Biosphere Reserves are internationally recognized, although they remain under the sovereignty of their respective countries and are not covered or protected by any international treaty. They are selected mainly for their scientific interest.
[1] Muniellos Biosphere Reserve - Fuentes del Narcea
In the year 2000 it was declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO and is currently the most protected natural area in the entire Principality. To see it, you must have a special permit and only twenty people are allowed to visit each day. In addition to being the symbol of an entire region, Muniellos is also the largest forest mass in Asturias, the largest oak grove in Spain with more than 5.000 hectares, and one of the best preserved Atlantic forests in all of Europe.
In November of the year 2000, the International Coordinating Council of the Man and Biosphere Program (MAB), of Unesco, approved the declaration of Muniellos as a Biosphere Reserve, integrating it into the global network that protects the aforementioned body, expanding to all the territory of the Natural Park of Fuentes de Narcea, Degaña and Ibias in July 2003.
Forest of Muniellos
Muniellos is home to the primitive Asturian forest, its densest idiosyncrasy. Visit Muniellos…
[2] Reserve of the Biosphere Natural Park of Networks
The Redes Park is located in the central-eastern mountain sector, covering the municipal districts of Caso and Sobrescobio. It belongs to the Nalón region. It is a territory of great heritage values with a good number of environmental arguments. Its surface is 376,2 Km2. It is characterized by having a medium and high mountain orography; dominated by limestone rock, the Atlantic forest, prairies and grasslands in the bottoms of the valleys.
Natural Park of Redes
One of the most exceptional reserves in terms of nature and ethnography in the entire Principality of…
[3] Picos de Europa National Park Biosphere Reserve
The Picos de Europa, National Park, lives up to its name and is due to its height and spectacular nature one of the most beautiful places on the continent. The landscape is overwhelmingly karstic, including gorges and gorges, pristine rivers and valleys, and large stands of native forest. It has been declared by UNESCO in 2002 Biosphere Reserve.
The peaks of Europe
In 1918, the first national park in Spain was declared in the Covadonga Mountain, today the National Park of…
[4] Parque de Somiedo Biosphere Reserve
It is located in the southern part of the Principality, bordering the León border. It is a territory dense in environmental and cultural values. Its surface occupies the not insignificant figure of 300 square kilometers. A whole world of unevenness: smooth and abrupt reliefs that vary from 400 meters to heights of over 2.100 meters.
Declared Natural Park in 1988 and Biosphere Reserve in the year 2000, the Somiedo Natural Park is also the holder of the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism, being the first Asturian Park to obtain it.
Somiedo Natural Park
The Natural Park of Somiedo is a piece of land of great beauty designed for lovers of ...
[5] Las Ubiñas-La Mesa Biosphere Reserve
It is a magnificent mountain territory with a relief of strong contrasts, which is unbeatable for hiking and, in general, for fully enjoying nature. The main massif exceeds 132 square kilometers with heights greater than 2.000 meters. In total, the new Natural Park covers more than 42.000 hectares and covers the entire council of Teverga, as well as part of those of Quirós and Lena.
The area declared as a Biosphere Reserve in the XXIV International Congress of UNESCO, meeting in Paris the 11 of July 2012, coincides with the Natural Park of Las Ubiñas-La Mesa, declared as such in 2006 as an extension of the territory that initially (year 1994) had been included in the Regional Network of Protected Natural Spaces under the figure of Protected Landscape of Peña Ubiña.
Las Ubiñas-La Mesa Natural Park
Is a magnificent mountain territory with a relief of strong contrasts, located in the…
[6] Oscos-Eo Biosphere Reserve
The Eo River, Oscos and Terras de Burón Biosphere Reserve was declared by the UNESCO MaB committee at the end of the year 2007.
The entire territory of Los Oscos is included in the Eo River, Oscos and Terras de Burón Biosphere Reserve. The 158.883 hectares declared a Biosphere Reserve have a high environmental value characterized by the variety of landscape units that make up the territory, integrable within the different sectors of protection.
[7] Reserve of the Ponga
The Ponga Biosphere Reserve was declared by the UNESCO MaB committee in julio de 2018, recognizes not only the beauty of a municipality full of life, but also the work that the ponguetos did for hundreds of years to model and preserve it. The inhabitants of the area believe that it will provide "an incentive" for nature-loving travelers to look at the pongueto council when choosing their destinations.
Natural Park of Ponga
Ponga's habitat is the most ideal for those types of people who find themselves like a fish in water heading...
Text: © Ramón Molleda for asturias.com
