Ponga Natural Park

The Ponga Natural Park was declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2018. Among its most important mountain ranges is the sector of the Cantabrian Mountain Range that forms its southern boundary and forms the watershed between the Sella and Duero basins, with peaks such as El Abedular (1,813 m.), Les Pandes (1,879 m.) and Peña Ten (2,142 m.), among others. The Cordal de Ponga forms its western boundary and includes notable peaks, such as Maciéndome (1,899 m.), Tiatordos (1,951 m.) and Campigüeños (1,838 m.), among others.

The most important rivers in the council are the Sella, which crosses the eastern part of the territory to continue its course through Amieva, and the Ponga, which runs through the council from south to north. The local tributaries of the Sella include the Roabín stream, the Mojizo river, the Porciles river and Santa Bustia. The most important tributaries of the Ponga are the rivers Taranes and Valle Moro. Most of these river valleys are narrow and their slopes are very steep, the most spectacular cases being the Desfiladero del Ponga and the Desfiladero de los Beyos.
The Ponga Park maintains a high environmental diversity, representative of the central-eastern mountains of Asturias, as well as a remarkable degree of conservation of its natural resources (geological, plant and animal).

From a geological point of view, the territory of the Ponga Natural Park is located in the so-called "Ponga Unit", whose most outstanding structural feature is the presence of a series of sinuous overthrusts, due to the existence of folds running across them. There is also an important set of fractures that cut both groups of structures, some of them showing a notable lateral extension, as is the case with the Ventaniella Fault which, due to the Alpine Orogeny, has undergone a vertical displacement with elevation of the north-eastern block, thus giving rise to the mountainous alignment of the Ponga Range.

In the Ponga Natural Park, dogs must be under the effective control of their owner (preferably on a leash), except for herd guarding dogs, hunting dogs and guide dogs.

ACTIVITIES NOT PERMITTED

1. Causing a nuisance to wildlife or damaging flora.
2. Free camping, caravans or other mobile shelters (except bivouacking in ZUG, ZUA and ZAM).
3. Water activities such as canyoning, white water rafting, rafting, etc. (with the exception of the Viboli and Carangas canyons, which will be authorised).
4. Sporting activities with motor vehicles.
5. Aerial sports activities such as gliding, parachuting, paragliding and similar activities.

CODE OF GOOD PRACTICE

Plant life

The Ponga Natural Park is characterised by an excellent degree of conservation. Proof of this is the large surface area occupied by mature forests, which cover 37 % of the territory, including various types of oak woods, birch woods, ash woods with maple trees, alder woods, but above all beech woods.

Such is the ecological importance of the Peloño forests that within the park is the Peloño Partial Nature Reserve, a large continuous expanse of beech trees.

These wooded masses alternate with other formations such as meadows, pastures, scrubland, heathland and gorse, a consequence of the ancestral use of the territory, giving the landscape of Ponga a singular beauty. Also noteworthy is the presence of chestnut tree plantations, which are very striking, as they are concentrated in the central area of the park, around the villages of San Xuan/San Juan de Beleño, Abiegos and Tarañes.

Finally, mention should be made of the presence of numerous azonal communities such as the rupicolous, which find an optimum habitat on the steep slopes of the Tiatordos, or the high mountain communities, relegated to the higher altitude areas in the north-east of the park.

The flora of the park is notable for the presence of several species included in the Catalogue of Threatened Flora of the Principality of Asturias. Yew and holly grow in the forests, the latter forming small stands. The Asturian daffodil and the gentian, both of which are widely distributed in the Asturian region, can also be found in the Park.

Wildlife

The Ponga Natural Park is home to all the elements that make up the rich fauna of the region's central-eastern mountains. The good state of conservation of its habitats allows the presence in this area of the most emblematic species of the Cantabrian Mountains.

Among the mammals, in addition to the typical species of the eastern Asturian mountains, you can sporadically observe specimens of brown bear, catalogued as a species in danger of extinction. The otter and the desman are distributed throughout most of the rivers in this area, reflecting the good state of conservation of this type of ecosystem, given the strict ecological requirements of both species.

In the meadows and meadows there is an abundant presence of hares, and the European hare, which finds one of its last refuges in Ponga, can also be observed.

Among the game species, the presence of red deer, roe deer, Cantabrian chamois and wild boar is outstanding.

The Ponga Nature Reserve is home to a rich and diverse bird life. Among the most outstanding species are the Cantabrian capercaillie and the medium-sized woodpecker, classified as species sensitive to the alteration of their habitat by the Regional Catalogue, or the black woodpecker. This territory is also home to numerous birds of prey, including the golden eagle, the griffon vulture, the Egyptian vulture and the goshawk. In the highest areas of the council you can observe species linked to high mountain habitats such as the Alpine sparrow or the grey partridge.