designated as SCI (Cabo de Gata-Níjar, ES0000046) in 2001, which was further
ratified in 2006 and 2009, and finally designated as SAC (ES0000046) in 2012.
Regarding that, this MPA is one of the most recognized coastal areas in Spain, and it
contains a significant number of protection figures.
This MPA nowadays spans over ca. 500 km
2 , including the Gata Cape (Cabo de
Gata) that is a first-order geographical accident (Fig. 25.5). The promontory
“Charidemo,” as named by the ancients, is where the volcanic mountains of Cabo
de Gata end, and it is characterized by an extensive outcrop of volcanic rocks mainly
from the cal-calkaline series. They are constituted by a dominance of andesites and
dacites Miocene in age (between 14 and 7.5 Ma) (Fernández Soler 1996). On the
volcanic structures, especially at the north-eastern zone, there are important
Messinian reef limestone deposits (Villalobos 2003) from a period in which the
Mediterranean Sea was warmer than today. The volcanic complex of Cabo de Gata is
the largest in the SE of the Iberian Peninsula and is characterized by its diversity
(Villalobos 2003).
In addition to the mountain and the succession of cliffs, the native vegetation
includes numerous endemic species (Mota et al. 1997, 2011). This MPA has also
extensive sandy beaches in the Bay of Almería, with dune areas and large shrub
vegetation dominated by species of African origin such as Ziziphus lotus (Tirado
Fig. 25.5 Cabo de Gata-Níjar SPAMI and collateral protection figures. (a) Gata Cape (Cabo de
Gata), the lighthouse, the mountains and the salt pans within the Bay of Almería; (b) the small
fishing village of La Isleta del Moro with its Posidonia oceanica meadows; (c) submarine cave near
San José, with the chalice coral (Astroides calycularis); (d) artificial reef with concentration
modules and anti-trawling blocks with several nets hooked in 2015. (a–c Diego Moreno/Sustainable Marine Environment Management Program/Junta de Andalucía; d Agustín Barrajón
Domenech/Sustainable Marine Environment Management Program/Junta de Andalucía)
840
Á. Mateo-Ramírez et al.
ratified in 2006 and 2009, and finally designated as SAC (ES0000046) in 2012.
Regarding that, this MPA is one of the most recognized coastal areas in Spain, and it
contains a significant number of protection figures.
This MPA nowadays spans over ca. 500 km
2 , including the Gata Cape (Cabo de
Gata) that is a first-order geographical accident (Fig. 25.5). The promontory
“Charidemo,” as named by the ancients, is where the volcanic mountains of Cabo
de Gata end, and it is characterized by an extensive outcrop of volcanic rocks mainly
from the cal-calkaline series. They are constituted by a dominance of andesites and
dacites Miocene in age (between 14 and 7.5 Ma) (Fernández Soler 1996). On the
volcanic structures, especially at the north-eastern zone, there are important
Messinian reef limestone deposits (Villalobos 2003) from a period in which the
Mediterranean Sea was warmer than today. The volcanic complex of Cabo de Gata is
the largest in the SE of the Iberian Peninsula and is characterized by its diversity
(Villalobos 2003).
In addition to the mountain and the succession of cliffs, the native vegetation
includes numerous endemic species (Mota et al. 1997, 2011). This MPA has also
extensive sandy beaches in the Bay of Almería, with dune areas and large shrub
vegetation dominated by species of African origin such as Ziziphus lotus (Tirado
Fig. 25.5 Cabo de Gata-Níjar SPAMI and collateral protection figures. (a) Gata Cape (Cabo de
Gata), the lighthouse, the mountains and the salt pans within the Bay of Almería; (b) the small
fishing village of La Isleta del Moro with its Posidonia oceanica meadows; (c) submarine cave near
San José, with the chalice coral (Astroides calycularis); (d) artificial reef with concentration
modules and anti-trawling blocks with several nets hooked in 2015. (a–c Diego Moreno/Sustainable Marine Environment Management Program/Junta de Andalucía; d Agustín Barrajón
Domenech/Sustainable Marine Environment Management Program/Junta de Andalucía)
840
Á. Mateo-Ramírez et al.