Montesinho Natural Park
Protected area in Portugal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Montesinho Natural Park (Portuguese: Parque Natural de Montesinho) is a protected area located in the municipalities of Vinhais and Bragança, northeastern Portugal. Sections of the southern slopes of the Serra da Coroa (Sierra de la Culebra) fall within the park.
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| Montesinho Natural Park | |
|---|---|
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape) | |
| |
  Location within Portugal | |
| Location | Bragança District, Portugal |
| Coordinates | 41°54′00″N 6°52′9″W |
| Area | 742.25 km2 (286.58 sq mi)[1] |
| Max. elevation | 1,486 m (4,875 ft) |
| Created | August 30, 1979 |
| Administrator | ICNF |
The park contains a wide stretch of land and accommodates around 9,000 people living in 92 villages. Spanning from a minimum elevation of 438 meters to a maximum of 1,486 meters at Montesinho, the park presents varied landscapes and panoramas.[2]
It has a varied avifauna (more than 120 species of breeding birds), including the presence of 70% of terrestrial animal species that occur in Portugal, with emphasis on one of the most important Iberian wolf populations. In 2019 a Cantabrian brown bear was sighted.[3] The ichthyofauna (fish) includes the Northern straight-mouth nase, Luciobarbus bocagei and the brown trout.[1]
Shale dominates the landscape but there are also limestone stains in plateau areas and granite in the Montesinho mountain range.[1] Native trees include Prunus avium, Ulmus minor, Corylus avellana, Malus sylvestris, Quercus pyrenaica, among others. It is the only place in Portugal where Euonymus europaeus can be found naturally.[4]
The government of Portugal maintains a registry and facilitates placement of Cão de Gado Transmontano for flock and wolf protection through its agency, Parque Natural de Montesinho.[5]
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