ARCHIVED - Parts of Sierra Espuña closed to the public for 6 months to protect golden eagles

Popular walking routes will remain open although areas near them will be out of bounds

As occurred in the early part of 2019, the Nature Protection department of the regional government of Murcia has announced that paths and tracks in parts of the regional park of Sierra Espuña are to be closed to the public from January to June 2020 in order to help preserve endangered species, particularly golden eagles, during the mating and breeding season, with walkers included in the ban as well as those using motorized and other vehicles.

The areas affected are those of Carmona-Cuevas Luengas and Solana de Pedro López, and the decision was made earlier in the year in the light of a study carried out by Nerea Vercher which shows that the number of visitors to the area of Cuevas Luengas (the “Senda del Agua” route) rose significantly between 2012 and 2017, although in the zone where the restrictions are to come into force on 5 kilometres of paths the figures fell. This is interpreted as being a result of the previous temporary closure of the area, in 2012, with members of the public having been made aware of the need to refrain from entering sensitive natural habitats.

Signs will again be installed on paths and tracks informing visitors of when they are about to enter a “no go” zone, and the authorities are keen to stress that the Senda del Agua and other paths around the closed-off area will still be open. There are numerous popular walking routes in the mountains, but efforts have been made to ensure that the same is true of the forest paths and the PR-MU-63 walking route (the “Sendero de Pedro López”).

During the 6-month closure staff of the Department of the Environment will be closely monitoring both the reproduction of eagles and human activity in the area.

The golden eagle (Aguila chrysaetos) is categorized as being of special interest among endangered species in the Region of Murcia, and for many years the species hardly mated in Murcia due to the increase of human activity and rural tourism in its breeding grounds. This year three of the five pairs known to be living in the birdlife protection zone of Sierra Espuña have mated successfully, and this success has encouraged the decision to close off a limited area in the mountains for another six months.

Further information about the restrictions is available from the Ricardo Codorniú visitors centre on 968 431430, and for more information about the regional park itself visit the Sierra Espuña section of Murcia Today.

Image: an eagle is released into the wild earlier this year after receiving treatment at the Wildlife Recovery Centre in El Valle