New members from Spain and Russia

Monfragüe National Park 

The Monfragüe National Park is located in the centre of the province of Cáceres and covers an area of 18,396 hectares. That surface area is considered to be one of the best representations of the Mediterranean forest at world level. It is currently the only National Park in Extremadura, and also has other protection figures such as Special Protection Area for Birds, Special Conservation Areas and Biosphere Reserve.

Monfragüe is known worldwide for its ornithological values, especially birds of prey. And it is that to make some of its routes through the viewpoints and observatories is to ensure the sighting of some of the most emblematic birds in Europe such as the black stork, black vulture, griffon vulture, imperial eagle, eagle, golden eagle, Bonelli’s eagle, peregrine falcon…. Most of these and other species find their food in the extensive pastures around the Park.

Monfragüe is a territory with a long history of human settlements. There are still a large number of cave paintings in the mountains (Cueva del Peine, Cueva del Castillo and Cueva Bermeja), constituting one of the largest concentrations of Neolithic paintings in Extremadura.

Environmental Education Centre Zapovedniks (Zapovedniks Centre)

Environmental Education Centre Zapovedniks (Zapovedniks Centre) is a Russian NGO – educational, methodical, resource and training centre for Protected Areas.

The Center’s general areas of activity include the following:

• Vocational training for Staff on Protected Areas in Russia and New Independent Countries, as well topical workshops, conferences, seminars, study tours in Russia and abroad for PA staff, training for eco-NGOs, businesses and local community;
• Environmental Education on Protected Areas, including coordination of the All-Russian Children’s and Youth Movement Friends of Protected Islands, creation All-Russian Youth Environmental Congresses and others;
• Social planning and the development of civil initiatives in support of Protected Areas. Integration of socio-economic development with Environmental Conservation and Protected Area management objectives, with specific reference to development of management coordination mechanisms;
  

  Zapovedniks Centre’s archive

• Development of Sustainable Tourism in Protected Areas (strategy, planning, training, consultation);
• Development of volunteer projects for Protected Areas (Burunduk -International Volunteer Center);
• National Protected Areas policies and strategies development and implementation;
• Design of nature trails and expositions of PA visitor- centres: from concept to detailed planning;
• The edition of the quarterly magazine Protected Islands (in Russian).
  

  Zapovedniks Centre’s archive