In the south west of Andalucia, southern Spain, one might expect to reach dry sandy arid areas given the proximity to the African coast but in contrast to this vision there is an evergreen oak forest which cuts a swathe from north to south covering some 167.767 hectares. The parkland is roughly 35 Km at its widest and around 80 Km from north to south. Most of the land is privately owned and harvests are still taken regularly, the main crop being cork - a spongy bark, which is stripped from oak trees of one species, Quercus suber. This forest, the densest of its type in Iberia, plays an important part in the world market of cork based products.

The nutrient poor sandstone terrain, maritime temperature and moisture influences, offer the correct growing conditions for these Mediterranean oak trees but as the canopy is so vast a microclimate has developed in the shade beneath which is unique within Spain. Water flow from springs and rainfall in the southern areas of the parkland have cut deep ‘v’ shaped channels which are thickly overgrown with sub-shrubs and small trees - trapping the humidity even further. These combined features provide a sub-tropical climate suited to a selection of around 40 species of ferns and around 150 mosses and liverworts. These not only grow on the banks of the waterways and rocky outcrops but also adorn the heavy branches of the oaks. The areas too steep or exposed for the various oak species are clothed with a combination of heathers, rock-roses, brooms and lavenders. This mixture of Mediterranean plants lives in conjunction with those more suited to Northern Europe in the shady damp areas such as alder, holly and rhododendron. The overall result is a verdant haven for wildlife.

The cork harvesting regime rotates through selected sections of the forest and only takes place during 3 months of a year, the summer, as this is when the bark separates from the trunk more easily. After the collection of cork from a tree it is rested for 9 to 12 years to allow complete re-growth of the bark. This means that large areas of the forest are not visited for years on end, allowing the wildlife a peaceful existence.

As well as the major cork harvest another plant product collected from the area is Tree heather (Erica arborea) or “Brezo” in Castilian.

The tree heather branches are harvested and wired tightly together into long sheets of between 1 and 2metres in height and 5metres in length to make a popular shading / screening material for outdoor buildings and fences. The roots of the same plants have long been used in pipe making as this shrub develops a ball-like root, called a Briar Burl, which has the right heat resistant properties and tight grain for carving.

The mixed oak species also provide food for the local pig raising industry in the form of acorns which give the meat a rich flavour. Cerdo Iberico is a famed Iberian breed of black pig which looks quite similar to a wild boar. Some areas have been cleared of trees to create pastures on which to raise cattle. The gastronomy of the area makes use of available aromatic herbs, honey, fungus and snails as well as hunted game, including Red-legged Partridge and Roe deer, re-introduced Red deer, especially introduced Fallow deer, Mouflon and Spanish ibex.

Due to the close proximity of the African coastline at the Strait of Gibraltar there is a major migratory route for birds crossing the 14km gap both in spring and autumn. (Northwards in Spring and Southwards in Autumn). Los Alcornocales park being set slightly back from the more exposed coastal area provides a tranquil place for large numbers of a wide variety of avian species, while they collect, rest and prepare for their crossing.

Some unusual species of flora and fauna within the park are:
The Portuguese sundew or Dewy pine (Drosophyllum lusitanicum) is a carnivorous plant that only inhabits low-altitude sandstone regions of south west Iberia such as this.
Rhododendron (Rhododendron ponticum ssp. baeticum) grows in the steep sided river ravines, there are very few places where this shrub grows near the Mediterranean.
The rare and protected ferns: Psilotum nudum and Diplazium caudatum grow along with Hare’s foot fern (Davallia canariensis), Hard fern (Blechnum spicant) and two species which are also found on the Canary Islands Pteris incompleta and Culcita macrocarpa.
An arachnid named “Araña negra de Los Alcornocales” in Spanish, or Andalusian funnel-web spider in English which has its stronghold in this area. The scientific name is Macrothele calpeiana and it is a species protected by European law.

Scrub-land in the north east areas of the parkland consist of a mixture of Mediterranean evergreen plants including Wild olive (Olea europea), Lentisc (Pistacia lentiscus), Hairy thorny broom (Calycotome villosa), Mediterranean Daphne (Daphne gnidium), False olive (Phillyrea angustifolia), Needle-leaved broom (Teline linifolia), Purple phlomis (Phlomis purpurea) and gorse species such as Stauracanthus boivinii.

Most of the park falls within the Andalusian province of Cadiz, with a small portion on the north eastern border crossing into Malaga province at Cortez de la Frontera. This town is at the northern entrance to the park and actually lies on the border of the two parks: Sierra de Grazalema - mountainous limestone massif and Los Alcornocales - rolling sandstone hills and oak forest. There are a few populated areas within the park, but the larger towns fall on its outer boundary. Jimena de la Frontera, Castellar de la Frontera and Los Barrios are on the eastern edge with Algar, Alcalá de los Gazules, Benalup-Casas Viejas and Facinas on the western side. There is a dual carriageway road cutting diagonally across the park from Algeciras to Jerez de la Frontera and an A road from Ubrique to Alcalá de los Gazules but otherwise there are only a few winding B roads.

A combination of Palaeolithic, Neolithic and Chalcolithic cave paintings (in around 150 caves and natural rock-shelters), Megalithic monuments, Iberian, Phoenician and Roman remains as well as Arabic forts form the heritage of this long populated area. The southern edge of the Los Alcornocales natural park butts up to the Parque Natural El Estrecho, or the Strait natural park which covers both land and sea in this strategic position of Mediterranean sea meeting Atlantic ocean. (The cave art image shown here is from the small rock shelter of Cueva Tajo de Figuras near to the village of Benalup-Casas Viejas.)

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