The impressive mountain range of O Courel.
The mountains of the Sierra de O Courel , located in the province of Lugo and formed by the municipalities of Folgoso do Courel, Quiroga and Ribas de Sil- have been declared a World Geopark by UNESCO.
The 21,020-hectare mountain range ranks 13th in the list of Spanish Geoparks and 141st in the world, thus joining some of the most popular natural parks such as Cabo de Gata, Sobrarbe or the Basque Coast.
WHAT IS A GEOPARK
For those who don't know what is a Geopark or a geological park It is "a territory that presents a remarkable geological heritage and that carries out a development project based on its tourist promotion, with clear economic and development objectives". This is what they point out from the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Spain.
In this sense, to obtain the Geopark title, the existence of a good geological heritage , the launch of initiatives for its conservation and dissemination ; and let them develop in it socio-economic and cultural activities at the local level.
There is a Coordination Committee formed for each of the representatives of the geoparks, in addition to a representative of UNESCO. Is this certificate forever? No, in fact this Committee ensures that the requirements are met periodically, so if a Geopark does not comply with them, it can be expelled.
The mountain range of slate villages.
The reasons that have made the O Courel mountain range recognized as a Geopark are many. . The first is that geologically it is the most complete of the Galician mountains; in it valleys are distinguished, Mediterranean and Atlantic forests , summits at 1,500 meters of altitude.
In addition to its admired chestnut forests -the main economic engine of the mountains in ancient times-, oaks, yews, beeches, holly... And a total of 40 villages where some 1,106 residents live, according to the data that appears in the INE of 2016.
It has not been easy the road to get this recognition, the O Courel mountain range has been after him since 2009 . It was then that the Ribeira Sacra-Courel Rural Development Group (GDR) began the process with a local development project called 'Geoempleo: geodiversity as a source of employment'.
Since then, different initiatives have been developed to achieve the title such as the creation of new hiking trails , viewpoints and the museum of geology and paleontology in Quiroga.
In 2017 it was when the GDR formally presented the candidacy to UNESCO, and In 2018, the UNESCO World Geoparks Council finally agreed to propose O Courel as a Geopark..
This announcement has meant for the municipalities of the area great news , since they hope that the announcement will attract tourism. We are sure you will get it!