More than 25 years seeking balance

The Bay of Santander, in Cantabria (northern Spain), is made up of different natural ecosystems such as intertid- al zones, islands, holm oak groves, small cliffs and wet- lands. In its recent history, this area has lost almost half its surface area, and it’s currently relegated to around 2,500 hectares, with only 80% of its original coastline re- maining. One of its most outstanding enclaves is the Al- day Marshes.

The Pasiega and Eastern Mountains of Cantabria, Castile -León and the Basque Country (in northern Spain) include the headwaters of the Pas, Miera, Asón and Soba valleys. They also include the southern and eastern slopes of the Cantabrian massif, in the provinces of Burgos and Vizcaya, with the valleys of Trueba and Cantabria, respectively.

In the Iberian West, between Spain and Portugal, we find extensive woodlands formed by large oak, cork oak and cork oak trees in territories in symbiosis with human activity. It is a cross-border natural area be- tween Spain and Portugal, comprising the Spanish provinces of Salamanca, Zamora and Cáceres and covering some 2.5 million hectares. It is a large eco- system made up of mountain ranges, river canyons, cereal steppes, rivers and vast expanses of meadows and Mediterranean scrubland.