Natural Park of Sa Dragonera

POINTS OF INTEREST / Natural Park of Sa Dragonera

Sa Dragonera has belonged to the Majorca Council since 1987, but it was only in 1995 that the Government of the Balearic Islands approved the declaration of Natural Park. Natural Park of sa Dragonera Even though the Natural Park is named sa Dragonera, it also includes the islet of Pantaleu, the island Mitjana and els Calafats within its protected area, because of their shared environmental conditions, they are very valuable due to their magnificent state of natural conservation. Sa Dragonera has belonged to the Majorca Council since 1987, but it was only in 1995 that the Government of the Balearic Islands approved the declaration of Natural Park in order to guarantee the conservation of this space, and show it to all that want to know it. The island of Sa Dragonera is, geologically, the continuation of the Majorcan Serra de Tramuntana, but its vegetation is not the same because it is conditioned by the dimensions of the island, by the steep topography and the influence of the sea. The most common vegetation is littoral, in rocky areas, the coastal areas, the brushwoods of wild olive trees and rosemary, which is very abundant. Concerning the fauna of the park, its name Dragonera gives much away. The common gecko and the lizard are the only known reptiles on the island of sa Dragonera. In fact, apart from the birds, there were no mammals until the arrival of humans. In this way rabbits, goat, sheep, hedgehogs and rats were introduced, some of them for specific purposes and others in accidentally. The vell marí was an autochthonous mammal inhabiting the area, but declined in number and, in fact, there are now just a few left in the Mediterranean. The cetaceans that still can be frequently seen are the common dolphin and the dofí mular. As usually happens in natural parks in coastal areas, birds are the most habitual fauna, numerous and diverse. Sa Dragonera, Pantaleu and la Trapa were declared ZEPA areas (Bird Special Protection Zone). The most frequent marine species are the puffin, cormorant, virot, vulgar seagull and red seagull. Among the percy birds, are the peregrin falcon, the falcó marí, the kestrel and the little owl.