Nature News
Keep up to date here with the latest news about nature and the environment in Spain; and read tips and advice about walking in this country
Iberian lynx population surge
The population of the Iberian lynx in Spain and Portugal increased by 19% in 2024, according to figures released this week by the ministry for the ecological transition (Miteco). They reported that the number went up to 2,401, which is 380 more than the figure...
Rock-climber bird – the wallcreeper; a unique species residing in Spain
As its name suggests, the wallcreeper is attracted to rock faces – and very high ones at that, climbing with amazing skill to locate its food. During warmer periods of the year, it is found at altitudes ranging from 2,200 metres to 3,000m above sea level. Due to its...
Trying to preserve Spain’s ‘rarest flower’
A flower which has existed for more than 25 million years and could be Spain's rarest species of flora has been spotted in Andalucía, more than 40 years after it was last catalogued in that region. Named Gyrocaryum oppositifolium Valdés, it was thought to have become...
Torrevieja turtle returns to the sea
When the loggerhead turtle Nuca, as she was later named, was rescued from Torrevieja port in February she was in very poor health. She had swallowed a fishing hook which had become lodged in her esophagus and one of her fins had been amputated in an accident,...
Spain – world leader for biosphere reserves
Spain has more UNESCO biosphere reserves than any other country in the world. The 55 sites include three which are shared with Portugal and another with Morocco. The highest concentration is found in the Cantabrian Mountains (Cordillera Cantábrica) in the regions of...
The importance of the wolf
Following the backdoor manoeuvre by rightwing parties in Parliament last month to allow wolves to be hunted in Spain, environmentalists have published a simple graphic to illustrate the importance of this native animal to the biodiversity of the areas it inhabits....
Campaign to save critically endangered Iberian orcas
The 2025 #SaveTheIberianOrca campaign has been launched. The associations WeWhale and Sea Shepherd France say 'the urgency couldn’t be clearer'. They state that only 35 to 40 Iberian orcas remain; while the Iberian Orca Protection and Conservation association estimate...
Facing up to the threat of forest fires
"Seeing our countryside go up in flames has really marked the people of Montanejos." These were the words of the town mayor Miguel Sandalinas after fire destroyed large swathes of the pine forest in this walkers' paradise in Castellón province in 2023. Regular hikers...
No butts
Hundreds of cigarette butts are dumped each day on almost every busy Mediterranean beach in Spain during the increasingly long tourist season. This equates to hundreds of thousands of polluting remnants discarded by thoughtless smokers. During eight months of the...
Discover the secrets of the lagoons
Free guided tours are being offered at La Mata-Torrevieja natural park. Described by Torrevieja tourism department as eco-tourism routes, four different walks are being operated in the protected area. 'Expert guides' will be on hand to give participants the benefit of...
Tiny bear cub rescued
A three-month-old Iberian brown bear cub has been rescued in Asturias after it became separated from its mother and two siblings. The regional department for the environment reported that the youngster had first been spotted last Wednesday wandering on its own. Forest...
Bears on the up in the Pyrenees
The brown bear population in the Pyrenees continues to grow. A total of 96 individuals were counted in 2024, which is six more than in the previous year, according to Spain's brown bear foundation (Fundación Oso Pardo - FOP). The FOP reported that 22 cubs were born...