Mondragó Nature Reserve

The Mondragó Natural Park, is located on the Mallorcas´s south-east coast, on the Llevant area, near the town of Santanyí. This green space, which was proclaimed a Natural Park on 18th August 1992, after popular demonstrations against the development of a tourist resort in this area. It has an area of 785 hectares, of which 95 are publicly owned and 690 hectares are in private hands. Its main aim is to fully conserve its natural heritage.

Vegetation, made up of various species of great ecological interest, is very important in these natural surroundings, which consist mainly of open ravines, streams, beaches and small dune systems. Botanical species growing in the dunes include the marine thistle, the houseleek, the violet, and the sea lily. Along the coastal cliffs, despite the hard rocky conditions, strong winds and high levels of salt, sea fennel, lentisco (an evergreen and aromatic bush) and rosemary can be found. In the more humid and shadier areas of the S´Amarador stream and the spectacular Ses Fonts de n´Alis cove, holm oak, honeysuckle, wild asparagus and many other plats grow. Tamarisk, fine brushwood, seaweed and species of the Chaetomorpha genus can also be found here. Another of the Mondrago´s most important landscapes is the heathland (where thickets abound) where there are numerous wild olive trees, and Mediterranean pines, some carob trees, rockroses and even orchids.

The animal life in the Mondragó Natural Park is very varied, as mammals, amphibians, reptiles and numerous bird species live there. However, there is a lack of maritime species in the coves, where it is only possible to find eels and a few other fish. However, reptiles and amphibians abound, such as the green toad, the common frog, the lizard, the turtle and the grass snake. The most common mammals are the hedgehog, which lives in pine trees and at the edge of fields, the mountain rabbit, the hare, the dormouse, and the weasel, among others. Bird life has a fundamental role in the Mondragó Natural Park, where the diversity of surroundings makes it possible for different types of birds to nest here with no danger. Fisherman eagles, falcons, common partridges, turtledoves and cuckoos are some of the birds that have made their home in Mondragó.