Montseny, Natural Park and Biosphere Reserve
Natural space with human footprint
The Montseny Natural Park and Biosphere Reserve is a mosaic of Mediterranean, Central European and Boreo-Alpine landscapes of extraordinary biodiversity. Typical Mediterranean areas where you can find cork oak forests, holm oaks, pines, strawberry trees, heather. In the Central European landscape we can see beech, chestnut, spruce, fir...
To move on to the peaks of Montseny, with a more extreme climate where the meadows grow with junipers that resist the coldest weather. The numerous watercourses are surrounded by riparian forests with alders, poplars, hazelnut trees, elms and ash trees. Among the fauna, there are typical Mediterranean species as well as species characteristic of Central European ecosystems, such as the gray dormouse, the European green lizard and the Aesculapian snake.
Also species such as the red frog and the Montseny newt, the latter described a few years ago after identifying it as a different species from the Pyrenean newt, the only species of the Pyrenean newt.The entomological fauna is also very varied, with a rich diversity of butterfly species.
On the other hand, throughout history, local communities have known how to take advantage of the goods and services they offer, in such a way that they have been preserved over time, maintaining their health and ecological integrity. This reality has been achieved through traditional activities such as livestock and forestry, which is an engine for the economy of the area.
Although in recent decades the more traditional activities have been in decline, gaining more weight the various forms of tourism (which make up the most significant percentage of the economy of Montseny), the Montseny Biosphere Reserve continues to be a clear example of the implementation of sustainable development models.