Cabo de Gata-Níjar

Fauna and flora

Cabo de Gata-Níjar can accommodate more than a thousand exclusive species of flora, which shows its botanical originality. On the arid plains, there are populations of wild olive trees, dwarf palms and African wolfbane, which climb the rugged volcanic slopes, dense formations of esparto grass and rosemary, which cover the plains, red date, a buckthorn with deep roots that helps to stabilise the dunes, and an excellent population of steppe birds, such as stone curlews and crested larks, which live alongside birds of prey and the snub-nosed viper. However, certainly, the most outstanding parts of this natural space are the seabeds formed by large expanses of posidonia oceanica, authentic underwater forests where a wide variety of fauna live; along with the Salinas at Cabo de Gata, an exceptional place for the reproduction, hibernation and migratory passage of water birds. The latter houses such an emblematic species as the pink flamingo, as well as numerous waders. Other sites of interest are the nearby Rambla Morales saltwater lagoon, where you can see over eighty species of birds, or the natural monument of Isla de San Andrés, opposite the beaches of Carboneras.