The Montgó park is located between the towns of Denia and Javea .This
reserve has a coastal section covering near 3 km.
The geological composition of this Nature Reserve is distinguished by Cretaceous
materials. On the lower parts of it, marl and marlaceous lime abound, while
the escarpments are formed by compact limestone.
The flora is composed by kermes oak groves dotted with mastic trees and rhamnnus
alaternus, and the Mediterranean scrub.
The marine birds are quite important in the fauna ; gull, Audouin's gull etc…
Montgó rises above the towns of Jávea and Denia. This imposing promontory, which lies almost parallel to the coast, has a highest point of 753 metres and is only a few hundred metres from the coastline with which it is connected by a plain known as "Les Planes", sloping gently down to the Cape of Sant Antoni. It covers 825 hectares.
REPRESENTTIVE ECOSYSTEMS. Biocenosis. The reasons which justified the declaration
of Montgó as a Natural Park are not human and physical, but rather basic
and fundamentally, environmental and botanical causes. This is a natural area
which harbours a great wealth of flora. Over 600 species, among which some unique
in their genus, complete the floral catalogue.
The diversity that characterises the environmental factors present in the Natural
Park allows us to identify different types of scenery where we can find distinct
plant communities described bellow:
VEGETATION
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On the summit of Montgó with its imposing landscape we can find red lavender
and Kermes oak. These take over from the communities of holm oak which dominate
the more protected areas with deeper soil.
On the cliffs of the Cape of Sant Antoni, the vegetation is characterised by plants adapted to growing in the fissures, cracks and sherves of the cliff, and able to withstand the contact with salt water to a certain extent. In the areas closest to the sea, where the contact with salt water is strongest, Marine Fennel and the everlasting flower "Helichrysum decumbens" can be found. As we move away from the sea and the salinity decreases the valencian rock violet appears and cave scabius on the steeper slopes. On leveller ground, interesting diannic endemic plants can be found (the town of Denia takes its name from the cult to the roman goddess Diana) such as the valencian rock violet and also "diannic pitiusic" vegetation (in reference to the nearby archipelago Pitiusas) such as rock thistle and valerian.
On the plain, as on the hillside, lavender and Kermes oak grow mingled with
repopulated aleppo or carrasco pine and vegetation typical of unirrigated land.
Shady cliffs, with their humidity level, isolation and inaccessibility encourage
the growth of endemic plants such as valencian rock violet, Cave Scabius, Sanguisorba
ancistroides, and Sarcocapnos saetabensis. On wider shelves, a community of
"Black Sabina" and Chamaerops humilis has developed. In areas exposed
to the sun, various communities of species adapted to high temperatures and
scarce humidity levels are located, such as Chaenorrhinum crassifolium and Teucrium
hifacense.
FAUNA
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The fauna present in the Natural Park is closely linked to the scenery and the
vegetation which has developed there. In the higher areas the patiamarilla gull
nests and the Audouin gull hibernates along with many other birds. In the cliffs
and rocks, ravens and predators are located. We can notice the nests of the
perdicera eagle and the presence of a couple of royal owls. In the areas of
red lavendar, many animals can be seen such as the dormouse, the country rat,
rabbits, badger, gineta, fox and weasel. Due to the more or less permanent shortage
of places to collect water, the least frequent vertebrates are amphibians, among
which we can highlight the common toad and the corridor toad (Bufo Calamita).
Reptiles are more frequent, such as the common small lizard, the ocelad lizard,
the horseshoe snake, etc. Standing out in this group is the presence of the
Iberian "eslizón". Within the group of invertebrate species,
we can notice a great wealth of gasteropedes communities and insects.
BASIC LEGISLATION
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Law 5/88 of June 24th, of the Generalitat Valenciana, by which natural areas
of the Land of Valencia are regulated.
Decree 25/87 of March 16th, of the Consell of the Generalitat Valenciana: declaration of the Montgó as a Natural Park. Modified by the ordinance 110/92
DATE OF DECLARATION AS A NATURAL PARK: 16th of March 1.987.
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