A Unique Sanctuary of Mediterranean Wildlife

For thousands of years, the countries bordering the Mediterranean have cut down their forests, overgrazed their pastureland, and hunted some of the wild animals almost to the point of extinction. Few unspoiled areas now remain in the region. In one part of Spain, however, a combination of circumstances has enabled a small area to survive practically intact.  Its name is Monfrague, meaning "Rough Mountain."   

Nevertheless, the remoteness of this part of Spain would not in itself have sufficed  to protect is habitat. Fortunately, the farmer who lived in the region surrounding  Monfrague practiced a method of animal husbandry that proved invaluable  in preserving a precious remnant of the huge tracts of native forest that once carpeted the Mediterranean hills. The preserved woodland was known as the dehesa or "wooded pasture." 

An Ecological Farming Method

Centuries ago the farmers of Extremadura (the region  of Spain where Monfrague is situated) discovered that the forests of evergreen oak that covered the land could provide essential shade and sustenance for their flocks.  so instead of felling all the tress to provide grazing land, they conserved sufficient oaks to create an open woodland.  They also pruned the trees to encourage their branches to spread out.  The shade of these venerable oak trees protected the grassy pastures beneath, and their bounteous harvest of acorns provided nutritious food for cattle and pigs.  Since this  dehesa  preserved a significant part of the original tree cover, many native species of birds and animals could survive. 

Two rivers, the Tagus and the Tietar, cross the dehesa, carving out canyons and finally joining forces  beneath the peak of Monfrague.  Eventually, in 1970, the rugged area that borders these two rivers and that conserved the original Mediterranean forest better than any other became a nature preserve.  The park was established because Monfrague is at present considered  to be one of the best conserved refuges of the Mediterranean ecosystem.

Next time: Birds of the Bible

From the Awake! magazine, 2002