El Valle y Carrascoy Regional Park

The nearly 16,724 hectares of El Valle y Carrascoy Regional Park are located in the municipalities of Murcia, Fuente Álamo and Alhama de Murcia, including part of the precoastal sierras and limited by the mountain ranges of Carrascoy, Puerto and Cresta del Gallo. Declared regional protection area in 1992, the park is also a Special Bird Protected Area and has recently been included in the wildlife network Red Natura 2000.

 

Vegetation in the park is mostly thick pine forest, Mediterranean ground plants, shrubs, palm trees, juniper, oak, wild olive tree and buckthorn. Pine forests pretty much disappear in South-facing areas, where vegetation is mostly xeric scrublands, cistus, sparto-grass, as well as aromatic plants including rosemary, thyme, ajedrea and fennel. In the ravine area it is normal to find species such as tarays, oleanders, reeds, etc.

 

As for local fauna, the main species are birds of pray (tawny eagle, Bonelli's eagle, pilgrim hawk, golden eagle and eagle owl), smaller pine forest birds (crossbills, bee-eaters, etc.), mammals (wild cats, beech marten, badgers, weasels, etc.), as well as reptiles (various types of lizards and snakes, among others).

 

Torrential rain has created abrupt shapes in these deep ravines and gullies.