Puntos de Interés
Hydrography
Linares
Las Varas River, also known as the river Menéndez, belongs to the drainage basin of the Nalón River.
The course of the river is 10.6 km and starts near Santo Adriano del Monte, before passing through Sama de Grado and Coalla.
Las Varas River rises very close to the Fancuaya pass, a very popular spot with cyclists, and flows into the river Cubia in the town of Alcubiella.
The fauna that has developed around the river stands out for its ornithological richness, however, it also has many significant species such as the European badger (Meles meles), Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra), Pyrenean chamois (Rupicabra pyrenaica), common genet (Genetta genetta), Pyrenean desman (Galemys pyrenaicus), brown bear (Ursus arctos), wolf (Canis lupus), grass snake (Natrix natrix), etc.
Along its course, Las Varas River flows through mixed forests, chestnut and beech woods, as well as scrubland, arable farmland and meadows.
The woodland along the river has been subject to strong pressures for centuries, as also the case of other rivers in Asturias. Firstly, due to deforestation which occurred to clear the area for farmland, and subsequently, due to the discharge of pollutants due to human activity, both of which accelerated the degradation of these ecosystems.