Biosphere Reserves

Two territories in the province of Salamanca, the Sierras de Bejar and Francia and the Arribes del Duero Natural Park, have been declared UNESCO Biosphere Reserves, due to their environmental quality and sustainable development.

The Sierra de Bejar and Francia cover an area of around 200.000 hectares, so from 2006 it is the largest Reserve of the region and the third one in Spain. In these Reserves, we can visit Las Batuecas-Sierra de Francia Natural Park and the Natural Areas of Las Quilamas and Candelario.

They are made up by 88 villages and towns in the south of the province and the rich biodiversity includes more than 2.000 vegetal species, 5.000 invertebrate species and more than 300 vertebrate ones.
The Arribes Natural Park is part of the “Iberian Plain” Reserve. It is the largest one located in a boundary area, and covers an area stretched in the provinces of Salamanca and Zamora and the Portuguese regions of Trasosmontes and High Douro.

Declared Biosphere Reserve in 2015, it covers an area of more than 1.375.116 hectares and a population of 268.292 inhabitants, 87 municipalities, 27 of them in the province of Salamanca, 48 in the province of Zamora and 12 of them are Portuguese.