Persons with reduced mobility and wheelchair users are offered the chance to enjoy some 206 facilities among the 815 available in the Network of Protected Areas in Andalucía.

Andalucía is one of the warmest regions of Europe. It has a temperate, Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and mild winters with irregular rainfall. If there is one feature characteristic of the Andalusian environment, it is the light: the diversity, size and ecological wealth of the Andalusian territory bring together the highest peaks of the Iberian Peninsula in Sierra Nevada, extensive wetlands, thick, shady forests, volcanic deserts and stretches of coast barely touched by human activity.

More than 18% of the region´s territory is protected by a vast network of Natural Sites, Parks and Reserves (more than 80), the greater part of this area is taken up by Natural Parks, to which must be added the emblematic Doñana National Park, declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO. The 22 Natural Parks range from mountainous, wooded terrain to coastal areas, such as Cabo de Gata in Almería. The so-called Natural Reserves (28) are mostly wetlands. Although smaller extensions than most parks, they are nonetheless of enormous importance for the flora and fauna, especially birds.

Other, smaller, protected areas, but nevertheless of singular importance, are the Natural Sites (31), whose interesting variety goes from the naked rock formations of El Torcal in Antequera, to Tabernas, in Almería, the only desert on the European continent.

Persons with reduced mobility and wheelchair users are offered the chance to enjoy some 206 facilities among the 815 available in the Network of Protected Areas in Andalusia: 22 Visitors Centres, 60 Recreation Areas, 42 Viewpoints, 20 Trails/footpaths, 19 Observatories, 7 Botanical Gardens, 6 Information Points, five Camping Sites, in addition to 21 other facilities are accessible at present. The challenge of the regional Government for 2007 is to obtain full accessibility in all visitors welcoming points, adapting a minimum of two trails/footpaths by Natural Park and at least 50% of viewpoints, observatories and recreation areas.

Accesible Paths.

Two paths at least per Natural Park will be accessible in 2007 (altogether some 100 kms in the region) and 34 wheelchair accessible wooden timber walks will be set. These works are being carried in the provinces of Cádiz, Huelva, Jaén and Granada.

Visitors' Centres.

All Visitors' Centres will soon be accessible: 57 are planned to offer accessible facilities during 2007, being 16 of them of new construction and going into upgrading works about 19. In addition to eliminate architectural barriers the projects also contemplate to make informative materials accessible to sensorial disabled people.

The following Visitors' Centres have been made accesible recently: Venta Nueva (Parque Natural Cardeña-Montoro, Córdoba), Puerto Lobo (Sierra de Huétor, Granada) y El Robledo (Sierra Norte de Sevilla). Information in Braille is available in them all.

Protected Natural Environments in Andalucia
http://www.andalucia.com/environment/protect/home.htm

Rebecca Arce

Back to top