports Natural Park and the Les Fagedes dels Ports Partial Nature Reserve, two regulatory mechanisms of special protection intended to guarantee the preservation of their natural values and to ensure the sustainable use of resources. The physical environment del Regatxol at the headwaters of the Ulldemó the vent de dalt (hurricane-level NW winds) can River and the valleys near Mas de la Franqueta, occur in an instant. Gusts of over 150 kph are along Els Estrets. also frequent. The relief The mountains in the massif are remarkable for In the south of the massif, at the more humid Els Ports are a massif with a very complex relief their height and unique nature and cover a large points of the upper levels, there are beech that lie between the Catalan Mediterranean area above an altitude of 1,000 metres. Caro, at woods, which are relict communities from earlier system and the Iberian system. This is formed by 1,441 metres, is the highest point of the massif. wetter and colder periods. Mesozoic calcareous materials that have yielded an abrupt relief broken by several faults with Climate some significant thrust faults. A system of faults separates it from the coastal plains. The climate in Els Ports is very variable. There is a notable difference among the massif’s It has a noteworthy northern face of different slopes and altitude and orientation are conglomerates facing the Ebro depression, highly influential factors. Temperatures on the characteristic of Les Roques de Benet, El Cover: Portella de Calça Mediterranean-influenced south-eastern slope Terres Magazine Periganyol and Sant Salvador. The central are considerably milder than those on the inland structure is a Jurassic-type fold that runs slope, the conditions of which are much more Previous page: Inland slope of Els Ports Natural Park. northeast-southwest. Arnes and Horta de Sant Joan. continental. At altitude, the climate becomes Lluís Mestres In the western sector, the main rivers have carved sub-Mediterranean, which is reflected in an deep and highly spectacular gorges. Such is the increase in precipitation and lower temperatures. This page: Italian maple leaves (Acer opalus subsp. case of the Matarranya River at Les Gúbies del Like other aspects of Els Ports, climate is granatense) Parrissal –outside the Natural Park–, Les Gúbies extremely variable. Changes from total calm to Víctor Reverté - Arabogues 1 1 2 present in Catalonia can be found in this nature Fauna area. The Spanish pond turtle (Mauremys leprosa), the Mediterranean house gecko (Hemidactylus The highly diverse biotopes of Els Ports have yielded turcicus), the Bedriaga’s skink (Chalcides a rich and varied fauna. The fauna populations of bedriagai), the horseshoe whip snake (Hemorrhois Els Ports are of great interest not only because of hippocrepis), the smooth snake (Coronella austriaca) 14 their abundance and the variety of species, but also and the snub-nosed viper (Vipera latastei) are 6 7 8 because some animals are endemic or very rare for significant examples. Catalan fauna. The situation is similar for amphibians and over One distinctive feature of its fauna is the population 50 % of the species of amphibians presents in of Spanish ibex (Capra pyrenaica subsp. hispanica). Catalonia have been documented in Els Ports. This species is endemic to the Iberian Peninsula and Interesting species such as the Iberian ribbed newt 15 its hunting is controlled in Els Ports by the National (Pleurodeles waltl), the marbled newt (Triturus 16 Hunting Reserve. The most significant mammals marmoratus) and the Common parsley frog 9 10 11 include the otter (Lutra lutra),6 the wildcat (Felis (Pelodytes punctatus) can be found. Their presence sylvestris),7 the group of bats,8 which includes in Els Ports is very important, as it indicates the some twenty species and is one of the most diverse existence of humid areas and sufficient watering communities in the Iberian Peninsula. points for their survival, a circumstance that is always remarkable in an essentially Mediterranean climate There are many birds in Els Ports as habitat or refuge and landscape. conditions are ideal for living there and nesting. 12 13 14 These include large sedentary birds of prey such as In the rivers there is a significant presence of the Griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus), the golden eagle populations of species such as the Iberian cyprinid (Aquila chrysaetos), Bonelli’s eagle (Aquila fasciata),9 fish (Parachondrostoma miegii), the Iberian barbell 17 the Northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis), the (Achondrostoma arcasii), the European freshwater peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus),10 the Eurasian crayfish (Austrapotamobius pallipes) and the 18 eagle owl (Bubo bubo),11 etc., and summer nesters splendid cruiser dragonfly (Macromia splendens). such as the short-toed snake eagle (Circaetus Land invertebrates include endemic species of 15 16 17 gallicus),12 the booted eagle (Hieraaetus pennatus), molluscs, spiders and butterflies and moths that and the Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus),13 feature on the list of species protected in the Plan etc. Other interesting species include the black for Spaces of Natural Interest of Catalonia, as well wheatear (Oenanthe leucura), the citril finch (Carduelis as other interesting species such as the futile citrinella) and the Dartford warbler (Sylvia undata). stone grasshopper (Kurtharzia nugatoria)19 and the 20 There are also a considerable number and variety Spanish moon moth (Graellsia isabellae). of reptiles in Els Ports and over 50% of the species 18 19 20 2 3 4 5 Anthyllidetum montanae) and conopodium and fine- Flora and vegetation leaf fescue (Conopodio-Festucetum gautieri). There are significant and interesting endemic The location of the Els Ports massif between the rock species such as the butterwort (Pinguicula mountains in the Iberian system and the Catalan dertosensis),21 which is found on wet limestone Mediterranean system has given rise to a very rich crags, a species of willow (Salix tarraconensis), rock 21 22 23 and diverse flora and vegetation, where typically snapdragons (Antirrhinum pertegasii),22 encrusted Mediterranean species coexist with Eurosiberian-type saxifrage (Saxifraga longifolia subsp. longifolia var. species and even with some local representatives of aitanica),23 Aquilegia paui,24 Armeria fontqueri,25 boreal Alpine vegetation. The high diversity of plants Erodium celtibericum, Arenaria conimbricensis subsp. and wealth of endemism make the Els Ports massif a viridis, Thymus willcommii,26 etc. true geobotanical paradise with over 1,300 species. Other plant species are interesting either because the The lower areas and the sunny and eastern slopes 24 25 26 massif represents the limit to their area of distribution are predominated by maquis of garrigue and dwarf or because they form biogeographcally isolated palms (Querco-Lentiscetum). On the western slope, populations such as Dryopteris submontana, Phyllitis which is cooler and more continental, the basal sagittata, Gymnocarpium robertianum, Prunus floor is occupied by the Mediterranean evergreen prostrata,27 Nepeta tuberosa, Ramonda myconi,28 Quercus (Quercetum rotundifoliae). In the highest Berberis vulgaris subsp. seroi, Atropa baetica,29 etc. zone, the potential vegetation is the montane oak (Quercetum mediterraneo-montanum). The sub- The beech forests of these mountains, which are 27 28 29 Mediterranean floor consists mainly ofblack pine the Iberian Peninsula’s southernmost, are of special woods (Paeonio microcarpae-Pinetum salzmannii) interest and receive special protection from the Les and Scots’ pine and manzanitas (Arctostaphylo- Fagedes dels Ports Partial Nature Reserve. 1. Griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus) Vicent Pellicer Pinetum catalaunicae); and in the most disturbed places there are boxwoods (Violo-Quercetum faginae 2. Spanish ibex female and young (Capra pyrenaica subsp. buxetosum) and other shrub formations. In the hispanica) wettest points of the upper levels, in the south of the Vicent Pellicer massif, there are beech woods (Primulo-Fagetum) and yew forests (Saniculo-Taxetum), which are relict 3. Mediterranean stream vegetation communities from other wetter and colder times. Ana Ávila Aguilà The ridges, which are subject to strong winds for 4. Beech forests much of the year, have species characteristics of the Terres Magazine Mediterranean high mountains, with communities typical of Catalonia’s southern mountains such as 5. Black pine and crags Jarkov Reverté blue broom and Anthyllis montana (Erinaceo- 3 4505000 4545000 4510000 4540000 4525000 4530000 4520000 4535000 4500000 4515000 a Amposta a a Mora - Lleida - Mora a N340 - l’Aldea a 4 Km a Amposta Bítem Bítem