 The
Atlantic Islands of Galicia National Park is located on the
south-eastern coast of the Community of Galicia.
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The
Cíes Islands (42° 13′ 24″ N 8° 54′
14″ O) are an archipelago in the coast of Pontevedra in
Galicia (Spain), in the mouth of the Ría de Vigo. They belong to
the parish of San Francisco de Afora, in the municipality of Vigo.
They were declared Nature Reserve in 1980 and are included in the
National Land-Marine Park of the Atlantic Islands of Galicia (Parque
Nacional Marítimo-Terrestre das Illas Atlánticas de Galicia)
created in 2002.
The
archipelago
The
Cíes consist of three islands, Monteagudo (or North Island),
Do Faro (or Isla do Medio, Middle Island) and San Martiño
(or South Island).
Monteagudo
is separated from the Morrazo peninsula by the North Canal while San
Martiño is separated from the coast of Santoulo cape (mount Ferro)
by the Freu da Porta Strait. The Do Faro island is linked to the
North island by an accumulation of sand 1,200 m long known as Rodas
beach, in the Eastern side of the island. During high tide the sea
flows between the islands in the Western side and, blocked by the
beach it fills the lagoon between the sandy area and the rocks. The
highest peak is the Alto das Cíes (197 m) in Monteagudo.
The
islands formed by the end of the Tertiary, when some parts of the
coast sank creating the rías. All three islands are the peaks of
the coastal mountains now partially under the sea and are formed
mainly of granitic rock.
The
land is mountainous with rough, nearly vertical cliffs of more than
100 m on the Western side, and numerous caves (furnas) formed
by erosion from the sea and the wind. The Eastern side is less
steep, covered by woods and bushes and protected from the Atlantic
winds, allowing the formation of beaches and dunes.
The
Atlantic squalls pass over the islands, unloading as they collide
with the coast. Therefore the Cíes receive more or less half of the
rain the rest of the Rías Baixas coast receive.
The
nature park
Due
to the high natural value of this area and to the deterioration it
was suffering by human activity, it was declared Nature Park in
1980. The level of legal protection varied until November 21, 2000,
when the Galician Parliament unanimously agreed to apply for the
status of National Park to the central Government. The Spanish
Congress of Deputies signed a definite agreement in June 2002,
creating the National Land-Marine Park of the Atlantic Islands of
Galicia, formed by a number of archipielagos, islands and cays,
namely the Cíes, Ons, Sálvora, Nor, Vionta, Cortegada and the
Malveiras.
The
marine part of the Park is measured as a 100-meter wide strip from
the shore in low tide. Since 1992 underwater fishing is forbidden in
the Islands. Since 1988 the Islands have a status of ZEPA (Zona
de Especial Protección para las Aves, Spanish for Area of
Special Protection for Birds), and they are included in the Natura
2000 network, which develps European Union Directives in relation to
habitats and birds.
National
Parks are nature areas nearly untransformed by human activity that,
based on their landscape, geological or ecosystems possess
aesthetic, ecologic, educative or scientific values worth of special
protection. Therefore, the activities that alter or endanger the
stability of the ecosystem are forbidden. Some traditional
activities (like traditional fishing) are allowed as long as they
are compatible with the environment and the preservation of natural
resources.
The
ZEPAs are protected mainly to avoid pollution and general
deterioration of the places used by birds permanently or during
their migrations.
Flora
The
scrubland is formed mainly of autochthonous species, like tojo
(toxo), retama (xesta), esparraguera, torvisco
or jara.
The
woodland has suffered bigger alterations, since most autochthonous
species (like the fig tree or the rebollo) are now reduced to
symbolic representation. The reforestation of nearly one fourth of
the surface with pine trees and eucalyptus. On the other hand, the
strong winds with a high content in salt act as barrier in the
development of the trees. Some endemic Galician-Portuguese coast
species do grow in the dunes, beaches and cliffs under very extreme
clicmatic conditions. Among them, the armeria (Armeria
pungens) known in Galicia as herba de namorar (love plant),
in danger of extinction and an important number of camariñas
(Corema album), unique to the South of Galicia.
Typically
marshland flora (like rushes) grow in the area of the lagoon.
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