MONFRAGÜE. PROTECTED NATURAL RESERVE IN EXTREMADURA.

"Monfragüe host one of the world's most numerous contingents of tawny and black vultures".

The fauna that crawls, leap, walks and runs through Monfragüe is often practically invisible. For this reason, the park can rarely show evidence of the fact that it is the great domicile of animals of considerable size. Luckily, however, we have the birds above, which are not only very numerous but also outstanding by virtue of their dimensions. Because the skies of Monfragüe are furrowed daily by many hundreds of vultures and dozens of other birds of pray. The quartize shelves accomodate one of the largest colonies of tawny vultures, while at least two hundred pairs of black vultures have made the treetops their homes. However, Monfragüe is also the hostel for a substantial guest population of imperial eagles, black storks, Egyptian vultures, european

short-toed eagles, black kities, buzzards, goshawks and sparrow hawks.

Consequently, alongside the rock-dwelling species, large forest fowl are also well represented here.

Oustanding among the mamals are undoubtedly the deer, which have nurtured a centuries-old hunting tradition. although many other species are concealed beneath the thick undergrowth: wild boars, foxes, meloncitos (a variety of mongoose and lynxes). and leading the mammals, almost all the members of the Mustelidae genus are represented here.

The natural reserve of Monfragüe is recognised with relief by all as having been saved in time, unlike so many other places on the planet thathave been irremediably lost. Furthermore, many of the emblematic zoological species living here have undergone a notable increase since the area has been protected.

Responsible tourisim in Extremadura

Development has meant both destruction of natural resources and the creation of inequality. We have had to pay, and continue to pay, a high environmental and social price to attain the wellbeing of part of society, wellbeing of limited duration, lasting at most few generations.


The preservation of natural resources has been the out-come of oblivion, of dependence and marginalisation.

At a time like the present, when globalisation threatens to destroy both privacy and diversity as part of an all-debilitating homogenisation process, we have no alternative buy to identify with those places and societies all over the world that advocate tolerance and solidarity with human beings and nature, and which have begun to establish a new social dialogue based on generational, inter-generational and inter-territorial respect.

Extremadura is one of those corners whose inhabitants have made the effort to commit themselves to a forgotten Nature and society, one of those places whose inhabitants speak out in favour of their land and their people and have decided to transform their social and economic situation by preserving their own environment, in the conviction that their land is of inestimable value for the Extremeños both of today and the future. There were dark times, not too long ago, when Nature was for only a privileged few. Now it belongs to all Extremeños, who have striven to preserve it, and to people from other regions who share this concern, come to discover our land and help us to preserve it. Extremadura today is a land to travel, to explore, and in which to identify with its people; even so, it is still largely undiscovered, a land in which we may find a vast number of places and opportunities in which to admire landscapes, flora, wildfowl and waters, in short, Nature.
However, we still have a long way to go, a path to follow along which we shall learn from Nature and people. But we are travelling this path and we are prepared to continue to do so in our commitment to them. Today, nature is preserved in Extremadura thanks to the vocation of Extremeños, who now need only abandon their land of their own free will.