Information

Las Ubiñas-La Mesa Natural Park

Las Ubiñas-La Mesa Natural Park is located in the southern sector of Asturias, comprising the parishes of Lena, Quirós and Teverga.

The park covers more than 45,000 ha and is characterised by its excellent state of conservation and great biological diversity.

Its rugged relief is of strong contrasts, and park has more than 30 peaks over 2,000 m. The Ubiña massif is the second most extensive in the Cordillera, after the Picos de Europa.

The Ubiñas-La Mesa Natural Park is home to the most representative animal species of the Cantabrian Mountains: brown bear (Ursus arctos), wolf (Canis lupus), wild boar (Sus scrofa), red deer (Cervus elaphus), chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra); and almost all the small carnivores of Asturias are present in the area: Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra), Pyranean desman (Galemys pyrenaicus), a wide variety of bats, etc. As for birdlife, it is one of the last refuges of the Cantabrian capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus cantabricus) and numerous species of birds of prey. The herpetology of the area has several endemic species, including the Iberian cross adder (Vipera seoanei).

Furthermore, the park is home to half of the series of flora present in Asturias. Natural forests occupy more than a third of the park's surface area, with beech forests being the most abundant. At higher altitudes there are birch groves, and in areas where these forests do not flourish, there are pastures for livestock. The higher altitudes are dominated by subalpine vegetation.

In 2002, Cueva Huerta and Puertos de Marabio were declared Natural Monuments. The former is a karstic cave located in the parish of Teverga and is one of the largest caves in Asturias, with 14 km of complex underground tunnels and channels. Meanwhile, the Puertos de Marabio is an extensive meadow with small forests, developed over a karstic system with numerous sinkholes and dry valleys.

The park records the first human settlements in the Neolithic period. The eastern and western boundaries are marked by two of the main Roman access roads to the region, an example of the enormous influence the empire has in the area.

In the villages of the park, there are signs of the rural development that the area underwent, with small villages with farmhouses, hórreos and paneras (granaries on stilts). There are also some brañas preserved, which are mountain areas where livestock graze during the summer period, with stone huts and shelters.