NATURAL AREAS NETWORK

Summary: Natural areas network of Castilla y Leon
Castilla y León boasts some of richest natural heritage in Europe. It hosts a great variety of landscapes and ecosystems, from high mountain peaks to vast plains, wild, dense forest and breathtaking river canyons. They are all habitat for a multitude of animals and plants, and provide an ultimate refuge for many threatened species. As a result, Castilla y León has a degree of biological diversity that is very hard to find elsewhere in Europe.
To make sure that this ample heritage is properly conserved, the Natural Areas Network of Castilla y León (REN) was set up in 1991. It now comprises 21 areas, protected for their ecological, geological and landscape values. This way of safeguarding nature takes a comprehensive approach to the land to prevent the natural areas becoming separate isolated tracts of land and to link up the REN with Natura 2000. Castilla y León accounts for almost 2.5 million hectares of land (26% of the region´s total surface area) in the European Union network of protected areas.
What is a protected natural area? It is a territory with special natural values that must be preserved by means of sustainable development models. An area is invested with the status of Protected Natural Area in order to conserve both its natural heritage and traditional uses, such as culture and folklore that have shaped that patrimony. Involving local people in maintaining the area, improving their quality of live and, in short, ensuring sustainable use of natural resources, will help to preserve it for future generations.

- The protection categories of The Natural Areas Network of Castilla y León are:
- National Park: Picos de Europa. (León)
- Regional Park: Sierra de Gredos (Avila)
- Natural Reserve: Lago de Sanabria (Zamora); Cañon del río Lobos (Burgos-Soria); Hoces del Duratón (Segovia); Hoces del Riaza (Segovia); Arribes del Duero (Salamanca y Zamora); Fuente Carriona y Fuente el Cobre (Palencia); Las Batuecas y Sierra de Francia (Salamanca); Montes Obarenes – San Zadornil (Burgos).
- Natural Monument: Monumento Natural Lago de la Baña (León); Monumento Natural Lago de Truchillas (León); Monumento Natural de Monte Santiago (Burgos); Monumento Natural de Ojo Guareña (Burgos); Monumento Natural de la Fuentona (Soria); Monumento Natural Las Medulas (León)
- Natural areas:Sierra de la Demanda (Burgos); Sierra de Ancares (León); Candelario (Salamanca); Sierra de Urbión (Soria); Pinar de Hoyocasero (Avila); Hayedo de Riofrio de Riaza (Segovia); Covalagua (Burgos); Las Tuerces (Palencia); La Yecla (Burgos); Valle de San Emiliano (León); El Rebollar (Salamanca); Sierra de la Culebra (Zamora); Quilamas (Salamanca); Hoces del alto Ebro y Rudrón (Burgos);. Laguna de la Nava (Palencia).

In this unit our students are going to learn about Natural Areas in Castilla y León. With this purpose, they will begin to make index cards, where they will write information about the location, the geography, the lithology, the geomorphology, the climatology, the diversity of vegetation and fauna of natural parks. Moreover, those index cards will have information about villages locates in those Natural Areas and their main economic resources. At the end, they will make a section that list the main threats affecting natural parks.