Iberian Highlands
Rewilding
A RENATURLIZING LANDSCAPE FOR NATURE LOVERS
Exploring One of Europe’s Potential Great Wilderness Areas
Just two hours east of Madrid, this vast region — one of the most extreme areas of “Empty Spain” — offers a paradise for outdoor enthusiasts. Spanning over 850,000 hectares, it is a land of dramatic canyons, towering cliffs, winding rivers, and endless trails where you can hike or bike for an entire day without seeing another soul.
After centuries of intensive forestry and grazing use, depopulation since the mid-20th century has allowed native fauna to make a remarkable comeback. Eagles, peregrine falcons, eagle owls, wild boar, deer, mouflon, and even the elusive Iberian lynx roam freely, while Egyptian and Griffon vultures soar above.
A potential true wilderness, the Iberian Highlands presents one of the largest rewilding efforts in Europe; most of the region is protected under the Natura 2000 Network. NGOs and local communities are working to revitalize the landscapes, bring back critical missing species, and encourage conscious, nature-based tourism. Work is currently focused on reintroduction of large herbivores to control forest fire risk.
“What we are trying to achieve here is to demonstrate that rewilding, at a large scale, can both benefit nature and people.”
“Breathing New Life in the Iberian Highlands” is a Rewilding Europe documentary that depicts the incredible impact that rewilding can do for nature and wildlife. The film shares the inspiring story of the translocation of Przewalski's horses from the Monts D'Azur Biological Reserve in France to the Iberian Highlands in May 2023. According to Pablo Villa, the Herd Manager at Rewilding Spain, the horses are vital to the abandoned mountains in the Iberian Highlands, which has an overabundance of vegetation, leading to risks of wildfires.
Featured on EuroMaxx
Euromaxx reporter, Diana Piñeros, explores an extensive, inspiring environmental project in Spain, led by the Rewilding Spain team. This rewilding and restoration project in the Iberian Highlands aims to bring back an endangered breed of horses and wild cows or "tauros".
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