The Alta Garrotxa is a vast area of limestone relief, located in the eastern foothills. Its extremely rugged terrain has conditioned the landscape, vegetation, fauna and human settlements throughout history and has allowed the maintenance of a relatively isolated natural area preserves an important biological wealth, to the point of being Area of Natural Interest and declared, in the framework of the Natura 2000 network, designated as Special Protection Zone for Birds and Site of Community Importance.
Area of Interest in Alta Garrotxa is a considerable extension of territory (32,865 hectares), for its diversity and uniqueness is certainly the most important area of the eastern foothills.
The relief of the area is limestone and has a marked abruptesa, with a predominance of deep valleys, surrounded by cliffs and rock walls. This is what gives relief tortuous name space: the Garrotxes are "rough and poor land mark". The landscape of the Alta Garrotxa is truly spectacular, not only by the magnificence of relief, but also for its forest cover, dominated by oak and oak.
The Alta Garrotxa has also an important wealth in terms of cultural heritage: sites, farms, villages, chapels, places coal ... are scattered throughout the country and highlight the importance it had in the past, human settlements and traditional activities, agriculture and livestock in this area.
The area has suffered from mid-century, a process of depopulation and abandonment of land caused by the difficulties of survival in the mountains, the devaluation of coal as energy resource and attraction of industries located in the Fluvià valley.
Today, space is a place where activities such as hiking and tourism, along with the development of other activities linked al'aprofitament natural resources by local people.
- Year of declaration: 1992
- Regulations: Decree 328/1992, of 14 December.
- Area: 32874
- Ownership: Public
- Annual closing: Open all year round.
- How to get there: The GIV-5221 road from Montagut i Oix to Camprodon. And the N-260 road from La Canya to Sant Salvador de Bianya.
