El Pardo Woodlands

It constitutes an important ecological and biological reserve as a typical but strongly continental Mediterranean holm oak forest, with gently undulating terrain on the fertile plain of the Manzanares River, which crosses through it from north to south.

In addition to the holm oak, the main species, there are also gall oaks, junipers and cork oaks, and in the groves, ashes, willows and poplars. The predominant bush species are rockroses, brooms, false olives, rosemary and French lavender.

There is considerable diversity of fauna on Monte de El Pardo and, besides the emblematic species such as the imperial eagle, the black vulture and the black stork, there are numerous species of mammals (common deer, fallow deer, wild boar, wild cat, rabbit, badger, fox, genet, weasel, etc.). Amongst the reptile species, the ladder snake, the ocellated lizard and the Spanish Psammodromus stand out. The aquatic fauna is mainly concentrated in the El Pardo reservoir.

Since the construction of a hunting pavilion by Henry III in 1405, it has been considered royal property, with boundaries established on various occasions during the 15th century.

Finally, the Royal Decree of Philip II, in 1571, determined its surface area and protected zones, which were extended by means of land purchases during the 17th century.

The protection of the Monte culminated with the construction of the current perimeter wall of almost 100km during the reign of Ferdinand VI

In 1987, Monte de El Pardo was declared a Special Protection Area for Birds (SPA) by the member states of the European Union. This classification recognised its capacity to provide a life for birds in danger of extinction and made it part of the Natura 2000 Network.