The Fragas do Eume is a natural park situated in north-west Spain. ''Fraga'' is a Galician word for "natural woodland", (

old-growth forest An old-growth forestalso termed primary forest, virgin forest, late seral forest, primeval forest, or first-growth forestis a forest that has attained great age without significant disturbance, and thereby exhibits unique ecological featur ...

) and the park is an example of a

temperate rainforest Temperate rainforests are coniferous or broadleaf forests that occur in the temperate zone and receive heavy rain. Temperate rain forests occur in oceanic moist regions around the world: the Pacific temperate rain forests of North American P ...

in which

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

(''

Quercus robur ''Quercus robur'', commonly known as common oak, pedunculate oak, European oak or English oak, is a species of flowering plant in the beech and oak family, Fagaceae. It is a large tree, native to most of Europe west of the Caucasus. It is wid ...

'' and ''Quercus pyrenaica'') is the climax vegetation. The protected area extends along the valley of the river Eume within the

Ferrolterra Ferrol is a coastal ''comarca'' in the northwest of the province of A Coruña, Galicia, Spain. It is also known as Ferrolterra. The area is 613.4 km2, and the overall population of this ''comarca'' was 161,154 at the 2011 Census; the latest offic ...

municipalities of

Pontedeume Pontedeume () is a municipality in the province of A Coruña in the autonomous community of Galicia in northwestern Spain. The town was founded ''ex novo'' by the town charter of Alfonso X the Wise in 1270. The town is located on the English Wa ...

, Cabanas,

A Capela A Capela is a municipality in province of A Coruña in the autonomous community of Galicia in north-western Spain. It is located in the comarca A ''comarca'' (, or , or ) is a traditional region or local administrative division found in P ...

, Monfero,

, and

As Pontes de García Rodríguez As Pontes de García Rodríguez is a municipality in the Comarca of Eume in northwestern Spain in the province of A Coruña in the autonomous community of Galicia. It is situated in the northwest of the province. It is the largest council in ...

. Some 500 people reside within the park. The monastery of

Saint John of Caaveiro In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Ortho ...

also lies within the park. The area was declared a natural park (a level of protection lower than

national park A national park is a natural park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individua ...

) in 1997. It is one of six natural parks in

Galicia Galicia may refer to: Geographic regions * Galicia (Spain), a region and autonomous community of northwestern Spain ** Gallaecia, a Roman province ** The post-Roman Kingdom of the Suebi, also called the Kingdom of Gallaecia ** The medieval King ...

. The European Union has recognised the park as a

Site of Community Importance A Site of Community Importance (SCI) is defined in the European Commission Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) as a site which, in the biogeographical region or regions to which it belongs, contributes significantly to the maintenance or restoration at ...

. There are a number of species of

fern A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes except ...

s. Invertebrate species include the Kerry slug and it is an important site for

amphibians Amphibians are four-limbed and ectothermic vertebrates of the class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terrestrial, fossorial, arb ...

Flora and Fauna

Fragas do Eume is a mixed forest considered to be one of the most extensive forests on the Galician coast. The slopes of the river gorge are covered by oaks along with a variety of vegetation and riverside forests. The local humidity favors the growth of an abundant variety of ferns species. The park is home to 103 species of birds, 41 species of mammals and eight species of fish. The endemic species of invertebrates and reptiles include the Iberian frog.

Environmental Disaster

On March 31, 2012 a fire destroyed the heart of the park. At the beginning of the disaster was estimated within the 1000 hectares burned. The work of extinguishing the fire took 3 days. On Tuesday April, 3rd, the fire was controlled.
Permanece activo el incendio de las Fragas do Eume tras arrasar 750 hectáreas
'

Gallery

Regato_nas_fragas_do_Eume.jpg, Creek in the park Anemone nemorosa.003 - Fragas do Eume.jpg, ''

Anemone nemorosa ''Anemonoides nemorosa'' (syn. ''Anemone nemorosa''), the wood anemone, is an early-spring flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae, native to Europe. Other common names include windflower, European thimbleweed, and smell fox, an all ...

'' Asphodelus albus.002 - Fragas do Eume.jpg, ''

Asphodelus albus ''Asphodelus albus'', common name white asphodel, is a herbaceous perennial plant belonging to the genus ''Asphodelus''. Description White asphodel grows to a height of . The plain stem is supported by fleshy, thickened roots ( rhizomes). The le ...

'' Digitalis purpurea.001 - Fragas do Eume.jpg, ''

Digitalis purpurea ''Digitalis purpurea'', the foxglove or common foxglove, is a poisonous species of flowering plant in the plantain family Plantaginaceae, native to and widespread throughout most of temperate Europe. It has also naturalised in parts of North Am ...

'' Cascada, Parque natural Fragas del Eume.jpg, Waterfall Centro interpretación Fragas do Eume, portal Pontedeume.jpg, Visitor center

Notes

External links

Official Web-site for the Ferrolterra region of Eume
{{Coord, 43, 25, 03, N, 08, 04, 06, W, source:glwiki_region:ES, display=title Natural parks of Spain Province of A Coruña Protected areas established in 1997 Forests of Spain Protected areas of Galicia (Spain)