Montesinho Natural Park - Misplaced Pages

Montesinho Natural Park
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)


Location	Bragança District, Portugal
Coordinates	41°54′00″N 6°52′9″W / 41.90000°N 6.86917°W / 41.90000; -6.86917
Area	742.25 km (286.58 sq mi)
Max. elevation	1,486 m (4,875 ft)
Created	August 30, 1979 (1979-08-30)
Administrator	ICNF

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.

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.

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. The ichthyofauna (fish) includes the Northern straight-mouth nase, Luciobarbus bocagei and the brown trout.

Shale dominates the landscape but there are also limestone stains in plateau areas and granite in the Montesinho mountain range. 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.

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.

Notes

^ "Parque Natural de Montesinho". natural.pt. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
"Montesinho Natural Park – Pure Nature at Braganca". Tourola.eu. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
First brown bear sighting in Portugal in over a century
"Native trees of Montesinho Natural Park". Flora-On. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
Dohner, Janet Vorwald (December 12, 2007). Livestock Guardians: Using Dogs, Donkeys, and Llamas to Protect Your Herd. North Adams, MA: Storey Books. p. 122. ISBN 9781580176958. Retrieved February 25, 2017.

External links

Travel guide on Montesinho Natural Park
Birdwatching

v t e Protected areas of Portugal
National park	Peneda-Gerês
Nature parks	Alvão Arrábida Cape Girão Guadiana Valley Douro International Tagus International Madeira Montesinho Northern Littoral Ponta Do Pargo Ria Formosa Serra da Estrela Serra de São Mamede Serras de Aire e Candeeiros Sintra-Cascais Southwest Alentejo and Vicentine Coast
Nature reserves	Arzila Bog Berlengas Boquilobo Bog Castro Marim and Vila Real de Santo António Marsh Desertas Garajau Sado Estuary Santo André and Sancha Lagoons São Jacinto Dunes Savage Islands Serra da Malcata Sítio da Rocha do Navio Tagus Estuary
Protected landscapes	Azibo Reservoir Bertiandos and São Pedro de Arcos Lagoons Corno do Bico Costa da Caparica Fossil Cliff Litoral De Vila Do Conde e Reserva Ornitológica Do Mindelo Rocha da Pena Serra de Montejunto Serra do Açor
Natural monuments	Pegadas de Dinossáurios da Serra de Aire Portas de Ródão Carenque Pedra da Mua Lagosteiros Pedreira do Avelino Cabo Mondego
National forests	Barão de São João Buçaco Camarido Choupal Dunas de Mira, Gândara e Gafanhas Pinhal de Leiria Margaraça Medos Vale de Canas
Others	Cambarinho Faia Brava

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