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10. Natural Park – Natura 2000 Network

Porto lies at the heart of one of the most valuable natural areas in north-western Iberia. The entire municipality is included within the Lake Sanabria and Segundera and Porto Mountain Ranges Natural Park, the largest protected natural area in Castile and León. Most of its territory is also part of the Natura 2000 Network as both a Special Area of Conservation (SAC ES4190105) and a Special Protection Area for Birds (SPA ES4190009).
The mountains of Porto preserve some of the best-conserved high-mountain ecosystems on the Iberian Peninsula. Extensive heathlands, holly woods, yew forests, active peat bogs, glacial lakes and river headwaters provide refuge for many species of European conservation importance.

The area contains one of the most important high-mountain peatland complexes in north-western Spain, together with dozens of protected lakes and wetlands. Highlights include Laguna de la Clara, the Moncalvo, Valdecasares and Alto Tera peat bogs, as well as the reservoirs of Vega de Tera, Garandones, Valdesirgas and Puente Porto, now fully integrated into the landscape.

The peaks of Peña Trevinca (2,127 m), Peña Negra (2,212 m) and Moncalvo dominate a landscape shaped by glaciers during the last Ice Age. This remarkable natural heritage is also part of the Meseta Ibérica Transboundary Biosphere Reserve and the Porto–Alta Sanabria Starlight Reserve.

Porto is nature at its purest: a land where conservation and traditional ways of life continue side by side.