Contenido

El parque natural de Urkiola tiene una superficie de 5958,3 ha y un perímetro

de 83,8 km. Las 5958,3 ha por las que se extiende el parque natural se distribuyen entre 8 municipios, siete de ellos den Vizcaya y uno en Álava. La superficie que corresponde a cada uno de ellos es la siguiente:.

La orografía del Parque es muy accidentada aunque no de excesiva altitud. Las sierras de Aramotz-Ezkubaratz, los Montes del Duranguesado y la sierra de Arangio son los terrenos que conforman la superficie protegida. La altitud oscila entre la mínima de 240 en Zalloventa, barrio de Mañaria, hasta los 1331 del monte Amboto quedando la mayor parte del territorio sobre los 600 metros de altitud. En general, la altitud va aumentando de este a oeste. La sierra de Aramotz oscila entre los 789 m de Urtemondo y los 1008 m de Leungane; Ezkubaratz tiene en la cumbre de Arrietabaso su punto más alto con 1018 m. El cordal Amboto-Alluitz alcanza los 1331 m en la cima del primero y se rebaja en los 894 m de Tellamendi. La sierra de Arangio, dispuesta ortogonalmente al eje Amboto-Alluitz, tiene su máxima altitud en la cumbre del Orisol con 1128 m.[2]​.

Siguiendo los ejes de las sierras que conforman el Parque, en la dirección este-oeste tiene una longitud aproximada de 20,5 km que corresponden a la separación entre el límite noroeste de Aramotz y sudeste de Tellamedi, mientras que en el sentido norte-sur es de 5 km. La sierra de Aramotz-Eskubaratz es un paisaje abrupto, áspero, dominado por la roca caliza y propio de un sistema kárstico. Los montes del Duranguesado, dominados por Amboto y Alluitz son una gran mole de caliza gris que se alza imponente sobre los valles de Arrazola y del Ibaizábal. La sierra de Arangio se mantiene cubierta de vegetación. La línea divisoria de aguas entre la vertiente mediterránea y cantábrica pasa por las cordales de estas sierras, dándose la circunstancia que es la cumbrera del tejado del Santuario de los Santos Antonios parte integrante de la misma.

La ocupación humana de la zona es remonta a tiempos prehistóricos, aun así el único núcleo habitado del Parque es el puerto de carretera de Uquiola, donde se ubica el santuario y su área. No obstante hay una gran presencia de caseríos aislado dispersos por la zona baja del Parque. Los habitantes de estos caseríos, en (euskera reciben el nombre de "baserri") se dedican a la explotación agraria y ganadera que combinan con el trabajo en la industria y servicios de las poblaciones cercanas. Las labores del agro han modificado sustancialmente el paisaje del Parque a lo largo de la historia. Junto a ellas, la explotación forestal, es una de las más relevantes en esta cuestión al haber introducido especies foráneas destinadas a dicha labor.

Urquiola ha sido una de las principales rutas de comunicación entre la cornisa cantábrica y la meseta a lo largo de la historia. Esta característica unida al despoblamiento del entorno y su singularidad paisajística, ha dado lugar a numerosas leyendas y mitos, siendo el más relevante el de Mari, la llamada "Dama de Amboto", y la actuación de los Gentiles (gigantes sin cristianizar que realizan proezas de fuerza sobrenatural a los que se les atribuyen diversas construcciones y estructuras naturales). Ocupando el lugar de las deidades precristianas se construyeron ermitas e iglesias a lo largo del camino principal, cuya influencia, junto con las labores de los habitantes del entorno, forjaron el paisaje actual del parque.[3]​.

Boundaries

The limits of the Urkiola natural park are defined in the northern part by the separation line between the municipalities of Yurre and Dima that runs along the slope of Mount Aramotz towards the east to the point where the borders of these two municipalities converge with Lemona and Amorebieta. From there it continues following the demarcation between Dima and Amorebieta until the summit of Belatxikieta above the latter municipality.

Bordering this mountain to the boundary of Dima and Amorebieta until reaching the edge of Mount Auirreta, continuing along the edge of Mount Betzuen until reaching the boundary of the municipality of Durango.

The demarcation line of the Park extends eastwards along the path towards the hermitage of Santa Lucía and the place known as "Neberondo" ("The refrigerator") just below the summit of Mugarra, to the border with Izurza. It follows the limit of Mount Bidecelaya until the road to the Etxeburu Torre hamlet from where it runs to the line that separates Izurza from Mañaria. Follow the line of separation between these two municipalities in a southeasterly direction until you climb the Mugarra crest and descend to Peda Mugarra. At this point the demarcation of the Park continues until reaching the Mugarrikolanda road that serves as the limit to the place known as Arta. From there it goes to the marble quarry and along the Izunze road to the Urkuleta river. Continue to the Txupitaspe stream and along the edge of the U.P. mountain. No. 185 reaches milestone No. 71. From this milestone, you follow the line that separates Mañaria and Dima to the hermitage of San Martín and surrounds Mount Untzillaitz, passing over the quarry called Muchate until you reach the dividing line between Mañaria and Izurza, which you follow until you reach the municipality of Abadiño, following the demarcation of this municipality to milestone 1, which is in Untxillaitz. Along the edge of this mountain it reaches boundary marker 18 where, crossing the Atxarte gorge, it reaches boundary marker 19 located on Mount Urquiola-Basoak, whose boundary is followed until boundary marker 45, leaving the boundary to continue halfway down the slope towards Achondo, skirting the foothills of Alluitz and Amboto, passing through the rocky spur called Atxarte, the old road of Atxeko, Eguskialde shanties to the border with Alava. We follow the Erlan stream upstream, and along the Amillondo hill to the Axelarrin rocks, where the eastern limit begins.

To the east, the summit of Tellamendi is the reference point from which we continue westwards through Izpiztikoarriaga, already in the lands of Aramayona. Near the Lesiaga pass, you change direction to the south to skirt the eastern slope of Mount Aranguio, passing through Larra, the Izarra ravine and the Ipurtotz shanty, following the path that from Aranguio leads to the Keisti shanty where the southern limit of the Park begins.

To the south, the limit of the protected space goes from the Aranguio cross along the slope of that mountain, passing through the hermitage of San Cristóbal, to the Lesiaga hill and from there to Olaeta and Zabalandi, arriving at Pagozabal on the border between the provinces of Álava and Vizcaya. Follow the border between these territories in a westward direction (territorial limit also of the municipalities of Achondo and Aramayona) until Azuntze, now in Abadiano, reaching marker number 58 of Mount Urquiola Basoak, following the interprovincial demarcation until marker 68 where the boundary of Álava and the Park ends on this side.

Landscape

The landscape complex of the Urquiola Park is made up of the large limestone masses that make up the mountain ranges that run through the Park in the southeast-northwest axis. These rocky masses have steep slopes, creating ravines and cliffs, and sharp ridges with fine cresting steps. The slopes of these ridges are covered with Cantabrian holm oaks, beech forests and other deciduous forests as well as with forest plantations of different species, mainly conifers, among which are open grass meadows, which give a landscape very rich in colors with an abundant range of greens.

The karst plains support a diverse and harsh landscape made up of different proportions of bushes, grasses, rocky outcrops, beech forests and pine forests in a very rugged topography.

In the lower part of the valleys you can see plantations, with some interspersions of hardwood forests. The greater subdivision of these areas due to human activity gives a noticeable mosaic of geometric shapes, but maintains the typical range of greens of the Cantabrian landscape.

It is worth highlighting the impact of mining activity in the Park or its surroundings. Even though mineral extraction has been a historical activity within the lands that make up the Urkiola Natural Park, the mines were closed a long time before this protection figure was granted to these lands. The limestone quarries, open-air operations with a great landscape impact, have remained in activity long after the birth of the Urkiola natural park. With the exception of the Atzarte quarries, owned by the Abadiño town council, which were closed when the Park was created, those of Mutxate and Markolin Goikoa in Mañaria are in operation on the exact limit of the Park's demarcation (in fact the mark was made in reference to the extractive exploitation) and that of Zallaventa, also in Mañaria, within the limit of the Park is also in production.[6]​.

Zoning

Taking into account the use and protection characteristics, the Park has been divided into four different zones. This regulation carried out by Decree 147/2002, of June 18, 2002, seeks the orderly use of the natural resources of Urquiola by the population, guaranteeing their sustained environmental use; preserve the variety and uniqueness of natural, landscape and geological ecosystems; maintain the essential ecological processes and the habitats of the species of wild flora and fauna and the maintenance of the productive capacity of the natural heritage.[6]​ These areas are:.

Special protection areas are those that require them, due to their characteristics of vegetation, fauna, geomorphology, landscape and ecosystems. They extend through abrupt areas with large slopes.

There are two areas of this type, one the crest formed by Untzillaitz - Anboto - Zabalandi - Arangio, the most important with a great landscape variety of flora and fauna with extensive stands of beech forests. The other extends along the slopes of the Neberazarra and Errelletabaso going down to Iturrioz in the southern part and to the northwest it encompasses the Mugarra, having its limit in the karst zone. It has a relevant flora and highlights the birdlife that develops in the Mugarra and the high landscape value of the Neberazarra area.

It is planned to preserve these areas by promoting the recovery of native species by rebuilding masses of native vegetation and recomposing them. Act in the recovery of old quarries and promote uses compatible with conservation objectives. Reduce the recreational use of the Amboto tailpiece.

It is the usual area of ​​influx of visitors. It includes the area of ​​the port of Urquiola, with the Sanctuary of Santos Antonios and its surroundings. It extends along the road between the port of Urquiola and the height of Erreketegana.

It is an area where issues of cultural interest stand out and there are some representative ecosystems.

Made up of areas transformed for these uses over time. They extend to the sides of the Mañaria - Ochandiano highway including lands of Iñunganaxpe and Artaun. The improvement of the farms is planned under the supervision of the Park management bodies in agreement with the associations of owners and users.

It is located at the northwestern end of the Park from Aramotz to Mugarra. It is a unique karst area with unique conditions in altitude and stoniness of the terrain that make its vegetation scarce and usable for grazing.

This zone is a 100 meter wide band along the entire perimeter of the Park, excluding the rural and industrial centers, specifically Artaun in Dima and Urkuleta and the area of ​​consolidated industrial land around the hermitage of San Lorenzo in Mañaria.

In this area, any activity that may harm the protected area can be suspended, following a report from the Park Board.[6]​.

Access

The Urkiola natural park is surrounded by urban centers whose rural neighborhoods extend into their limits. From them access is easy and fast. The neighboring towns are well connected. The distance from the center of the Park to the capitals of the Basque Country are as follows; to Bilbao 50 km, to Vitoria 31 km and to San Sebastián 80 km.

The BI-623 highway (in the Alava part A-623), which crosses the Park from north to south in its center, linking Durango "Durango (Spain)") with Vitoria, is the fastest and most comfortable way to access the Park. This road forms the Urquiola mountain pass, which has an altitude of 700 m. It is home to the Sanctuary of the Santos Antonios and its entire religious area (paths, hermitages and fountains) as well as the interpretation center of the park Toki Alai and its administrative offices. In this place, a small urban center has been formed, dependent on the municipality of Abadiano, with some hospitality and accommodation services, recreation areas and walks.

The Aramotz massif area can be accessed from the Arratia valley, southern part of the Park, through the BI-3543 road that connects the towns of Yurre and Ochandiano. From this road you can access the neighborhoods and places of Artan, Oba "Oba (Spain)") and Balzola, all in the town of Dima. From the other side, from the Ibaizábal valley, you can access this mountain range from the urban center of Amorebieta or from the Bernalgoitia neighborhood of this same municipality.

On the west side, access is from the BI-632 highway that connects Durango with Mondragón passing through the Campázar mountain pass. From this point you can access Besaide and Udalaitz and from there to Ipizte, Zabalandi and Amboto hills. From this same road, you can access the Arrazola valley and the centers that make up the municipality of Achondo, located under the Amboto - Alluitz and access it, with slopes greater than 1000 m.

The Alava part of the Park, the Arangio mountain range, has access by road A-26202 that runs between Mondragón and Villarreal de Álava. From there you can access the Aramayona neighborhoods of Ganzada and Etxaguen or by taking the A-3941 to the Oleta neighborhood, also in Aramayona, which is already located on the western slope of the Arangio massif.[2]​.

The Castilian toponym of "Urquiola" comes from the Basque "Urquiola", name of the park, and refers to the existence of birch trees, urki(a) = "birch", "ola" = "factory" "ferrería".[7]​ It translates as "birch ironworks".

Geological composition

The rocks that make up the soils of the Urkiola Natural Park are all sedimentary rocks. The most common lithographic materials are limestone, marl, sandstone and clays and rocks that combine the above whose origin is calcareous mud, clay and sand that have been cemented.

The limestone reef rock formations, also called urgonians, stand out for their spectacularity and abundance. These limestones occupy a large area and mark the highest altitudes. In the eastern sector is the alignment of the Duranguesado mountains with the Alluitz, Ergoin, Amboto peaks that extend through Izpizte and Orisol, all of them above 1000 meters of altitude. In the western sector are the summits of Urtemondo, Mugarra, Leungane in Aramotz and Kanpantorrieta and Arrietabaso in Ezkubaratz.

The calcareous escarpments of the Duranguesado mountains that face in a northwest-southeast direction and go from Mugarra to Amboto draw attention from a geological point of view for their spectacular nature. They are masses of light gray reef limestone, very hard and compact. They have a large number of fossils of massive colonial corals and the shells of rudists (tall, cup-shaped mollusks) and ostreids. Others of different types are interspersed in the reef limestones, such as black sandstone limestones, clayey limestones, marly limestones, etc.

The second type of rock that is most abundant in the Park is detrital rocks, which are formed by an accumulation of very heterogeneous small grains. They are sandstones and their variants. They occupy a wide area in the southeastern sector of the Park and their most notable peaks are Saibi and Urquiolamendi, extending to the south outside the limits of the protected area. Within this sector there is a basal section of whitish or light gray sandstones with small quartz pebbles.

Then there is a mixture of different types of very varied sedimentary rocks, clayey limestones at the northern end of Tellamendi, sandstones, clays and marls next to the reef limestone.[2]​.

These rocks are all, with the exception of the Quaternary coatings, of Lower Cretaceous materials corresponding to a different chronological level in each series. The quaternary coatings are thin and are eluvial soils, hillside debris, river drifts and peat bogs, mud and clay.

The erosion that has affected the relief of the Park, attacking and making the softest part disappear, leaving the hard parts such as limestone spurs to stand out. The limestone in turn suffers the characteristic signs of dissolution in the form of sinkholes "Dolina (geology)"), caverns, etc.

The so-called Urquiola Fault borders the Amboto and Aramotz Mountains to the southwest, which is the most important fracture of the Biscayan anticlinorium.[6]​.

Geological history

The rocks that make up the soil of the Urkiola Natural Park are dated to be between 140 million years old for the oldest and 110 million years for the youngest. The oldest rocks form a geological floor that is called Neocomian from the beginning of the Cretaceous period, belonging to the Secondary Era or Mesozoinca and are sandy and clayey materials, the date of 140 million years is attested by the fossils it contains. These are of marine origin.

About 120 million years ago, others of calcareous origin appeared on these materials, the urgonian or reef limestones. These have their origin in the coral colonies that developed in the ancient narrow and shallow sea that occupied these lands.

110 million years ago the sea became wider and deeper, stopping the development of coral and beginning to be covered by fine sandy and clayey sediments. 100 million years ago the so-called "opening of the Cantabrian Sea" began, which was extended 45 million years ago when the Iberian Plate was introduced under the Eurasian Plate pushed by the African Plate. In this process the seabed is compressed and raised, forming the Pyrenees and the reliefs peripheral to them, among which are the Basque Mountains where Urquiola is located. Once the seabed is exposed, this is about 40 million years ago, the action of erosion begins, which ended up giving the current shape that the relief of the Urkiola Natural Park has today.[2]​.

Fossils

The reef or urgonian limestone is rich in seashell fossils as it was formed by the accumulation of corals and other marine beings that developed during the period when the place was submerged, about 120 million years ago. In the limestone masses of the Urkiola natural park there are fossil deposits of different types, some of them belonging to already extinct species. The most common fossils found are:

• - Rastellum is a bivalve mollusk of the Ostreidae family. Related to the current oysters that were very common in the Lower Cretaceous. The typical species is Rastellum rectangulare"), which was widely distributed in Europe from 120 to 140 million years ago. In the park it is associated with limestone and limestone sediments.

• - Aetostreon is a bivalve mollusk of the family Ostreidae. This mollusk is associated with the rastellum and in Urquiola it is found in the same places as the previous one. The typical species is Aetostreon latissimum").

• - Toucasia is a bivalve mollusk of the family Requieniidae"). Called Rudistitos"), they were very abundant for about 80 million years. They are currently extinct. They are colonial, sedentary and construction corals and in their typical species Toucasia carinata very common in reef limestones from 120 million years ago.

• - Monopleura is a bivalve mollusk of the family Monopleuridae"). Rudisto related to the Toucadia shares its characteristics. Its morphology is very different from that of the Toucadia. Abundant in the rock of the park, the typical species, the Monopleura implicata is between 7 and 10 cm and appears associated with the layers of Toucadia.

• - Sphaera is a bivalve mollusk of the family Fimbriidae"). Round in shape with ribs or concentric growth grooves on its shell and with some radial striations, it does not usually reach more than 10 cm in diameter. It is a common fossil throughout Europe in layers from the Lower Cretaceous. In Urquiola its presence is scarce.

• - Neithea is a bivalve mollusk of the Pectinidae family. This bivalve is related to today's scallops. Its shell was small in size, not exceeding 6 cm with the upper valve being flatter than the lower one. Both valves had 5 or 6 large radial ribs among which there were 3 or 5 smaller ones. The typical species in the Aptian is Neithea atava.

• - Glauconia is a gastropod mollusk of the family Cassiopidae"). Like all gastropods, it has a helical shell coiled around a central axis, similar to sea snails. With a size of 3 cm, its shell has raised spirals ornamented with thin parallel lines that used to alternate with thicker ones or round tubercles. Abundant in the Cretaceous, it predates the formation of Urgonian reef limestones"). It is associated with carbonaceous and sandy levels. The typical species is , which dates back to about 130 million years ago, being one of the oldest fossils found in Urquiola.

Karst landscape

The abundance of limestone together with the richness of rainfall in the area has given rise to a very rich karst relief, with abundant caves, many of them with remains of prehistoric human occupation. Karstification is linked to the hydrological contribution and the volume of rock that allows this phenomenon. This means that the underground water reserves are in close relationship with it.

On the plateaus presented by the Aramotz-Mugarra and Ezkubaratz massifs, all kinds of karst forms have developed. In them there are sinkholes, chasms and lava flows, which make up a particular and harsh landscape. On the edges of the plateau, especially on the northeastern edge, steeper slopes can be seen.

Under the ground, a complicated network of galleries is formed that collects the filtered water or that enters the sinks. Erosion continues until it reaches an impermeable extract and looks for an outlet, forming a spring or surge.[8]​.

Summits

The main peaks of the Park ordered by their altitude are:.

1. • Amboto, 1331.

2. • Elgoin, 1240.

3. • Orisol, 1128.

4. • Izpizte, 1062.

5. • Alluitz, 1039.

6. • Arrietabaso, 1018.

7. • Kanpantorreta"), 1016.

8. • Urquiolamendi, 1011.

9. • Leungane, 1008.

10. • Mugarra, 965.

11. • Saibigain, 945.

12. • Untzillaitz, 935.

13. • Tellamendi, 894.

14. • Aitz Txiki, 791.

15. • Urtemondo"), 789 [9]​.

El parque natural de Urkiola está situado sobre la línea divisoria de las vertientes mediterránea y cantábrica. La composición de sus suelos, con una alta presencia de las caliza, hace que hay una importante zona kárstica que ocupa cerca del 60% de la superficie del Parque en forma de roquedos calizos y planicies y depresiones kársticas, lo que hace que haya una importante presencia hídrica subterránea.

Rivers and streams

The surface of Urquiola is divided into two slopes and four large basins. They are small watercourses both in length and flow (with the exception of the Mañaria River and the Urquiola and Mendiola streams). The annual precipitation on both slopes is very similar, and greatly determines the flow. There is a big difference between the low flow in the summer and the maximum flow in the fall. A large number of springs emerge after the season of heavy rains.

The Mañaria, Mendiola, Arrázola and Aramayona basins belong to the Cantabrian slope, and their characteristics are steep slopes due to the large slopes and high erosive power. Both the Mañaria, Mendiola and Arrázola channels contribute to the Ibaizábal River.

The permanent surface water courses develop on the northern slope on clay loam lands. The streams that originate in the Inungane and Iturriotz-Txakurzulo ravines form the river called Mañaria. In the Mendiola ravine the stream of the same name is formed and in the Txareta and Atxondo ravines streams arise that end up in the Elorrio River which in turn, together with the Zaldu that comes from Zaldívar, forms the Ibaizábal, this being one of the main basins that collect the waters of the Park.

Also on the Cantabrian slope are the contributions belonging to the Deva River basin "Río Deva (Guipúzcoa)") in the southeastern part of the Park. They are the streams coming from the Arangio and Tellamendi mountains that form the Aramayona river.

On the Mediterranean slope, the southern part of the Park, the slopes are much gentler making the water courses slower. The Urquiola and Oleta streams belong to this slope, which are dammed in the Urrúnaga dam and flow into the Zadorra river, a tributary of the Ebro river.[9]​.

Aquifers

In the part of the Park with reef limestone terrain, a karstic process has developed and the water flows through underground rivers.

Precipitation recharges aquifers which are then discharged through upwellings or directly into waterways. These suggestions have important variations in flow depending directly on the precipitation regime. These waters have mineralization rates lower than 350 mg/l, presenting a clear calcium bicarbonate facies.

Two subunits are identified in the Park, Aramotz - Amboto and Eskuagatx. The first of them is divided into two sectors, Aramotz and Amboto. The resources of the subunits located in the natural park are estimated as a whole at 23.5 hm³/year.

The main hydrogeological area of ​​Urquiola is Aramotz, which goes beyond the limits of the park, reaching the Udalaitz massif and the Ilunbe-Induso area, in the municipality of Dima. It drains at the foot of the mountain at different points, in the southwest part by the Orue spring in the Dima valley with a flow of 75-100 l/s, in the northwest part by the Iturrieta spring in Mañaria with a flow of 100-200 l/s.

In the Ezkubaratz massif it drains to the north through the Zallobenta spring in Mañaria with a flow of 100-200 l/s and to the southwest to the Indusi river through the Urmeta, Angilarri, Indusi and Bernaola springs.

The Amboto complex drains towards the northwest, towards the Atxondo valley through the Urtzillo spring which has a flow of 100-200 l/s.[9]​.

The Urkiola Natural Park is located on the Cantabrian-Mediterranean watershed and the disturbances of the North Atlantic determine its climatic regime.

The climate is temperate oceanic, with a high rainfall regime with a clear decrease in the summer period and a tempering of extreme temperatures. There is a transition between the eastern Cantabrian climate of Vizcaya and the continentalized Mediterranean climate of most of Álava.

Most of the Park is located above 600 meters of altitude, being included in the supratemperate thermotype, while the lands below that level are more temperate, being the mesotemperate thermotype.

Annual rainfall, around 1500 mm, determines humid and hyperhumid ombrotypes. The temperature is mild, sweetened by the marine influence, with a range that oscillates between a minimum average of 7 °C and a maximum average of 15 °C with an annual average of 11 °C.

On the southern slope, leeward of the oceanic influence, a slight continentalization and Mediterraneanization of the climate occurs, producing a very small decrease in precipitation compared to the other side.[6]​.

• - Véase también: Anexo:Fauna y flora del parque natural de Urkiola.

Vegetation

The human activity carried out over time on the lands of the Urkiola Natural Park has marked the type of vegetation that exists today. The type of soil and the altitude are two other determining factors for it.[2]​.

The vegetation of the Urkiola natural park presents the typical features of the sector formed by the Cantabrian-Atlantic provinces of the Euro-Siberian region") with features of the Mediterranean region as part of the Park's territory is located on that slope. With reference to altitude, with a limit that ranges between 550 and 650 meters depending on the orientation, two types of vegetation are differentiated; the hilly vegetation that coincides with the mesotemperate and the coincident montane with the supratempered. There are also some specific characteristics that influence the vegetation. These are:.

• - Areas of altitude above 1000 meters, where boreo-alpine floristic elements are present.

• - Inclusion of the Park's mountains in the Cantabrian-Pyrenean axis which produces a biogeographic continuity that enables the persistence of its own floristic elements.

• - Large extension of limestone rock masses that favor the appearance of floristic elements with a sub-Mediterranean and Mediterranean mountain hue.

In the absence of human influence, the potential climatic vegetation typical of the hill floor (above 600°C) would consist of Atlantic oak forests, in the valley there would be a mixed forest of deciduous hardwoods and acidophilic oak forests on the slopes. On the banks of the streams there would be trade allysias and on the limestone substrates forests of Cantabrian holm oaks and their cohort of evergreen bushes. Along the walls of Leungane-Artatxagan you would find oak gall oaks from Aleppo.

On the mountainous floor, altitudes below approximately 600 meters, beech forest would develop and, on some sunny slopes with a sandy substrate, oak groves would be found.

There would be enclaves in which peat bog and heath formations, gleras or mobile pebbles would develop in very acidic, humid and cold soils and on the cliffs their typical cliff vegetation.[6]​.

Human activity in Urquiola Park has influenced the formation of its landscape and especially the vegetation that occurs there. The potential vegetation has been reduced and others have been established in its place. The current distribution of vegetation in the Park is as follows:

Areas with trees are present in more than half of the protected area. They are distributed almost 50% between natural forests and forest plantations. The forests of the limestone rocks stand out and the most abundant species are the beech and the oak in that order. In forest plantations the most abundant species is the radiata pine or famous pine, which occupies more than 1000 hectares, with much less occupation there are plantations of other conifers. The tree distribution is as follows:

A total of 694 taxa (species, subspecies and hybrids) have been cataloged, among which 156 are classified as of special interest due to their special endemism. In the Urkiola natural park there are no species exclusive to it.

Of the 694 taxa cataloged, 12 are species classified as endemic, 35 very rare, 100 rare and 12 as localized rare. The very rare species develop mainly in rocky areas, 41%, and hardwood forests, 24% of them, with holm oak forests being very significant in this matter, another 22% develop in humid peaty areas. The rare species located have their main location in the rocky areas and there are some in the montane pastures. The rare species are distributed among the rocky areas, with 37, the natural hardwood forests with 32, the same as the grass-shrublands, while the hygropeat areas have 25. The endemic species are also found significantly in the rocky areas, where 9 taxa are located, usually in shady areas. Of them, only three can be classified as rare. The rest appear in scrub grasses, two in calcicolous heath and one in scrub and clear forest with acidic substrate.[6]​[3]​.

Fauna

126 species of vertebrates have been catalogued, excluding bats (bats). The following table shows the distribution according to their class:

The location of the Urkiola Natural Park straddling the Cantabrian slope and the Mediterranean slope means that its fauna is made up mainly of typical Euro-Siberian species (83%) with some of Mediterranean origin (13%), Eastern Ethiopian (1%) and cosmopolitan species (3%).[6]​.

In the park's surroundings there are 23 areas that maintain interesting communities or aggregates

and characterizers in reference to fauna. These areas are due to the following criteria; nesting places, wetlands conducive to the reproduction of amphibians and those areas that are known to be essential, for any reason, for faunal development.

The species that inhabit the Urkiola natural park are grouped into four categories:

• - Recently extinct: Bearded vulture, common barbel, vermilion and water blackbird.

• - Repopulated: Common and rainbow trout, red partridge, northern hare and rabbit.

• - Natural colonizers: European mink and roe deer.

• - Historically established: The rest of the species.

In the Park there are a large number of protected species, 64 are included in the "National Catalog of Endangered Species". There are three species that can be fished and 12 that can be hunted. The Bird Directive of the European community protects 19 species while the "Habitats Directive" protects another 15. There are 106 species that are protected by the Berne Convention, 30 by the Bonn Convention and 15 by the Washington Convention").[6]​ The "Basque Catalog of Endangered Species" includes 36 species that are present in the Park.[3]​.

Among the vertebrates of Urquiola are:[2]​.

Among the fish in the park's rivers are the madrilla (Parachondrostoma toxostoma),[10]​ the minnow (Phoxinus phoxinus). It has been repopulated with common trout (Salmo trutta) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss).[6]​[11]​.

Two species of urodeles live in the park, the palmate newt (Triturus helveticus) and the common salamander (Salamandra salamandra) and five anurans, the common frog (Pelophylax perezi), the long-legged (Rana iberica) and the vermilion frog (Rana temporaria), the midwife toad (Alytes obstetricans) and the common frog (Bufo bufo).[11]​.

Such as the peat bog lizard (Zootoca vivipara) or the rock lizard (Podarcis muralis), Cantabrian viper (Vipera seoanei), European smooth snake () and black-green lizard ().

Biotopic units

The biotopes of the Urkiola natural park are influenced by human activity. In some of them this activity has been scarce and is easily reversible, while others have been formed by continuous human activity for a long time.

Biotopes with little human influence are rocky areas, deciduous forests, oak forests and humid areas. While human activity has been shaping the grasslands, the first natural environment introduced by man, the countryside and forest plantations. Each of these biotopes has its own characteristics and its own inhabitants, both plants and animals.[2]​.

The grassland of origin in livestock activity occupies 16% of the Park. This use of the land for feeding livestock dates back to the Neolithic and is based on the practice of keeping livestock under protection, either in stables or in mowed meadows during the bad weather season of the year and taking them out in spring and summer to the pastures where they live in semi-freedom. The livestock in Urquiola is sheep, cattle and horses, which are on pastures all year round.

Urquiola pastures are classified into three types; montane, high density and short size; solicicolous, poor in species that occur on sandy soils and prairies and high slopes and lastansones grasses that have an abundance of grasses with broad, long and hardened leaves.

The fauna of this biotope is made up of the inhabitants of neighboring biotopes, especially the one that gave rise to it. You can see these spaces typical fauna of the rocky areas, forest areas or heaths.

In each type of grass, different vegetation develops and they are located in places with different characteristics.

• - Mountains. The montane pastures extend over hills and hills with good soil. They have a high productive level and provide good quality forage, which is why they are the most used for livestock. It withstands the summer drought period well, maintaining its green color.

• - Silicon. These grasses are found on poor soils and on high altitude peaks and slopes. They are poor in species and their plants are hard. They appear in potential lands of silicicolous and melojale beech forests.

• - Lastanson. Lastanson grasses are characterized by the abundance of laston. Lastón is a plant that colonizes bare soils and repopulates them after fires. It usually occurs in marginal spaces such as slopes and steep slopes.

Grasses were generated by man in spaces occupied by other biotopes. This, unique to the little cover that exists in them, means that their fauna is typical of the neighboring biotopes and varies with the layout of the grasslands in the Park, depending on which biotopes they have as neighbors.

The montane grasslands that extend between the Asuntze and Zalabaundi hills, which separate the Oleta forest mass from the foothills of the Alluitz-Amboto limestone range, are nourished by animals typical of both biotopes. The peat lizard is a small reptile between 5 and 18 cm in length. It develops in meadows with a certain level of humidity and even waterlogging. The peat lizard is accompanied by the rock lizard and the collared snake, which develop in the meadows but near or on the small rocky outcrops that occur in them.

• - Véase también: Anexo:Patrimonio cultural del parque natural de Urkiola.

En el parque de Urquiola hay huellas de ocupación humana desde los tiempos de la prehistoria. Las cuevas situadas en el desfiladero de Atxarte, en el macizo del Anboto, dan fe de ello con importantes yacimientos arqueológicos del Paleolítico Superior como los de Bolinkoba, estudiado por José Miguel de Barandiarán y Telesforo de Aranzadi. Así mismo en la cueva de Axlegor se han encontrado restos pertenecientes al Paleolítico Medio o cultura Musteriense, este es uno de los yacimientos más antiguos de Vizcaya. Hay restos de todas la épocas en multitud de cuevas de todo el parque natural. El paso del Imperio romano por tierras de Urquiola ha quedado atestiguado por algunos fragmentos de cerámica hallados y la Edad Media tiene su nuestra en los restos del recinto amurallado que se halla en la cumbre del Aitz Txiki.

La vía de Urquiola fue una de las principales vías de comunicación entre la meseta y la costa. Por ella entró el cristianismo a las tierras de Vizcaya. Desde siempre estos parajes han tenido un gran misticismo. En la cumbre de Anboto habita Mari "Mari (diosa vasca)") el ser supremo de la mitología vasca, en otras cuevas del entorno residen otros duendes y seres fabulosos, Sugaar, el marido de Mari o los gentiles que realizaron grandes obras, como el jentil zubi o puente de los gentiles. El cristianismo intento hacer suya esta magia por lo que construyó en este lugar uno de los más importantes templos del país, el Santuario de los Santos Antonios abad y de Padua así como un importante número de ermitas esparcidas por toda la geografía del Parque, desde los sitios más accesibles por estar al lado de los caminos, como la ermita del Santo Cristo de Atxarte o la de Santa Polonia, hasta en los lugares más inaccesibles, como la de santa Bárbara en el collado de Larrano a 900 metros de altitud.

A los pies de las sierras de Urquiola se han desarrollado los núcleos urbanos. Los asentamientos originales dieron lugar, en la Baja Edad Media, a las anteiglesias y a las casas torre de los señores feudales, los jauntxos, en el siglo se fueron fundando la villas con sus fueros y la modernidad fruto de la Revolución francesa trajo el actual sistema de organización social.[2]​.

The prehistory

Archaeological investigations in the Urkiola natural park and its surroundings have had five different stages that coincide with those that José Miguel de Barandiarán proposed in 1988 for the general prehistory of the Basque Country.

The first stage is the beginning of prehistory studies until 1917. In it, data are collected in a non-systematic way and without any connection or common objectives. Thus in Urquiola Gálvez Cañero discovers the Azkondo cave in Mañaria and collects archaeological materials that he attributes to the Magdalenian, Azilian and explores the Balzola cave and finds materials that he attributes to the Neolithic.

Between 1917 and 1936 the second stage takes place, which is a consolidation stage. During this time in Urquiola José María Barandiarán carried out extensive field work between the years 1926 and 1936, in which he carried out the following interventions:

• - In 1926, prospecting in Mañaria discovered the Silibranka shelter and the Atxuri I and Sailleunta caves, where materials attributed to the Magdalenian were located.

• - In 1930, excavation, in collaboration with Teresforo Aranzadi, of the Silibranka shelter where a Magdalenian and Azilian stratigraphy was determined.

• - In 1931, prospecting in Abadiano where the sites of the Bolinkoba, Oyalkoba, Albiztei and Astakoba caves were located.

• - In 1932, excavation of the Oyalkoba cave where they detected a stratigraphy from the Bronze Age and another late Roman one. He carried out the excavation, in collaboration with Aranzadi, in the Albiztei cave where they located a level of human burials assignable to the Eneolithic or ancient Bronze. He also excavates in Bolinkoba where they determine a stratigraphy from the Upper Perigordian or Gravettian to the Bronze Age.

The third stage is between 1936 and 1953, in this stage the Spanish Civil War and the Second World War took place, causing the suspension of work.

The fourth stage took place between 1953 and 1970, in Urquiola, Barandiarán worked, joined by new researchers such as José María Apellániz") and Ernesto Nolte. Between 1960 and 1961, the excavation of the Atxuri I and Atxuri II caves in Mañaria was carried out, where he discovered materials from the Paleolithic and the Eneolithic-Bronze. In Atxarte, Nolte located 1966 indications of a site in the Kobazarra cave and Apellániz, in 1970, located in the Albiztei cave, also in Abadiano, a sepulchral site of Eneolithic-ancient Bronze chronology.

The fifth stage extends from 1970 to the present. Some specific surveys have been carried out in the area around the Park.

• - In 1971 Carlos Flores Calle found a female skull, a spinning instrument, fusayola, and remains of a burial site in the Jentilkoba cave in Mugarra.

• - In 1973 the University of Deusto held an Archeology Seminar studying the Kobazar II cave in Mañaria.

• - In 1978 in Abadiano the Saiputzueta dolmen was cataloged by Sarachaga.

• - In 1981 J. Gorrochategui and M.J. Yarritu carry out a survey at the Urquiola dolmen station in which signs of 2 open-air settlements are located in Urquiolamendi and Saibitxiki.

• - In 2000 M. Aguirre Ruiz de Gopegui and Juan Carlos López Quintana determined the archaeological filling of the Asuntze site.[3]​.

It is an example of the prehistoric occupation of these lands, located at the base of the Untzillaitz, near the river and next to the Atxarte gorge, in an area with abundant game and also close to the Mañaria valley, it provides data on human occupation throughout the Upper Paleolithic. The cave is small and well oriented, its orientation is east west, it was discovered by Barandiarán and excavated between 1932 and 1933. Objects have been found from the Lower Paleolithic to the Bronze Age, burins, assegais and ornaments with geometric engravings as well as animal representations. With the end of the ice ages, the cave was no longer occupied permanently until a new occupation arrived in the Neolithic, which extended until the Bronze Age.

This rock shelter is located on Mount Urrestei, in the place called Kobalde in the Indusi neighborhood of Dima, very close to Jentil Zubi. Barandiarán discovered it in 1932 and was studied in several campaigns that he directed between 1967 and 1974. Neanderthal remains were found, specifically three teeth. The remains of fauna found in Axlor correspond to cold climate species, there is an abundance of mountain goats, large bovids, deer and horses. Remains of cave bears and reindeer have also been found. Some lithic tools have also been found.[2]​.

This cave is located in Mañaria and is one of the few non-coastal caves that contain cave paintings and the fifth found in Vizcaya. The paintings, discovered in the spring of 2011, are from the Paleolithic period, the second oldest in Vizcaya and are estimated to have been made between 28,000 and 18,000 BC. Previously, in 1963, remains of cave bears were found. The paintings, in poor condition, are representations made in red paint and engravings made on the wall.[13]​.

The story

The Roman Empire passed through the lands of the Park as attested by some remains of ceramics that have been found, on the nearby coast, in the Oka estuary there is an important Roman site in the town of Forua, a place name that comes from "forum", and it is not risky to assume that the communication route between the coast and the plateau that passes through Urquiola already existed in some form.

Pastoral activity was already stable and extensive in the Middle Ages and settlements began to be established at the bottom of the valleys. The activity decreases as you climb the mountain, but the importance of the communication route that passes through Urquiola is palpable in the remains of the military compound located on the summit of Mount Aitz Txiki that guarded the Atxarte pass.

In Mañaria a "ritual jar" has been found dating back to the 17th century and of possible Visigothic origin. This discovery is contextualized but in the Alava plain, near Urquiola, more than twenty clashes between Christian and Muslim troops took place between the year 767 and the year 886. The ritual jar, used in some way in the Christian cult, together with the steles and tombstones that have been found in Elorrio, right on the limits of the Park and that are currently in Arguiñeta, some of them dated to the year 883 make clear the presence of Christianity and these lands.

There is archaeological evidence of the presence of churches, called monasteries, in the 19th century; these temples were small rural churches owned by lay people. In the year 1051, the king of the kingdom of Pamplona Nájera García Sánchez III, called "the one from Nájera" granted immunity to, as the document says verbatim, "the churches existing in that country called Bizkaia and Durango" and that same year in a document donating property made by the Lord of Vizcaya to the monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla, the abbot of the monastery of Abadiano appears as confirmer and in coming years there is written testimony from many other churches. such as San Agustín de Etxebarria, San Martín de Yurreta among others.

Mills and forges are established on the banks of the rivers and urban centers begin to be marked by church towers. At that time the church buildings began to emerge and next to them the feudal towers of the jauntxus. This, together with the forestry livestock exploitation, shapes the landscape, which little by little becomes more complex. The temple of Santos Antonios emerged at this time. In the year 1212, Mrs. Urraca de Muntsaratz (Abadiano) in her will cites the church of San Antón and the "tower, palace and solar" of Muntsaratz saying that it has farmland, orchards, grapevines, fields of apple trees, chestnut trees and mountains. He also says that he has foundries and mills, bequeathing money to Urquiola.

The occupation of the valley was intensified with the founding of the towns that promoted commerce and industry. Durango was founded in 1297 and Ochandiano in 1236.[2]​.

The path

The communication route that crosses the Urkiola natural park through its very center, through the Puerto de Urquiola, has historically had great importance. Not only for the Duranguesado region, but for the entire eastern coast of Vizcaya. This communication route between the Cantabrian coast and the Castilian plateau served for the departure of Castilian wool to Northern Europe as well as the import from the interior of the peninsula of many of the foods that were consumed in the coastal regions such as wine, wheat, barley, oil, etc. Towards the other side was the exit to the Court of the fish from the ports of Bermeo, Lequeitio and Ondárroa and the iron and its derivatives produced in the foundries and forges of Duranguesado and neighboring regions.

In the Middle Ages the roads were mainly bridle paths that throughout the century became cart paths. In 1585 the first attempt to improve the Urquiola road was carried out, but it was not carried out. The justification for this project is "the need to have a more comfortable route to cross from Castilla to the Señorío with supplies and wool and other merchandise." By then there is evidence of the use of said route and its importance. In the Port of Urquiola, next to the church there was a hospital (hostel or shelter) for transients (documented in 1567 and referring to an "old book" due to what is estimated of its previous existence). This hospital was expanded throughout the century, reaching the beginning of the 17th century, in 1604, when the construction of a new and larger one was considered. The economic situation was so buoyant that it allowed for different reforms to be made in the church and its surroundings. Even the construction of a new temple, which began in 1625 and was inaugurated in 1646, although the works continued until the end of the century. In 1653 a portico was built that was called the "pilgrim cloister" due to the use made of it by travelers passing through this place. Even so, the condition of the road was terrible.

In 1724, reforms were carried out to convert the bridle path into a cart path. In the justification of this project, the large transit of wood that goes from Álava to Bilbao for the construction of vessels and marble from Mañaria to the plateau is noted, but the ruggedness of the location and the complexity of the work mean that the project is not completed.

In 1767 the definitive project began. This time driven by the isolation that was occurring in the Duranguesado region as modern communication routes had been built in Orduña and Guipúzcoa that were absolving merchandise traffic because they were much more comfortable. Even so, it is noted that daily traffic through the Port of Urquiola is between 200 and more than 400 stables between the months of April to October, the passage remaining closed in winter due to weather conditions. The condition of the road was terrible as indicated in a note that says.

Between 1777 and 1782, licenses were obtained from the Royal Council and work began under a project by the Mañaria architect Francisco Antonio de Echanove and the army engineer José Santos Calderón. The work concluded in 1789 with an expenditure of 1,421,000 reales, well above the 605,000 budgeted, which forced them to look for other sources of financing in addition to the agreed upon tax on wine sold in taverns; these sources were the tolls imposed on travelers and merchandise.[2]​.

religious buildings

Urquiola since ancient times was a place where man and religion met. With the arrival of Christianity, the old sanctuaries were replaced by others dedicated to the new deities. The most important and the one that has always attracted the population to these heights, apart from the one that ran along the route from the plateau to the coast, is that of Santos Antonios Abad y de Padua. But there are several hermitages, more or less visited and remembered, that extend across the land belonging to the natural park. There is no record of why they were built, some of them were temples that served groups of hamlets, such as San Martín or San Juan de Garaitorre, but others, in almost all of those found in the Park, there are other elements such as nearby caves with prehistoric remains, legends of geniuses or myths or places whose name refers to mythology (as in the case of the Gentiles). The hermitage of Santo Cristo de Atxarte is above a cave in which legend (testimony collected by Barandiarán) says that it was located because it was a place where the "lamias" lived. In the surroundings of the hermitage of San Martín everything refers to the Gentiles, it should not be forgotten that according to Basque tradition it was San Martín who obtained from the Gentiles the secrets of agriculture and metallurgy. The purpose of the hermitage of San Francisco de Olabarri, according to tradition, is to evict the geniuses and lamias who lived in Baltzola and the hermitage of San Lorenzo, which stands next to the Silibraska site, is also next to the rock called Dieabrulabarra or "place where the devil slipped." These examples are testimony to a transition between pre-Christian beliefs to Christian ones with the survival of pagan elements, elements that have often reached the present and have manifested themselves throughout history in cases such as the heresies of Durango. As Julio Caro Baroja says, the very concept of the Gentiles is based on the coexistence for a time of Christianity with other previous traditions. The final triumph of Christianity gave way to the mystification of the beings who maintained the previous culture and beliefs.[14]​.

Among the hermitages that are distributed throughout the Park, the following stand out:

• - Santos Antonios Abad y de Padua, on a primitive and simple hermitage of which there are written references in 1567. In June 1646 a new church was inaugurated that had a Latin cross plan with a single nave and dome. This church remained open for worship for 15 years. In 1553 the cloister, which was called *the pilgrims' cloister, was built and the choir and sacristy were expanded. In 1870 the church was completed with a new bell tower built by the Durango master builder Pedro José Astarbe. In 1899, work began on a new large basilica, built in a neo-medieval style, which would never be completed. Fifteen years later the first phase was inaugurated and in 1933 the temple was consecrated. At the end of the century, the works that concluded the unfinished project were completed. In 1991 the staircase was built and in 1997 the mosaics that adorn the interior were made. In the garden there is a small monument with elements that commemorate the life of Vizcaya. A sloop reminds us of agriculture, a stone turf reminds us of industry, and an anchor reminds us of the world of the sea. Going up to the left, right at the entrance to the sanctuary, a rare stone, which some claim is a meteorite, invites the person who wants to find a partner to circle it several times as this is believed in these lands (you have to be careful with the direction of rotation since, according to some, if the turns are done in reverse they have the opposite effect).

Armed encounters

The status of a gateway between the Cantabrian coast and the Alava plain has made Urquiola a place of armed encounters. During the first Carlist war the place is conquered by the Liberals on their way to Durango, the Carlists leave artillery and ammunition there. In the second Carlist war, a confrontation took place between 30 civil guards commanded by Ensign Salinas and a Carlist party of 70 men under the command of Basozabal, producing a result similar to that of the previous war.

During the Civil War it was a strategic position for operations on Ochandiano and remained on the front during the autumn winter of 1936-1937. The nearby Mount Saibi was the site of harsh and bloody fighting. In the end, the troops raised against the republican legitimacy broke the front in these places.

In the winter of 1936, the northern front was stopped at the watershed between the Mediterranean and Cantabrian basins. Álava was left in the hands of those who rebelled against the legitimate government of the Second Republic as soon as the coup d'état occurred.

The front line passed through Saibi and went towards the peaks of Udalaitz passing through the Besaide. The front was defended by militiamen from different political groups and the command was centralized in the town of Elorrio.

The summit of Saibi was a strategic point to dominate the access to Vizcaya through Urquiola, which historically has been one of the main passes between the plain and the historical territory.

The fascist army, aided by aviation, bombed the positions of Mount Saibi during the day and the ground troops even reached its summit sometimes. At night the militiamen recovered the terrain and the strategic summit of Saibigain.

On April 5, 1937, skirmishes occurred on the road between Ochandiano and Urquiola, the next day the insurgent troops took Urquiola and the Tercio de Navarra attacked the loyalist positions in Sabigain that were defended by the Meabe nº2 and González Peña battalions. By the evening of that day, the Requettes had taken Saibigain and the Republicans held Urquiola and the summit of Urquiolamendi.

On April 7, the rebels occupied the Azuntze hill, at the foot of Amboto on the other side of Urquiolamendi. This advance was made by the Tercio Oriamendi, which began to take Urquiolamendi from the southeast while the Republicans retreated, abandoning Urquiola, which was occupied by the Tercio de San Ignacio. At dawn on the 8th, the Urquiola area, from Amboto to Sabigain, is in the hands of the rebels. On the 12th, the 2nd Expeditionary Brigade of Asturias attacked the fascist lines of Saibigain and managed to conquer the summit, causing the 3rd San Marcial Battalion to withdraw. The next day it is the requetes battalions and the that evict the Asturian militiamen from the strategic mountain.

Mythology, traditions and customs

The immensity of the limestone masses of the Amboto mountain range and the important step that forced many people to travel through these places where nature has always manifested itself in a strong way have made Urquiola a place to locate divine deities.[19]​.

Tradition places the main abode of Mari "Mari (Basque goddess)" at the highest altitude of these lands, Mount Amboto. This being is the representation of Mother Earth and has the power to direct the climate, punish lies, pride and theft. From it arise springs of water and good or bad harvests. His two children, Atagarri and Mikelats, are good and evil.

• - Location of the Mari cave on the east face of Anboto.

• - Cave entrance.

• - Interior corridor that leads to the chasms.

• - Rock formation that forms the face of Mari.

The pre-Christian entres gave way, in part, to the Christian saints. The construction of the church dedicated to the Santos Antonios came to want to Christianize the place, but Mari's spirit continues to stay alive when you look at Amboto and see its summit between clouds, a sign that she is in her home.

Of the many homes that Mari has in the mountains of Euskal Herria, the main one is in Amboto. The so-called Mariurrika kobea or Mariyen kobia is located at 1200m of altitude just below the summit of this mountain. Its entrance is located in the impressive verticality of the east wall, which forms with the west wall of Azkilar the impressive channel of Artaungo sakona.

The cave has a large entrance, high up, that opens a corridor to a room illuminated by an opening to the abyss. This "window" is visible from below, while the entrance is hidden because it is located in a chamfer of the rock. A splash of water falls next to it, drops in summer, which must be drunk if the wish that has been made of the witch goddess is to come true. From the illuminated room there is another corridor towards the interior of the mountain. On it there is a natural formation reminiscent of the face of a woman in which some believe they see Mari. This corridor ends in a chasm 70 m deep. To the right, passing through a small opening, you access another smaller chasm.

To get to Mariurrika Kobea, you have to climb to the Aguindi hill, which is formed between the Amboto cover and the Failea Atxa spur and from there follow the small path eastward that takes us, under the summit, to the vertical wall in which the cavity is located. When we reach the edge of it, a natural tunnel allows us to access the cliff.[20]​.

In the Aramotz mountain range on the southern slope, above the Arratia valley, there are several sites that are linked to the Gentiles. These are gigantic beings with great strength that have been associated with the unchristianized residents of the early days of the expansion of Christianity in Euskal Herria. They are responsible for the construction of churches, caves, rock arches or the location of certain large stones.

The seles

The sel is a marked area for grazing and ranching of livestock, normally communally owned. They are usually marked with square cairns, one at each end and a central cairn that is called haustarria or zenith stone. The shepherd builds the hut in the middle of the forest but cannot tile it or lock it (both signs of ownership) since the land is communal.

Seles can be winter, called in Basque korta txiki, or summer, called korta nagusi. The former were in mountain areas while the latter were located in the valleys. The Vizcaya jurisdiction indicated their measures. The winter ones must have had a diameter of 244 meters, while the summer ones had a diameter of 494 meters.

In the middle of the century on the grounds of the Urkiola natural park there were a large number of documented seles, they were Aitxbizkar, Urieta, Latanokorta, Otxandiokorta, Amila, Markolpe, Markolpe txiki, Makatzeta, Gurutzeberri, Erdikokortabaso, Lapurzubi, Muskuluza and Dantzaleku. These communal lands have been privatized over time.[2]​.

Customs and traditions

Urquiola's secular habitat has been rural with a high degree of isolation. The hermitages and the sanctuary have been a meeting place for the inhabitants of the hamlets, there they gathered to attend religious events, fairs and pilgrimages and also to resolve and agree on social problems and make decisions for the common good.

In the century, attempts were made to define the limits between the populations of Ochandiano and the Aramayona valley in reference to the territory called El Limitado or No Man's Land. Legend has it that it was established as a method of setting the limits that these were where the residents of the respective towns were, going out on foot to the crow of the rooster. Those from Aramayona entered the chicken coops at midnight with lights to wake up the roosters and make them sing, so they were able to reach the urban center of Ochandiano. Currently, every third Sunday in September, the residents and authorities of Ochandiano inspect the boundary markers that mark the boundary with Aramayona in the El Limitado area. This act is known as the baso-bisitak (visit of the forest).[21]​[22]​.

Certain virtues are attributed to the rock at the entrance of the temple that allows those who walk around it several times to find a partner (they say that if they go in the opposite direction they ask that the partner be lost), for this same purpose alms, papers with notes, colored pins, etc. are also left.

The rock, which is defined as "a conglomerate of stones and pebbles and stones and fossils of innumerable kinds that in such a particular way have been mixed and put together with non-artificial cement", was placed in the square where it is located on November 29, 1929 by order of the then rector of the sanctuary, Benito de Vizcarra. Vizcarra found the stone on a nearby mountain and, given its strangeness, moved it to a place with easy access.[23]​.

The tradition of circling this stone to find a boyfriend is linked to a previous tradition of sticking pins into a canvas that was in the sacristy. To find a boyfriend, white-headed pins were stuck in if the man was wanted to be blonde and black-headed if he had to be dark-skinned.[24]​ The tradition of going up to Urquiola to ask for a boyfriend or girlfriend has given rise to the following couplets.

It is customary to give different goods to the sanctuary. These gifts are made by both the towns and the landlords and shepherds. Normally, steers are donated and sold at auction.

In the blessing of children mothers offer their children under one year old to Saint Anthony after spending the night in the sanctuary. For this, the child is weighed on the scale called loyal weight and an offering equal to the child's weight is made, it is held on the second Sunday in June.

Forest exploitation

Forestry exploitation on the land that makes up the Urkiola natural park has been developed in the area since time immemorial. Witnesses of this are the pollarded beech forests used for the manufacture of charcoal, the peculiarity of the oak forests that have been used to obtain firewood or the pine plantations destined for the production of paper pulp. 54% of the Park's surface is occupied by forests, half of which are natural and the other half are forest plantations that have been introduced seeking better economic performance.[6]​.

"Forest use" is understood to be the set of activities aimed at taking advantage of the goods and services provided by forest masses. Based on this definition, between 1990 and 2006, 185 hectares of forest of different species have been planted, of which 148 hectares are hardwoods, mainly beech, birch and oak, and 37 hectares of resinous conifers, mainly Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), national pine (Pinus radiata), larch (Larix decidua) and Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis). The introduction of non-native species can only be carried out with the authorization of the Department of Agriculture of the competent Provincial Councils.

The extraction of wood between the years 1995 and 2004 in the Urquiola Basoak Public Utility mountain represented an annual average of 2,275 cubic meters in real terms), mostly in the form of thinning. Private owners cut an average of 30 hectares per year between 1993 and 2006, equivalent to about 9,000 cubic meters in real terms, with variations between 11.5 ha that were cut in 1996 and the 73.5 ha in 1999.[3]​.

Agricultural and livestock exploitation

Pastoral and livestock activity has been a constant since man began to populate the lands of Urquiola and has actively contributed to the formation of the current landscape. Grazing has been carried out on both private and communal lands, the clearest example of which is the seles. With the exception of some hay meadows, the rest of the territory is used extensively by livestock. It is normal for the shepherd not to accompany the flocks.

There are basically two types of livestock farming that occur in the Park, sheep and large cattle and horses. Sheep are sheep of the "latxa" breed destined for dairy production for cheeses and curds. These cattle use the areas of Mugarrakolanda, Urquiolamendi, Saibi, Zabalandi and Tellamendi between the months of June and December.

Larger livestock, both cattle and horses, are produced to be used for meat. These livestock occupy the Park for much longer than sheep and their livestock infrastructures are smaller.

There are up to seven different livestock management zones with their own characteristics. The censuses for each area are as follows:

The Park's management bodies have carried out actions aimed at improving and conserving pastures, clearing brush and fertilizers or amendments. Some coniferous plantations have also been converted into pastures. Normally at altitudes above 800 meters where conifers do not develop well and in areas frequented by livestock such as Eskuagatx.

There are two mountain agriculture associations (Gorbeialde and Urquiola) that work to improve livestock infrastructure.

Agriculture is reduced to the orchards that the farmhouses usually maintain. These gardens are used for own consumption and their surpluses are sold in the markets of neighboring towns.[3]​.

hunting and fishing

Hunting and fishing activities do not have much relevance within the Park. Hunting is restricted to a specific area for woodcock and some stands for pigeons and thrushes.

There are not many sedentary game species, among them the hare, the wild boar and, to a lesser extent, the roe deer stand out. The red partridge is so rare that it is not susceptible to hunting.

There is no fishing within the Park area.[6]​.

Mining activity

Since prehistoric times, various mines and quarries have been exploited on the land that currently makes up the Park. The last underground mines were closed in Arrazola in the middle of the century, but open pit limestone mining has continued to the present day.

When the protection area of ​​what would later become the Urkiola Natural Park was formed, some of the quarries that were within it were left outside the limits of the Park, other active quarries remained within it.

Currently, the only industrial activities that exist are related to the exploitation of limestone and the opening of new exploitations is prohibited. Within the park or its peripheral protection zone there are five farms:

• - Atxarte, property of the Abadiño town council, located at the foot of Mount Untzillatx. Currently without activity.

• - Atxa-txiki, property of the Abadiño town council, located at the foot of Mount Untzillatx. Currently without activity.

• - Zalloventa, on land in Mañaria at the foot of the Arrietabaso, exploited by the Amantegi Group.

• - Markomin Goikoa, located in Mañaria at the foot of Untzillaitz, operated by Hijos de León Amantegui, S.A.

• - Mutxate, located in Mañaria on the Mugarra spur, exploited by the Italcementi Group.

[6]​.

Recreational activities

One of the purposes of the protection applied to the lands that make up the Urkiola Natural Park is the recreational use of its natural values. Therefore, recreational use, in its multiple expressions, is one of the main uses of the Park.

Mountaineering, hiking, mountaineering, climbing and caving have always been present in the Park's lands. If the use given to the Sanctuary area in its different religious and festive facets is considered recreational, it must be said that it dates back to the most distant antiquity.

With the exception of the hospitality establishments in the port and Sanctuary area that emerged sheltered from passers-by, pilgrims and tourists, the recreational use of the Park is little linked to economic activity and has not been fully utilized or organized.

The proximity of the Park to areas with a high population density and well connected to it means that many visitors flow to it to carry out very diverse activities, mountaineering, climbing, caving, pigning... activities that are generally carried out in one day. There is the possibility of exploiting the recreational resources of the Park by promoting the so-called "green tourism" that would have to be made compatible with its conservation. Free camping and sports practice with motorized vehicles are prohibited.

• - Landaederra.

On the northern slope of the Mugarra near the Yurreta de Orozketa neighborhood, on one side of the road that goes up to the Mugarra and the old marble quarries, this recreational area opens up, centered around a shelter and a fountain. The shelter has two different parts, one open and public and the other closed. It is owned by the Durango city council who manages its use. Around the shelter there are tables and grills. The tree masses that surround the area are pine plantations.

• - Neberondo.

Below the summit of Mugarra on its northern side, just where the forest gives way to the gray limestone, this recreation area opens up around an old refrigerator, from which it takes its name. The refrigerator is converted into a shelter and among the pine and beech trees outside there are tables and grills. Along a narrow grassy path you reach a fountain located at the bottom of a small valley.

• - Aldazitala and Sanctuary.

The BI-623 highway that crosses the Park and passes through the port of Urquiola, where the main entrance area to the Park is established and the main recreation area that extends around the Sanctuary and its nearby area towards the Álava part.

Among old pollarded beech trees and samples of some of the old jobs that were developed in these mountains, such as charcoal making or making and maintaining ice from the winter snows, tables, grills and fountains are distributed along with other services such as children's games and toilets. Very easily accessible as it is next to the road with prepared parking lots and a unique wealth of vegetation, with paths prepared for walking, make these areas highly visited and used by residents of nearby towns.[9]​.

History of the Park

On March 27, 1989, Law 4/1989, of March 27, on the Conservation of Spaces, was approved

Natural and Wild Flora and Fauna that made possible the figure of a natural park for the protection of spaces that required it. The Basque Government, at the request of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, and under the law on the Conservation of Natural Spaces and Wild Flora and Fauna, proceeded to declare the Urkiola natural park by Decree 275/1989, of December 29, 198. Thus it was born and began the protection of an area that brought together a series of relevant characteristics in terms of landscape, ecosystems, geological composition and bionatural wealth.

In 1994, the Urquiola Natural Resources Management Plan was approved by Decree 102/1994, which was reported to the Superior Court of Justice of the Basque Country, which declared it null and void in a ruling given on October 24, 1997. On July 18, 2002, it was approved by Decree 147/2002 published in the Official Gazette of the Basque Country dated August 9, 2002, a new Urquiola Natural Resources Management Plan which is in force.

The Park was designated as a Site of Community Importance (ES2130009) in December 1997 and integrated into the Natura 2000 Network under the Habitats Directive (43/92/EC).[10]​.

Legislation

The Urkiola Natural Park was born and regulated by the laws and decrees promulgated by the Basque Government and the Provincial Council of Vizcaya, these are the following:

• - Law 16/1994 of June 30 on Nature Conservation of the Basque Country. Published in the Official Gazette of the Basque Country on July 27, 1994.

• - Decree declaring the Urkiola natural park. Published in the Official Gazette of the Basque Country on January 4, 1990.

• - Decree 111/2006, of May 30, which approves the regulatory part of the Master Plan for the Use and Management of the Urkiola Natural Park. Published in the Official Gazette of the Basque Country on August 8, 2006.

• - Decree 147/2002, of June 18, which approves the Natural Resources Management Plan of the Urkiola Natural Park. Published in the Official Gazette of the Basque Country on October 2, 2006. Published in the Official Gazette of the Basque Country on August 9, 2002.

• - Correction of errors in Decree 111/2006, of May 30.

• - Decree of the Provincial Council 74/1999 of May 11 on management of forest use in the Urkiola natural park. Published in the Official Gazette of Vizcaya on June 14, 1999.[32]​.

Ownership of park land

The ownership of the land that makes up the Park is diverse, with different types of public and private property existing. There are public utility and freely available forests belonging to the town councils, land belonging to individuals, seles and land belonging to the Provincial Council of Vizcaya (138 ha). The size of the properties varies greatly, from small areas of just one hectare to the 911 hectares owned by the Abadiño town council. There are 3,898 hectares, 65.4% of the park's surface area, that are privately owned, while 2,060 hectares are publicly owned, 34.6% of the Park's surface area. The publicly owned lands are further divided into Public Utility Forests, 1695 ha, and freely available lands, 365 ha.[10]​.

Management

The management of the Park is the responsibility of the agricultural departments of the provincial councils of Álava and Vizcaya for which they have signed different agreements.

The direct management of the Park is the responsibility of the Director-Conservator who is appointed by the provincial councils within the framework of the agreements reached for its management. A Board of Trustees of 25 members has also been established that has the function of advising on management.[1]​.

The Director-Conservator is appointed by the agriculture departments of the provincial councils of Álava and Vizcaya. He is the coordinator of the Park's management, which is carried out by the councils and directs its staff. It must ensure compliance with the "Natural Resources Management Plan" and the "Use and Management Governing Plan."

The Director-Conservator prepares the annual investment program that he proposes to the Board of Trustees and the annual reports of activities and results. Also to prepare action plans, studies and research that develop what is indicated in the Management Plan. He is the representative of the Park in foreign relations and acts as Secretary of the Permanent Commission of the Board of Trustees.[1]​.

The Board of Trustees of the Urkiola Natural Park is the body that collaborates and advises on its management. This body has two complementary forms of operation, in plenary session and in a permanent commission, and its president is appointed at the request of the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries of the Basque Government. It has 25 members with the following assignment:

• - Two representatives from the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries of the Basque Government.

• - Two representatives from the Minister of Urban Planning, Housing and Environment of the Basque Government.

• - A representative from the Provincial Council of Álava from the area of ​​agriculture.

• - A representative from the Vizcaya Provincial Council in the area of ​​agriculture.

• - One representative for each municipality to which the Park territory belongs.

• - A representative of Associations of Euskadi with an accredited track record in the study and protection of the environment.

• - A representative of the ecological and conservation Associations of Euskadi.

• - A representative of the Mountain Federation of the Basque Country").

• - A representative of the Confederation of Foresters of the Basque Country.

• - A representative of the Agrarian Chambers.

• - A representative of the Agrarian Unions.

• - A representative of the Mountain Agriculture Federation of the Basque Country.

• - A representative of the University of the Basque Country, UPV.

• - The Director-curator of the park.

Protection zones

In addition to the lands that constitute the Urkiola natural park, a "Peripheral Protection Zone" has been established, in accordance with Law 16/1994, which consists of a perimeter area 100 meters wide, excluding urban and rural centers (these are Artaun in Dima, Urkuleta and the consolidated industrial land around the hermitage of San Lorenzo in Mañaria). In this area, actions that may harm any of the objectives pursued by the protection of the natural park status of the Urquiola environment can be suspended or limited. This limitation must be made following a report from the Board of Trustees.

Within the Park there are areas with particular protection figures, such as the special hunting regime zone without free zones. The ban on all the rivers and streams of the Park, the consideration of "Non-Developable Land of special protection" without the possibility of building buildings for residential use or for other uses except those of the Park, the reception area is excluded.

• - Urquiola. Edited by: Central Publications Service of the Basque Government. ISBN 84-457-0644-6.

• - Urquiola Trails. Edited by: Sua Edizioak. ISBN 84-8216-071-0.

• - Wikimedia Commons hosts a multimedia category on Urkola Natural Park.

• - Website of the Urkiola natural park of the Abadiano town hall.

• - Urkiola Natural Park on the website of the Provincial Council of Vizcaya.

Contenido

El parque natural de Urkiola tiene una superficie de 5958,3 ha y un perímetro

de 83,8 km. Las 5958,3 ha por las que se extiende el parque natural se distribuyen entre 8 municipios, siete de ellos den Vizcaya y uno en Álava. La superficie que corresponde a cada uno de ellos es la siguiente:.

La orografía del Parque es muy accidentada aunque no de excesiva altitud. Las sierras de Aramotz-Ezkubaratz, los Montes del Duranguesado y la sierra de Arangio son los terrenos que conforman la superficie protegida. La altitud oscila entre la mínima de 240 en Zalloventa, barrio de Mañaria, hasta los 1331 del monte Amboto quedando la mayor parte del territorio sobre los 600 metros de altitud. En general, la altitud va aumentando de este a oeste. La sierra de Aramotz oscila entre los 789 m de Urtemondo y los 1008 m de Leungane; Ezkubaratz tiene en la cumbre de Arrietabaso su punto más alto con 1018 m. El cordal Amboto-Alluitz alcanza los 1331 m en la cima del primero y se rebaja en los 894 m de Tellamendi. La sierra de Arangio, dispuesta ortogonalmente al eje Amboto-Alluitz, tiene su máxima altitud en la cumbre del Orisol con 1128 m.[2]​.

Siguiendo los ejes de las sierras que conforman el Parque, en la dirección este-oeste tiene una longitud aproximada de 20,5 km que corresponden a la separación entre el límite noroeste de Aramotz y sudeste de Tellamedi, mientras que en el sentido norte-sur es de 5 km. La sierra de Aramotz-Eskubaratz es un paisaje abrupto, áspero, dominado por la roca caliza y propio de un sistema kárstico. Los montes del Duranguesado, dominados por Amboto y Alluitz son una gran mole de caliza gris que se alza imponente sobre los valles de Arrazola y del Ibaizábal. La sierra de Arangio se mantiene cubierta de vegetación. La línea divisoria de aguas entre la vertiente mediterránea y cantábrica pasa por las cordales de estas sierras, dándose la circunstancia que es la cumbrera del tejado del Santuario de los Santos Antonios parte integrante de la misma.

La ocupación humana de la zona es remonta a tiempos prehistóricos, aun así el único núcleo habitado del Parque es el puerto de carretera de Uquiola, donde se ubica el santuario y su área. No obstante hay una gran presencia de caseríos aislado dispersos por la zona baja del Parque. Los habitantes de estos caseríos, en (euskera reciben el nombre de "baserri") se dedican a la explotación agraria y ganadera que combinan con el trabajo en la industria y servicios de las poblaciones cercanas. Las labores del agro han modificado sustancialmente el paisaje del Parque a lo largo de la historia. Junto a ellas, la explotación forestal, es una de las más relevantes en esta cuestión al haber introducido especies foráneas destinadas a dicha labor.

Urquiola ha sido una de las principales rutas de comunicación entre la cornisa cantábrica y la meseta a lo largo de la historia. Esta característica unida al despoblamiento del entorno y su singularidad paisajística, ha dado lugar a numerosas leyendas y mitos, siendo el más relevante el de Mari, la llamada "Dama de Amboto", y la actuación de los Gentiles (gigantes sin cristianizar que realizan proezas de fuerza sobrenatural a los que se les atribuyen diversas construcciones y estructuras naturales). Ocupando el lugar de las deidades precristianas se construyeron ermitas e iglesias a lo largo del camino principal, cuya influencia, junto con las labores de los habitantes del entorno, forjaron el paisaje actual del parque.[3]​.

Boundaries

The limits of the Urkiola natural park are defined in the northern part by the separation line between the municipalities of Yurre and Dima that runs along the slope of Mount Aramotz towards the east to the point where the borders of these two municipalities converge with Lemona and Amorebieta. From there it continues following the demarcation between Dima and Amorebieta until the summit of Belatxikieta above the latter municipality.

Bordering this mountain to the boundary of Dima and Amorebieta until reaching the edge of Mount Auirreta, continuing along the edge of Mount Betzuen until reaching the boundary of the municipality of Durango.

The demarcation line of the Park extends eastwards along the path towards the hermitage of Santa Lucía and the place known as "Neberondo" ("The refrigerator") just below the summit of Mugarra, to the border with Izurza. It follows the limit of Mount Bidecelaya until the road to the Etxeburu Torre hamlet from where it runs to the line that separates Izurza from Mañaria. Follow the line of separation between these two municipalities in a southeasterly direction until you climb the Mugarra crest and descend to Peda Mugarra. At this point the demarcation of the Park continues until reaching the Mugarrikolanda road that serves as the limit to the place known as Arta. From there it goes to the marble quarry and along the Izunze road to the Urkuleta river. Continue to the Txupitaspe stream and along the edge of the U.P. mountain. No. 185 reaches milestone No. 71. From this milestone, you follow the line that separates Mañaria and Dima to the hermitage of San Martín and surrounds Mount Untzillaitz, passing over the quarry called Muchate until you reach the dividing line between Mañaria and Izurza, which you follow until you reach the municipality of Abadiño, following the demarcation of this municipality to milestone 1, which is in Untxillaitz. Along the edge of this mountain it reaches boundary marker 18 where, crossing the Atxarte gorge, it reaches boundary marker 19 located on Mount Urquiola-Basoak, whose boundary is followed until boundary marker 45, leaving the boundary to continue halfway down the slope towards Achondo, skirting the foothills of Alluitz and Amboto, passing through the rocky spur called Atxarte, the old road of Atxeko, Eguskialde shanties to the border with Alava. We follow the Erlan stream upstream, and along the Amillondo hill to the Axelarrin rocks, where the eastern limit begins.

To the east, the summit of Tellamendi is the reference point from which we continue westwards through Izpiztikoarriaga, already in the lands of Aramayona. Near the Lesiaga pass, you change direction to the south to skirt the eastern slope of Mount Aranguio, passing through Larra, the Izarra ravine and the Ipurtotz shanty, following the path that from Aranguio leads to the Keisti shanty where the southern limit of the Park begins.

To the south, the limit of the protected space goes from the Aranguio cross along the slope of that mountain, passing through the hermitage of San Cristóbal, to the Lesiaga hill and from there to Olaeta and Zabalandi, arriving at Pagozabal on the border between the provinces of Álava and Vizcaya. Follow the border between these territories in a westward direction (territorial limit also of the municipalities of Achondo and Aramayona) until Azuntze, now in Abadiano, reaching marker number 58 of Mount Urquiola Basoak, following the interprovincial demarcation until marker 68 where the boundary of Álava and the Park ends on this side.

Landscape

The landscape complex of the Urquiola Park is made up of the large limestone masses that make up the mountain ranges that run through the Park in the southeast-northwest axis. These rocky masses have steep slopes, creating ravines and cliffs, and sharp ridges with fine cresting steps. The slopes of these ridges are covered with Cantabrian holm oaks, beech forests and other deciduous forests as well as with forest plantations of different species, mainly conifers, among which are open grass meadows, which give a landscape very rich in colors with an abundant range of greens.

The karst plains support a diverse and harsh landscape made up of different proportions of bushes, grasses, rocky outcrops, beech forests and pine forests in a very rugged topography.

In the lower part of the valleys you can see plantations, with some interspersions of hardwood forests. The greater subdivision of these areas due to human activity gives a noticeable mosaic of geometric shapes, but maintains the typical range of greens of the Cantabrian landscape.

It is worth highlighting the impact of mining activity in the Park or its surroundings. Even though mineral extraction has been a historical activity within the lands that make up the Urkiola Natural Park, the mines were closed a long time before this protection figure was granted to these lands. The limestone quarries, open-air operations with a great landscape impact, have remained in activity long after the birth of the Urkiola natural park. With the exception of the Atzarte quarries, owned by the Abadiño town council, which were closed when the Park was created, those of Mutxate and Markolin Goikoa in Mañaria are in operation on the exact limit of the Park's demarcation (in fact the mark was made in reference to the extractive exploitation) and that of Zallaventa, also in Mañaria, within the limit of the Park is also in production.[6]​.

Zoning

Taking into account the use and protection characteristics, the Park has been divided into four different zones. This regulation carried out by Decree 147/2002, of June 18, 2002, seeks the orderly use of the natural resources of Urquiola by the population, guaranteeing their sustained environmental use; preserve the variety and uniqueness of natural, landscape and geological ecosystems; maintain the essential ecological processes and the habitats of the species of wild flora and fauna and the maintenance of the productive capacity of the natural heritage.[6]​ These areas are:.

Special protection areas are those that require them, due to their characteristics of vegetation, fauna, geomorphology, landscape and ecosystems. They extend through abrupt areas with large slopes.

There are two areas of this type, one the crest formed by Untzillaitz - Anboto - Zabalandi - Arangio, the most important with a great landscape variety of flora and fauna with extensive stands of beech forests. The other extends along the slopes of the Neberazarra and Errelletabaso going down to Iturrioz in the southern part and to the northwest it encompasses the Mugarra, having its limit in the karst zone. It has a relevant flora and highlights the birdlife that develops in the Mugarra and the high landscape value of the Neberazarra area.

It is planned to preserve these areas by promoting the recovery of native species by rebuilding masses of native vegetation and recomposing them. Act in the recovery of old quarries and promote uses compatible with conservation objectives. Reduce the recreational use of the Amboto tailpiece.

It is the usual area of ​​influx of visitors. It includes the area of ​​the port of Urquiola, with the Sanctuary of Santos Antonios and its surroundings. It extends along the road between the port of Urquiola and the height of Erreketegana.

It is an area where issues of cultural interest stand out and there are some representative ecosystems.

Made up of areas transformed for these uses over time. They extend to the sides of the Mañaria - Ochandiano highway including lands of Iñunganaxpe and Artaun. The improvement of the farms is planned under the supervision of the Park management bodies in agreement with the associations of owners and users.

It is located at the northwestern end of the Park from Aramotz to Mugarra. It is a unique karst area with unique conditions in altitude and stoniness of the terrain that make its vegetation scarce and usable for grazing.

This zone is a 100 meter wide band along the entire perimeter of the Park, excluding the rural and industrial centers, specifically Artaun in Dima and Urkuleta and the area of ​​consolidated industrial land around the hermitage of San Lorenzo in Mañaria.

In this area, any activity that may harm the protected area can be suspended, following a report from the Park Board.[6]​.

Access

The Urkiola natural park is surrounded by urban centers whose rural neighborhoods extend into their limits. From them access is easy and fast. The neighboring towns are well connected. The distance from the center of the Park to the capitals of the Basque Country are as follows; to Bilbao 50 km, to Vitoria 31 km and to San Sebastián 80 km.

The BI-623 highway (in the Alava part A-623), which crosses the Park from north to south in its center, linking Durango "Durango (Spain)") with Vitoria, is the fastest and most comfortable way to access the Park. This road forms the Urquiola mountain pass, which has an altitude of 700 m. It is home to the Sanctuary of the Santos Antonios and its entire religious area (paths, hermitages and fountains) as well as the interpretation center of the park Toki Alai and its administrative offices. In this place, a small urban center has been formed, dependent on the municipality of Abadiano, with some hospitality and accommodation services, recreation areas and walks.

The Aramotz massif area can be accessed from the Arratia valley, southern part of the Park, through the BI-3543 road that connects the towns of Yurre and Ochandiano. From this road you can access the neighborhoods and places of Artan, Oba "Oba (Spain)") and Balzola, all in the town of Dima. From the other side, from the Ibaizábal valley, you can access this mountain range from the urban center of Amorebieta or from the Bernalgoitia neighborhood of this same municipality.

On the west side, access is from the BI-632 highway that connects Durango with Mondragón passing through the Campázar mountain pass. From this point you can access Besaide and Udalaitz and from there to Ipizte, Zabalandi and Amboto hills. From this same road, you can access the Arrazola valley and the centers that make up the municipality of Achondo, located under the Amboto - Alluitz and access it, with slopes greater than 1000 m.

The Alava part of the Park, the Arangio mountain range, has access by road A-26202 that runs between Mondragón and Villarreal de Álava. From there you can access the Aramayona neighborhoods of Ganzada and Etxaguen or by taking the A-3941 to the Oleta neighborhood, also in Aramayona, which is already located on the western slope of the Arangio massif.[2]​.

The Castilian toponym of "Urquiola" comes from the Basque "Urquiola", name of the park, and refers to the existence of birch trees, urki(a) = "birch", "ola" = "factory" "ferrería".[7]​ It translates as "birch ironworks".

Geological composition

The rocks that make up the soils of the Urkiola Natural Park are all sedimentary rocks. The most common lithographic materials are limestone, marl, sandstone and clays and rocks that combine the above whose origin is calcareous mud, clay and sand that have been cemented.

The limestone reef rock formations, also called urgonians, stand out for their spectacularity and abundance. These limestones occupy a large area and mark the highest altitudes. In the eastern sector is the alignment of the Duranguesado mountains with the Alluitz, Ergoin, Amboto peaks that extend through Izpizte and Orisol, all of them above 1000 meters of altitude. In the western sector are the summits of Urtemondo, Mugarra, Leungane in Aramotz and Kanpantorrieta and Arrietabaso in Ezkubaratz.

The calcareous escarpments of the Duranguesado mountains that face in a northwest-southeast direction and go from Mugarra to Amboto draw attention from a geological point of view for their spectacular nature. They are masses of light gray reef limestone, very hard and compact. They have a large number of fossils of massive colonial corals and the shells of rudists (tall, cup-shaped mollusks) and ostreids. Others of different types are interspersed in the reef limestones, such as black sandstone limestones, clayey limestones, marly limestones, etc.

The second type of rock that is most abundant in the Park is detrital rocks, which are formed by an accumulation of very heterogeneous small grains. They are sandstones and their variants. They occupy a wide area in the southeastern sector of the Park and their most notable peaks are Saibi and Urquiolamendi, extending to the south outside the limits of the protected area. Within this sector there is a basal section of whitish or light gray sandstones with small quartz pebbles.

Then there is a mixture of different types of very varied sedimentary rocks, clayey limestones at the northern end of Tellamendi, sandstones, clays and marls next to the reef limestone.[2]​.

These rocks are all, with the exception of the Quaternary coatings, of Lower Cretaceous materials corresponding to a different chronological level in each series. The quaternary coatings are thin and are eluvial soils, hillside debris, river drifts and peat bogs, mud and clay.

The erosion that has affected the relief of the Park, attacking and making the softest part disappear, leaving the hard parts such as limestone spurs to stand out. The limestone in turn suffers the characteristic signs of dissolution in the form of sinkholes "Dolina (geology)"), caverns, etc.

The so-called Urquiola Fault borders the Amboto and Aramotz Mountains to the southwest, which is the most important fracture of the Biscayan anticlinorium.[6]​.

Geological history

The rocks that make up the soil of the Urkiola Natural Park are dated to be between 140 million years old for the oldest and 110 million years for the youngest. The oldest rocks form a geological floor that is called Neocomian from the beginning of the Cretaceous period, belonging to the Secondary Era or Mesozoinca and are sandy and clayey materials, the date of 140 million years is attested by the fossils it contains. These are of marine origin.

About 120 million years ago, others of calcareous origin appeared on these materials, the urgonian or reef limestones. These have their origin in the coral colonies that developed in the ancient narrow and shallow sea that occupied these lands.

110 million years ago the sea became wider and deeper, stopping the development of coral and beginning to be covered by fine sandy and clayey sediments. 100 million years ago the so-called "opening of the Cantabrian Sea" began, which was extended 45 million years ago when the Iberian Plate was introduced under the Eurasian Plate pushed by the African Plate. In this process the seabed is compressed and raised, forming the Pyrenees and the reliefs peripheral to them, among which are the Basque Mountains where Urquiola is located. Once the seabed is exposed, this is about 40 million years ago, the action of erosion begins, which ended up giving the current shape that the relief of the Urkiola Natural Park has today.[2]​.

Fossils

The reef or urgonian limestone is rich in seashell fossils as it was formed by the accumulation of corals and other marine beings that developed during the period when the place was submerged, about 120 million years ago. In the limestone masses of the Urkiola natural park there are fossil deposits of different types, some of them belonging to already extinct species. The most common fossils found are:

• - Rastellum is a bivalve mollusk of the Ostreidae family. Related to the current oysters that were very common in the Lower Cretaceous. The typical species is Rastellum rectangulare"), which was widely distributed in Europe from 120 to 140 million years ago. In the park it is associated with limestone and limestone sediments.

• - Aetostreon is a bivalve mollusk of the family Ostreidae. This mollusk is associated with the rastellum and in Urquiola it is found in the same places as the previous one. The typical species is Aetostreon latissimum").

• - Toucasia is a bivalve mollusk of the family Requieniidae"). Called Rudistitos"), they were very abundant for about 80 million years. They are currently extinct. They are colonial, sedentary and construction corals and in their typical species Toucasia carinata very common in reef limestones from 120 million years ago.

• - Monopleura is a bivalve mollusk of the family Monopleuridae"). Rudisto related to the Toucadia shares its characteristics. Its morphology is very different from that of the Toucadia. Abundant in the rock of the park, the typical species, the Monopleura implicata is between 7 and 10 cm and appears associated with the layers of Toucadia.

• - Sphaera is a bivalve mollusk of the family Fimbriidae"). Round in shape with ribs or concentric growth grooves on its shell and with some radial striations, it does not usually reach more than 10 cm in diameter. It is a common fossil throughout Europe in layers from the Lower Cretaceous. In Urquiola its presence is scarce.

• - Neithea is a bivalve mollusk of the Pectinidae family. This bivalve is related to today's scallops. Its shell was small in size, not exceeding 6 cm with the upper valve being flatter than the lower one. Both valves had 5 or 6 large radial ribs among which there were 3 or 5 smaller ones. The typical species in the Aptian is Neithea atava.

• - Glauconia is a gastropod mollusk of the family Cassiopidae"). Like all gastropods, it has a helical shell coiled around a central axis, similar to sea snails. With a size of 3 cm, its shell has raised spirals ornamented with thin parallel lines that used to alternate with thicker ones or round tubercles. Abundant in the Cretaceous, it predates the formation of Urgonian reef limestones"). It is associated with carbonaceous and sandy levels. The typical species is , which dates back to about 130 million years ago, being one of the oldest fossils found in Urquiola.

Karst landscape

The abundance of limestone together with the richness of rainfall in the area has given rise to a very rich karst relief, with abundant caves, many of them with remains of prehistoric human occupation. Karstification is linked to the hydrological contribution and the volume of rock that allows this phenomenon. This means that the underground water reserves are in close relationship with it.

On the plateaus presented by the Aramotz-Mugarra and Ezkubaratz massifs, all kinds of karst forms have developed. In them there are sinkholes, chasms and lava flows, which make up a particular and harsh landscape. On the edges of the plateau, especially on the northeastern edge, steeper slopes can be seen.

Under the ground, a complicated network of galleries is formed that collects the filtered water or that enters the sinks. Erosion continues until it reaches an impermeable extract and looks for an outlet, forming a spring or surge.[8]​.

Summits

The main peaks of the Park ordered by their altitude are:.

1. • Amboto, 1331.

2. • Elgoin, 1240.

3. • Orisol, 1128.

4. • Izpizte, 1062.

5. • Alluitz, 1039.

6. • Arrietabaso, 1018.

7. • Kanpantorreta"), 1016.

8. • Urquiolamendi, 1011.

9. • Leungane, 1008.

10. • Mugarra, 965.

11. • Saibigain, 945.

12. • Untzillaitz, 935.

13. • Tellamendi, 894.

14. • Aitz Txiki, 791.

15. • Urtemondo"), 789 [9]​.

El parque natural de Urkiola está situado sobre la línea divisoria de las vertientes mediterránea y cantábrica. La composición de sus suelos, con una alta presencia de las caliza, hace que hay una importante zona kárstica que ocupa cerca del 60% de la superficie del Parque en forma de roquedos calizos y planicies y depresiones kársticas, lo que hace que haya una importante presencia hídrica subterránea.

Rivers and streams

The surface of Urquiola is divided into two slopes and four large basins. They are small watercourses both in length and flow (with the exception of the Mañaria River and the Urquiola and Mendiola streams). The annual precipitation on both slopes is very similar, and greatly determines the flow. There is a big difference between the low flow in the summer and the maximum flow in the fall. A large number of springs emerge after the season of heavy rains.

The Mañaria, Mendiola, Arrázola and Aramayona basins belong to the Cantabrian slope, and their characteristics are steep slopes due to the large slopes and high erosive power. Both the Mañaria, Mendiola and Arrázola channels contribute to the Ibaizábal River.

The permanent surface water courses develop on the northern slope on clay loam lands. The streams that originate in the Inungane and Iturriotz-Txakurzulo ravines form the river called Mañaria. In the Mendiola ravine the stream of the same name is formed and in the Txareta and Atxondo ravines streams arise that end up in the Elorrio River which in turn, together with the Zaldu that comes from Zaldívar, forms the Ibaizábal, this being one of the main basins that collect the waters of the Park.

Also on the Cantabrian slope are the contributions belonging to the Deva River basin "Río Deva (Guipúzcoa)") in the southeastern part of the Park. They are the streams coming from the Arangio and Tellamendi mountains that form the Aramayona river.

On the Mediterranean slope, the southern part of the Park, the slopes are much gentler making the water courses slower. The Urquiola and Oleta streams belong to this slope, which are dammed in the Urrúnaga dam and flow into the Zadorra river, a tributary of the Ebro river.[9]​.

Aquifers

In the part of the Park with reef limestone terrain, a karstic process has developed and the water flows through underground rivers.

Precipitation recharges aquifers which are then discharged through upwellings or directly into waterways. These suggestions have important variations in flow depending directly on the precipitation regime. These waters have mineralization rates lower than 350 mg/l, presenting a clear calcium bicarbonate facies.

Two subunits are identified in the Park, Aramotz - Amboto and Eskuagatx. The first of them is divided into two sectors, Aramotz and Amboto. The resources of the subunits located in the natural park are estimated as a whole at 23.5 hm³/year.

The main hydrogeological area of ​​Urquiola is Aramotz, which goes beyond the limits of the park, reaching the Udalaitz massif and the Ilunbe-Induso area, in the municipality of Dima. It drains at the foot of the mountain at different points, in the southwest part by the Orue spring in the Dima valley with a flow of 75-100 l/s, in the northwest part by the Iturrieta spring in Mañaria with a flow of 100-200 l/s.

In the Ezkubaratz massif it drains to the north through the Zallobenta spring in Mañaria with a flow of 100-200 l/s and to the southwest to the Indusi river through the Urmeta, Angilarri, Indusi and Bernaola springs.

The Amboto complex drains towards the northwest, towards the Atxondo valley through the Urtzillo spring which has a flow of 100-200 l/s.[9]​.

The Urkiola Natural Park is located on the Cantabrian-Mediterranean watershed and the disturbances of the North Atlantic determine its climatic regime.

The climate is temperate oceanic, with a high rainfall regime with a clear decrease in the summer period and a tempering of extreme temperatures. There is a transition between the eastern Cantabrian climate of Vizcaya and the continentalized Mediterranean climate of most of Álava.

Most of the Park is located above 600 meters of altitude, being included in the supratemperate thermotype, while the lands below that level are more temperate, being the mesotemperate thermotype.

Annual rainfall, around 1500 mm, determines humid and hyperhumid ombrotypes. The temperature is mild, sweetened by the marine influence, with a range that oscillates between a minimum average of 7 °C and a maximum average of 15 °C with an annual average of 11 °C.

On the southern slope, leeward of the oceanic influence, a slight continentalization and Mediterraneanization of the climate occurs, producing a very small decrease in precipitation compared to the other side.[6]​.

• - Véase también: Anexo:Fauna y flora del parque natural de Urkiola.

Vegetation

The human activity carried out over time on the lands of the Urkiola Natural Park has marked the type of vegetation that exists today. The type of soil and the altitude are two other determining factors for it.[2]​.

The vegetation of the Urkiola natural park presents the typical features of the sector formed by the Cantabrian-Atlantic provinces of the Euro-Siberian region") with features of the Mediterranean region as part of the Park's territory is located on that slope. With reference to altitude, with a limit that ranges between 550 and 650 meters depending on the orientation, two types of vegetation are differentiated; the hilly vegetation that coincides with the mesotemperate and the coincident montane with the supratempered. There are also some specific characteristics that influence the vegetation. These are:.

• - Areas of altitude above 1000 meters, where boreo-alpine floristic elements are present.

• - Inclusion of the Park's mountains in the Cantabrian-Pyrenean axis which produces a biogeographic continuity that enables the persistence of its own floristic elements.

• - Large extension of limestone rock masses that favor the appearance of floristic elements with a sub-Mediterranean and Mediterranean mountain hue.

In the absence of human influence, the potential climatic vegetation typical of the hill floor (above 600°C) would consist of Atlantic oak forests, in the valley there would be a mixed forest of deciduous hardwoods and acidophilic oak forests on the slopes. On the banks of the streams there would be trade allysias and on the limestone substrates forests of Cantabrian holm oaks and their cohort of evergreen bushes. Along the walls of Leungane-Artatxagan you would find oak gall oaks from Aleppo.

On the mountainous floor, altitudes below approximately 600 meters, beech forest would develop and, on some sunny slopes with a sandy substrate, oak groves would be found.

There would be enclaves in which peat bog and heath formations, gleras or mobile pebbles would develop in very acidic, humid and cold soils and on the cliffs their typical cliff vegetation.[6]​.

Human activity in Urquiola Park has influenced the formation of its landscape and especially the vegetation that occurs there. The potential vegetation has been reduced and others have been established in its place. The current distribution of vegetation in the Park is as follows:

Areas with trees are present in more than half of the protected area. They are distributed almost 50% between natural forests and forest plantations. The forests of the limestone rocks stand out and the most abundant species are the beech and the oak in that order. In forest plantations the most abundant species is the radiata pine or famous pine, which occupies more than 1000 hectares, with much less occupation there are plantations of other conifers. The tree distribution is as follows:

A total of 694 taxa (species, subspecies and hybrids) have been cataloged, among which 156 are classified as of special interest due to their special endemism. In the Urkiola natural park there are no species exclusive to it.

Of the 694 taxa cataloged, 12 are species classified as endemic, 35 very rare, 100 rare and 12 as localized rare. The very rare species develop mainly in rocky areas, 41%, and hardwood forests, 24% of them, with holm oak forests being very significant in this matter, another 22% develop in humid peaty areas. The rare species located have their main location in the rocky areas and there are some in the montane pastures. The rare species are distributed among the rocky areas, with 37, the natural hardwood forests with 32, the same as the grass-shrublands, while the hygropeat areas have 25. The endemic species are also found significantly in the rocky areas, where 9 taxa are located, usually in shady areas. Of them, only three can be classified as rare. The rest appear in scrub grasses, two in calcicolous heath and one in scrub and clear forest with acidic substrate.[6]​[3]​.

Fauna

126 species of vertebrates have been catalogued, excluding bats (bats). The following table shows the distribution according to their class:

The location of the Urkiola Natural Park straddling the Cantabrian slope and the Mediterranean slope means that its fauna is made up mainly of typical Euro-Siberian species (83%) with some of Mediterranean origin (13%), Eastern Ethiopian (1%) and cosmopolitan species (3%).[6]​.

In the park's surroundings there are 23 areas that maintain interesting communities or aggregates

and characterizers in reference to fauna. These areas are due to the following criteria; nesting places, wetlands conducive to the reproduction of amphibians and those areas that are known to be essential, for any reason, for faunal development.

The species that inhabit the Urkiola natural park are grouped into four categories:

• - Recently extinct: Bearded vulture, common barbel, vermilion and water blackbird.

• - Repopulated: Common and rainbow trout, red partridge, northern hare and rabbit.

• - Natural colonizers: European mink and roe deer.

• - Historically established: The rest of the species.

In the Park there are a large number of protected species, 64 are included in the "National Catalog of Endangered Species". There are three species that can be fished and 12 that can be hunted. The Bird Directive of the European community protects 19 species while the "Habitats Directive" protects another 15. There are 106 species that are protected by the Berne Convention, 30 by the Bonn Convention and 15 by the Washington Convention").[6]​ The "Basque Catalog of Endangered Species" includes 36 species that are present in the Park.[3]​.

Among the vertebrates of Urquiola are:[2]​.

Among the fish in the park's rivers are the madrilla (Parachondrostoma toxostoma),[10]​ the minnow (Phoxinus phoxinus). It has been repopulated with common trout (Salmo trutta) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss).[6]​[11]​.

Two species of urodeles live in the park, the palmate newt (Triturus helveticus) and the common salamander (Salamandra salamandra) and five anurans, the common frog (Pelophylax perezi), the long-legged (Rana iberica) and the vermilion frog (Rana temporaria), the midwife toad (Alytes obstetricans) and the common frog (Bufo bufo).[11]​.

Such as the peat bog lizard (Zootoca vivipara) or the rock lizard (Podarcis muralis), Cantabrian viper (Vipera seoanei), European smooth snake () and black-green lizard ().

Biotopic units

The biotopes of the Urkiola natural park are influenced by human activity. In some of them this activity has been scarce and is easily reversible, while others have been formed by continuous human activity for a long time.

Biotopes with little human influence are rocky areas, deciduous forests, oak forests and humid areas. While human activity has been shaping the grasslands, the first natural environment introduced by man, the countryside and forest plantations. Each of these biotopes has its own characteristics and its own inhabitants, both plants and animals.[2]​.

The grassland of origin in livestock activity occupies 16% of the Park. This use of the land for feeding livestock dates back to the Neolithic and is based on the practice of keeping livestock under protection, either in stables or in mowed meadows during the bad weather season of the year and taking them out in spring and summer to the pastures where they live in semi-freedom. The livestock in Urquiola is sheep, cattle and horses, which are on pastures all year round.

Urquiola pastures are classified into three types; montane, high density and short size; solicicolous, poor in species that occur on sandy soils and prairies and high slopes and lastansones grasses that have an abundance of grasses with broad, long and hardened leaves.

The fauna of this biotope is made up of the inhabitants of neighboring biotopes, especially the one that gave rise to it. You can see these spaces typical fauna of the rocky areas, forest areas or heaths.

In each type of grass, different vegetation develops and they are located in places with different characteristics.

• - Mountains. The montane pastures extend over hills and hills with good soil. They have a high productive level and provide good quality forage, which is why they are the most used for livestock. It withstands the summer drought period well, maintaining its green color.

• - Silicon. These grasses are found on poor soils and on high altitude peaks and slopes. They are poor in species and their plants are hard. They appear in potential lands of silicicolous and melojale beech forests.

• - Lastanson. Lastanson grasses are characterized by the abundance of laston. Lastón is a plant that colonizes bare soils and repopulates them after fires. It usually occurs in marginal spaces such as slopes and steep slopes.

Grasses were generated by man in spaces occupied by other biotopes. This, unique to the little cover that exists in them, means that their fauna is typical of the neighboring biotopes and varies with the layout of the grasslands in the Park, depending on which biotopes they have as neighbors.

The montane grasslands that extend between the Asuntze and Zalabaundi hills, which separate the Oleta forest mass from the foothills of the Alluitz-Amboto limestone range, are nourished by animals typical of both biotopes. The peat lizard is a small reptile between 5 and 18 cm in length. It develops in meadows with a certain level of humidity and even waterlogging. The peat lizard is accompanied by the rock lizard and the collared snake, which develop in the meadows but near or on the small rocky outcrops that occur in them.

• - Véase también: Anexo:Patrimonio cultural del parque natural de Urkiola.

En el parque de Urquiola hay huellas de ocupación humana desde los tiempos de la prehistoria. Las cuevas situadas en el desfiladero de Atxarte, en el macizo del Anboto, dan fe de ello con importantes yacimientos arqueológicos del Paleolítico Superior como los de Bolinkoba, estudiado por José Miguel de Barandiarán y Telesforo de Aranzadi. Así mismo en la cueva de Axlegor se han encontrado restos pertenecientes al Paleolítico Medio o cultura Musteriense, este es uno de los yacimientos más antiguos de Vizcaya. Hay restos de todas la épocas en multitud de cuevas de todo el parque natural. El paso del Imperio romano por tierras de Urquiola ha quedado atestiguado por algunos fragmentos de cerámica hallados y la Edad Media tiene su nuestra en los restos del recinto amurallado que se halla en la cumbre del Aitz Txiki.

La vía de Urquiola fue una de las principales vías de comunicación entre la meseta y la costa. Por ella entró el cristianismo a las tierras de Vizcaya. Desde siempre estos parajes han tenido un gran misticismo. En la cumbre de Anboto habita Mari "Mari (diosa vasca)") el ser supremo de la mitología vasca, en otras cuevas del entorno residen otros duendes y seres fabulosos, Sugaar, el marido de Mari o los gentiles que realizaron grandes obras, como el jentil zubi o puente de los gentiles. El cristianismo intento hacer suya esta magia por lo que construyó en este lugar uno de los más importantes templos del país, el Santuario de los Santos Antonios abad y de Padua así como un importante número de ermitas esparcidas por toda la geografía del Parque, desde los sitios más accesibles por estar al lado de los caminos, como la ermita del Santo Cristo de Atxarte o la de Santa Polonia, hasta en los lugares más inaccesibles, como la de santa Bárbara en el collado de Larrano a 900 metros de altitud.

A los pies de las sierras de Urquiola se han desarrollado los núcleos urbanos. Los asentamientos originales dieron lugar, en la Baja Edad Media, a las anteiglesias y a las casas torre de los señores feudales, los jauntxos, en el siglo se fueron fundando la villas con sus fueros y la modernidad fruto de la Revolución francesa trajo el actual sistema de organización social.[2]​.

The prehistory

Archaeological investigations in the Urkiola natural park and its surroundings have had five different stages that coincide with those that José Miguel de Barandiarán proposed in 1988 for the general prehistory of the Basque Country.

The first stage is the beginning of prehistory studies until 1917. In it, data are collected in a non-systematic way and without any connection or common objectives. Thus in Urquiola Gálvez Cañero discovers the Azkondo cave in Mañaria and collects archaeological materials that he attributes to the Magdalenian, Azilian and explores the Balzola cave and finds materials that he attributes to the Neolithic.

Between 1917 and 1936 the second stage takes place, which is a consolidation stage. During this time in Urquiola José María Barandiarán carried out extensive field work between the years 1926 and 1936, in which he carried out the following interventions:

• - In 1926, prospecting in Mañaria discovered the Silibranka shelter and the Atxuri I and Sailleunta caves, where materials attributed to the Magdalenian were located.

• - In 1930, excavation, in collaboration with Teresforo Aranzadi, of the Silibranka shelter where a Magdalenian and Azilian stratigraphy was determined.

• - In 1931, prospecting in Abadiano where the sites of the Bolinkoba, Oyalkoba, Albiztei and Astakoba caves were located.

• - In 1932, excavation of the Oyalkoba cave where they detected a stratigraphy from the Bronze Age and another late Roman one. He carried out the excavation, in collaboration with Aranzadi, in the Albiztei cave where they located a level of human burials assignable to the Eneolithic or ancient Bronze. He also excavates in Bolinkoba where they determine a stratigraphy from the Upper Perigordian or Gravettian to the Bronze Age.

The third stage is between 1936 and 1953, in this stage the Spanish Civil War and the Second World War took place, causing the suspension of work.

The fourth stage took place between 1953 and 1970, in Urquiola, Barandiarán worked, joined by new researchers such as José María Apellániz") and Ernesto Nolte. Between 1960 and 1961, the excavation of the Atxuri I and Atxuri II caves in Mañaria was carried out, where he discovered materials from the Paleolithic and the Eneolithic-Bronze. In Atxarte, Nolte located 1966 indications of a site in the Kobazarra cave and Apellániz, in 1970, located in the Albiztei cave, also in Abadiano, a sepulchral site of Eneolithic-ancient Bronze chronology.

The fifth stage extends from 1970 to the present. Some specific surveys have been carried out in the area around the Park.

• - In 1971 Carlos Flores Calle found a female skull, a spinning instrument, fusayola, and remains of a burial site in the Jentilkoba cave in Mugarra.

• - In 1973 the University of Deusto held an Archeology Seminar studying the Kobazar II cave in Mañaria.

• - In 1978 in Abadiano the Saiputzueta dolmen was cataloged by Sarachaga.

• - In 1981 J. Gorrochategui and M.J. Yarritu carry out a survey at the Urquiola dolmen station in which signs of 2 open-air settlements are located in Urquiolamendi and Saibitxiki.

• - In 2000 M. Aguirre Ruiz de Gopegui and Juan Carlos López Quintana determined the archaeological filling of the Asuntze site.[3]​.

It is an example of the prehistoric occupation of these lands, located at the base of the Untzillaitz, near the river and next to the Atxarte gorge, in an area with abundant game and also close to the Mañaria valley, it provides data on human occupation throughout the Upper Paleolithic. The cave is small and well oriented, its orientation is east west, it was discovered by Barandiarán and excavated between 1932 and 1933. Objects have been found from the Lower Paleolithic to the Bronze Age, burins, assegais and ornaments with geometric engravings as well as animal representations. With the end of the ice ages, the cave was no longer occupied permanently until a new occupation arrived in the Neolithic, which extended until the Bronze Age.

This rock shelter is located on Mount Urrestei, in the place called Kobalde in the Indusi neighborhood of Dima, very close to Jentil Zubi. Barandiarán discovered it in 1932 and was studied in several campaigns that he directed between 1967 and 1974. Neanderthal remains were found, specifically three teeth. The remains of fauna found in Axlor correspond to cold climate species, there is an abundance of mountain goats, large bovids, deer and horses. Remains of cave bears and reindeer have also been found. Some lithic tools have also been found.[2]​.

This cave is located in Mañaria and is one of the few non-coastal caves that contain cave paintings and the fifth found in Vizcaya. The paintings, discovered in the spring of 2011, are from the Paleolithic period, the second oldest in Vizcaya and are estimated to have been made between 28,000 and 18,000 BC. Previously, in 1963, remains of cave bears were found. The paintings, in poor condition, are representations made in red paint and engravings made on the wall.[13]​.

The story

The Roman Empire passed through the lands of the Park as attested by some remains of ceramics that have been found, on the nearby coast, in the Oka estuary there is an important Roman site in the town of Forua, a place name that comes from "forum", and it is not risky to assume that the communication route between the coast and the plateau that passes through Urquiola already existed in some form.

Pastoral activity was already stable and extensive in the Middle Ages and settlements began to be established at the bottom of the valleys. The activity decreases as you climb the mountain, but the importance of the communication route that passes through Urquiola is palpable in the remains of the military compound located on the summit of Mount Aitz Txiki that guarded the Atxarte pass.

In Mañaria a "ritual jar" has been found dating back to the 17th century and of possible Visigothic origin. This discovery is contextualized but in the Alava plain, near Urquiola, more than twenty clashes between Christian and Muslim troops took place between the year 767 and the year 886. The ritual jar, used in some way in the Christian cult, together with the steles and tombstones that have been found in Elorrio, right on the limits of the Park and that are currently in Arguiñeta, some of them dated to the year 883 make clear the presence of Christianity and these lands.

There is archaeological evidence of the presence of churches, called monasteries, in the 19th century; these temples were small rural churches owned by lay people. In the year 1051, the king of the kingdom of Pamplona Nájera García Sánchez III, called "the one from Nájera" granted immunity to, as the document says verbatim, "the churches existing in that country called Bizkaia and Durango" and that same year in a document donating property made by the Lord of Vizcaya to the monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla, the abbot of the monastery of Abadiano appears as confirmer and in coming years there is written testimony from many other churches. such as San Agustín de Etxebarria, San Martín de Yurreta among others.

Mills and forges are established on the banks of the rivers and urban centers begin to be marked by church towers. At that time the church buildings began to emerge and next to them the feudal towers of the jauntxus. This, together with the forestry livestock exploitation, shapes the landscape, which little by little becomes more complex. The temple of Santos Antonios emerged at this time. In the year 1212, Mrs. Urraca de Muntsaratz (Abadiano) in her will cites the church of San Antón and the "tower, palace and solar" of Muntsaratz saying that it has farmland, orchards, grapevines, fields of apple trees, chestnut trees and mountains. He also says that he has foundries and mills, bequeathing money to Urquiola.

The occupation of the valley was intensified with the founding of the towns that promoted commerce and industry. Durango was founded in 1297 and Ochandiano in 1236.[2]​.

The path

The communication route that crosses the Urkiola natural park through its very center, through the Puerto de Urquiola, has historically had great importance. Not only for the Duranguesado region, but for the entire eastern coast of Vizcaya. This communication route between the Cantabrian coast and the Castilian plateau served for the departure of Castilian wool to Northern Europe as well as the import from the interior of the peninsula of many of the foods that were consumed in the coastal regions such as wine, wheat, barley, oil, etc. Towards the other side was the exit to the Court of the fish from the ports of Bermeo, Lequeitio and Ondárroa and the iron and its derivatives produced in the foundries and forges of Duranguesado and neighboring regions.

In the Middle Ages the roads were mainly bridle paths that throughout the century became cart paths. In 1585 the first attempt to improve the Urquiola road was carried out, but it was not carried out. The justification for this project is "the need to have a more comfortable route to cross from Castilla to the Señorío with supplies and wool and other merchandise." By then there is evidence of the use of said route and its importance. In the Port of Urquiola, next to the church there was a hospital (hostel or shelter) for transients (documented in 1567 and referring to an "old book" due to what is estimated of its previous existence). This hospital was expanded throughout the century, reaching the beginning of the 17th century, in 1604, when the construction of a new and larger one was considered. The economic situation was so buoyant that it allowed for different reforms to be made in the church and its surroundings. Even the construction of a new temple, which began in 1625 and was inaugurated in 1646, although the works continued until the end of the century. In 1653 a portico was built that was called the "pilgrim cloister" due to the use made of it by travelers passing through this place. Even so, the condition of the road was terrible.

In 1724, reforms were carried out to convert the bridle path into a cart path. In the justification of this project, the large transit of wood that goes from Álava to Bilbao for the construction of vessels and marble from Mañaria to the plateau is noted, but the ruggedness of the location and the complexity of the work mean that the project is not completed.

In 1767 the definitive project began. This time driven by the isolation that was occurring in the Duranguesado region as modern communication routes had been built in Orduña and Guipúzcoa that were absolving merchandise traffic because they were much more comfortable. Even so, it is noted that daily traffic through the Port of Urquiola is between 200 and more than 400 stables between the months of April to October, the passage remaining closed in winter due to weather conditions. The condition of the road was terrible as indicated in a note that says.

Between 1777 and 1782, licenses were obtained from the Royal Council and work began under a project by the Mañaria architect Francisco Antonio de Echanove and the army engineer José Santos Calderón. The work concluded in 1789 with an expenditure of 1,421,000 reales, well above the 605,000 budgeted, which forced them to look for other sources of financing in addition to the agreed upon tax on wine sold in taverns; these sources were the tolls imposed on travelers and merchandise.[2]​.

religious buildings

Urquiola since ancient times was a place where man and religion met. With the arrival of Christianity, the old sanctuaries were replaced by others dedicated to the new deities. The most important and the one that has always attracted the population to these heights, apart from the one that ran along the route from the plateau to the coast, is that of Santos Antonios Abad y de Padua. But there are several hermitages, more or less visited and remembered, that extend across the land belonging to the natural park. There is no record of why they were built, some of them were temples that served groups of hamlets, such as San Martín or San Juan de Garaitorre, but others, in almost all of those found in the Park, there are other elements such as nearby caves with prehistoric remains, legends of geniuses or myths or places whose name refers to mythology (as in the case of the Gentiles). The hermitage of Santo Cristo de Atxarte is above a cave in which legend (testimony collected by Barandiarán) says that it was located because it was a place where the "lamias" lived. In the surroundings of the hermitage of San Martín everything refers to the Gentiles, it should not be forgotten that according to Basque tradition it was San Martín who obtained from the Gentiles the secrets of agriculture and metallurgy. The purpose of the hermitage of San Francisco de Olabarri, according to tradition, is to evict the geniuses and lamias who lived in Baltzola and the hermitage of San Lorenzo, which stands next to the Silibraska site, is also next to the rock called Dieabrulabarra or "place where the devil slipped." These examples are testimony to a transition between pre-Christian beliefs to Christian ones with the survival of pagan elements, elements that have often reached the present and have manifested themselves throughout history in cases such as the heresies of Durango. As Julio Caro Baroja says, the very concept of the Gentiles is based on the coexistence for a time of Christianity with other previous traditions. The final triumph of Christianity gave way to the mystification of the beings who maintained the previous culture and beliefs.[14]​.

Among the hermitages that are distributed throughout the Park, the following stand out:

• - Santos Antonios Abad y de Padua, on a primitive and simple hermitage of which there are written references in 1567. In June 1646 a new church was inaugurated that had a Latin cross plan with a single nave and dome. This church remained open for worship for 15 years. In 1553 the cloister, which was called *the pilgrims' cloister, was built and the choir and sacristy were expanded. In 1870 the church was completed with a new bell tower built by the Durango master builder Pedro José Astarbe. In 1899, work began on a new large basilica, built in a neo-medieval style, which would never be completed. Fifteen years later the first phase was inaugurated and in 1933 the temple was consecrated. At the end of the century, the works that concluded the unfinished project were completed. In 1991 the staircase was built and in 1997 the mosaics that adorn the interior were made. In the garden there is a small monument with elements that commemorate the life of Vizcaya. A sloop reminds us of agriculture, a stone turf reminds us of industry, and an anchor reminds us of the world of the sea. Going up to the left, right at the entrance to the sanctuary, a rare stone, which some claim is a meteorite, invites the person who wants to find a partner to circle it several times as this is believed in these lands (you have to be careful with the direction of rotation since, according to some, if the turns are done in reverse they have the opposite effect).

Armed encounters

The status of a gateway between the Cantabrian coast and the Alava plain has made Urquiola a place of armed encounters. During the first Carlist war the place is conquered by the Liberals on their way to Durango, the Carlists leave artillery and ammunition there. In the second Carlist war, a confrontation took place between 30 civil guards commanded by Ensign Salinas and a Carlist party of 70 men under the command of Basozabal, producing a result similar to that of the previous war.

During the Civil War it was a strategic position for operations on Ochandiano and remained on the front during the autumn winter of 1936-1937. The nearby Mount Saibi was the site of harsh and bloody fighting. In the end, the troops raised against the republican legitimacy broke the front in these places.

In the winter of 1936, the northern front was stopped at the watershed between the Mediterranean and Cantabrian basins. Álava was left in the hands of those who rebelled against the legitimate government of the Second Republic as soon as the coup d'état occurred.

The front line passed through Saibi and went towards the peaks of Udalaitz passing through the Besaide. The front was defended by militiamen from different political groups and the command was centralized in the town of Elorrio.

The summit of Saibi was a strategic point to dominate the access to Vizcaya through Urquiola, which historically has been one of the main passes between the plain and the historical territory.

The fascist army, aided by aviation, bombed the positions of Mount Saibi during the day and the ground troops even reached its summit sometimes. At night the militiamen recovered the terrain and the strategic summit of Saibigain.

On April 5, 1937, skirmishes occurred on the road between Ochandiano and Urquiola, the next day the insurgent troops took Urquiola and the Tercio de Navarra attacked the loyalist positions in Sabigain that were defended by the Meabe nº2 and González Peña battalions. By the evening of that day, the Requettes had taken Saibigain and the Republicans held Urquiola and the summit of Urquiolamendi.

On April 7, the rebels occupied the Azuntze hill, at the foot of Amboto on the other side of Urquiolamendi. This advance was made by the Tercio Oriamendi, which began to take Urquiolamendi from the southeast while the Republicans retreated, abandoning Urquiola, which was occupied by the Tercio de San Ignacio. At dawn on the 8th, the Urquiola area, from Amboto to Sabigain, is in the hands of the rebels. On the 12th, the 2nd Expeditionary Brigade of Asturias attacked the fascist lines of Saibigain and managed to conquer the summit, causing the 3rd San Marcial Battalion to withdraw. The next day it is the requetes battalions and the that evict the Asturian militiamen from the strategic mountain.

Mythology, traditions and customs

The immensity of the limestone masses of the Amboto mountain range and the important step that forced many people to travel through these places where nature has always manifested itself in a strong way have made Urquiola a place to locate divine deities.[19]​.

Tradition places the main abode of Mari "Mari (Basque goddess)" at the highest altitude of these lands, Mount Amboto. This being is the representation of Mother Earth and has the power to direct the climate, punish lies, pride and theft. From it arise springs of water and good or bad harvests. His two children, Atagarri and Mikelats, are good and evil.

• - Location of the Mari cave on the east face of Anboto.

• - Cave entrance.

• - Interior corridor that leads to the chasms.

• - Rock formation that forms the face of Mari.

The pre-Christian entres gave way, in part, to the Christian saints. The construction of the church dedicated to the Santos Antonios came to want to Christianize the place, but Mari's spirit continues to stay alive when you look at Amboto and see its summit between clouds, a sign that she is in her home.

Of the many homes that Mari has in the mountains of Euskal Herria, the main one is in Amboto. The so-called Mariurrika kobea or Mariyen kobia is located at 1200m of altitude just below the summit of this mountain. Its entrance is located in the impressive verticality of the east wall, which forms with the west wall of Azkilar the impressive channel of Artaungo sakona.

The cave has a large entrance, high up, that opens a corridor to a room illuminated by an opening to the abyss. This "window" is visible from below, while the entrance is hidden because it is located in a chamfer of the rock. A splash of water falls next to it, drops in summer, which must be drunk if the wish that has been made of the witch goddess is to come true. From the illuminated room there is another corridor towards the interior of the mountain. On it there is a natural formation reminiscent of the face of a woman in which some believe they see Mari. This corridor ends in a chasm 70 m deep. To the right, passing through a small opening, you access another smaller chasm.

To get to Mariurrika Kobea, you have to climb to the Aguindi hill, which is formed between the Amboto cover and the Failea Atxa spur and from there follow the small path eastward that takes us, under the summit, to the vertical wall in which the cavity is located. When we reach the edge of it, a natural tunnel allows us to access the cliff.[20]​.

In the Aramotz mountain range on the southern slope, above the Arratia valley, there are several sites that are linked to the Gentiles. These are gigantic beings with great strength that have been associated with the unchristianized residents of the early days of the expansion of Christianity in Euskal Herria. They are responsible for the construction of churches, caves, rock arches or the location of certain large stones.

The seles

The sel is a marked area for grazing and ranching of livestock, normally communally owned. They are usually marked with square cairns, one at each end and a central cairn that is called haustarria or zenith stone. The shepherd builds the hut in the middle of the forest but cannot tile it or lock it (both signs of ownership) since the land is communal.

Seles can be winter, called in Basque korta txiki, or summer, called korta nagusi. The former were in mountain areas while the latter were located in the valleys. The Vizcaya jurisdiction indicated their measures. The winter ones must have had a diameter of 244 meters, while the summer ones had a diameter of 494 meters.

In the middle of the century on the grounds of the Urkiola natural park there were a large number of documented seles, they were Aitxbizkar, Urieta, Latanokorta, Otxandiokorta, Amila, Markolpe, Markolpe txiki, Makatzeta, Gurutzeberri, Erdikokortabaso, Lapurzubi, Muskuluza and Dantzaleku. These communal lands have been privatized over time.[2]​.

Customs and traditions

Urquiola's secular habitat has been rural with a high degree of isolation. The hermitages and the sanctuary have been a meeting place for the inhabitants of the hamlets, there they gathered to attend religious events, fairs and pilgrimages and also to resolve and agree on social problems and make decisions for the common good.

In the century, attempts were made to define the limits between the populations of Ochandiano and the Aramayona valley in reference to the territory called El Limitado or No Man's Land. Legend has it that it was established as a method of setting the limits that these were where the residents of the respective towns were, going out on foot to the crow of the rooster. Those from Aramayona entered the chicken coops at midnight with lights to wake up the roosters and make them sing, so they were able to reach the urban center of Ochandiano. Currently, every third Sunday in September, the residents and authorities of Ochandiano inspect the boundary markers that mark the boundary with Aramayona in the El Limitado area. This act is known as the baso-bisitak (visit of the forest).[21]​[22]​.

Certain virtues are attributed to the rock at the entrance of the temple that allows those who walk around it several times to find a partner (they say that if they go in the opposite direction they ask that the partner be lost), for this same purpose alms, papers with notes, colored pins, etc. are also left.

The rock, which is defined as "a conglomerate of stones and pebbles and stones and fossils of innumerable kinds that in such a particular way have been mixed and put together with non-artificial cement", was placed in the square where it is located on November 29, 1929 by order of the then rector of the sanctuary, Benito de Vizcarra. Vizcarra found the stone on a nearby mountain and, given its strangeness, moved it to a place with easy access.[23]​.

The tradition of circling this stone to find a boyfriend is linked to a previous tradition of sticking pins into a canvas that was in the sacristy. To find a boyfriend, white-headed pins were stuck in if the man was wanted to be blonde and black-headed if he had to be dark-skinned.[24]​ The tradition of going up to Urquiola to ask for a boyfriend or girlfriend has given rise to the following couplets.

It is customary to give different goods to the sanctuary. These gifts are made by both the towns and the landlords and shepherds. Normally, steers are donated and sold at auction.

In the blessing of children mothers offer their children under one year old to Saint Anthony after spending the night in the sanctuary. For this, the child is weighed on the scale called loyal weight and an offering equal to the child's weight is made, it is held on the second Sunday in June.

Forest exploitation

Forestry exploitation on the land that makes up the Urkiola natural park has been developed in the area since time immemorial. Witnesses of this are the pollarded beech forests used for the manufacture of charcoal, the peculiarity of the oak forests that have been used to obtain firewood or the pine plantations destined for the production of paper pulp. 54% of the Park's surface is occupied by forests, half of which are natural and the other half are forest plantations that have been introduced seeking better economic performance.[6]​.

"Forest use" is understood to be the set of activities aimed at taking advantage of the goods and services provided by forest masses. Based on this definition, between 1990 and 2006, 185 hectares of forest of different species have been planted, of which 148 hectares are hardwoods, mainly beech, birch and oak, and 37 hectares of resinous conifers, mainly Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), national pine (Pinus radiata), larch (Larix decidua) and Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis). The introduction of non-native species can only be carried out with the authorization of the Department of Agriculture of the competent Provincial Councils.

The extraction of wood between the years 1995 and 2004 in the Urquiola Basoak Public Utility mountain represented an annual average of 2,275 cubic meters in real terms), mostly in the form of thinning. Private owners cut an average of 30 hectares per year between 1993 and 2006, equivalent to about 9,000 cubic meters in real terms, with variations between 11.5 ha that were cut in 1996 and the 73.5 ha in 1999.[3]​.

Agricultural and livestock exploitation

Pastoral and livestock activity has been a constant since man began to populate the lands of Urquiola and has actively contributed to the formation of the current landscape. Grazing has been carried out on both private and communal lands, the clearest example of which is the seles. With the exception of some hay meadows, the rest of the territory is used extensively by livestock. It is normal for the shepherd not to accompany the flocks.

There are basically two types of livestock farming that occur in the Park, sheep and large cattle and horses. Sheep are sheep of the "latxa" breed destined for dairy production for cheeses and curds. These cattle use the areas of Mugarrakolanda, Urquiolamendi, Saibi, Zabalandi and Tellamendi between the months of June and December.

Larger livestock, both cattle and horses, are produced to be used for meat. These livestock occupy the Park for much longer than sheep and their livestock infrastructures are smaller.

There are up to seven different livestock management zones with their own characteristics. The censuses for each area are as follows:

The Park's management bodies have carried out actions aimed at improving and conserving pastures, clearing brush and fertilizers or amendments. Some coniferous plantations have also been converted into pastures. Normally at altitudes above 800 meters where conifers do not develop well and in areas frequented by livestock such as Eskuagatx.

There are two mountain agriculture associations (Gorbeialde and Urquiola) that work to improve livestock infrastructure.

Agriculture is reduced to the orchards that the farmhouses usually maintain. These gardens are used for own consumption and their surpluses are sold in the markets of neighboring towns.[3]​.

hunting and fishing

Hunting and fishing activities do not have much relevance within the Park. Hunting is restricted to a specific area for woodcock and some stands for pigeons and thrushes.

There are not many sedentary game species, among them the hare, the wild boar and, to a lesser extent, the roe deer stand out. The red partridge is so rare that it is not susceptible to hunting.

There is no fishing within the Park area.[6]​.

Mining activity

Since prehistoric times, various mines and quarries have been exploited on the land that currently makes up the Park. The last underground mines were closed in Arrazola in the middle of the century, but open pit limestone mining has continued to the present day.

When the protection area of ​​what would later become the Urkiola Natural Park was formed, some of the quarries that were within it were left outside the limits of the Park, other active quarries remained within it.

Currently, the only industrial activities that exist are related to the exploitation of limestone and the opening of new exploitations is prohibited. Within the park or its peripheral protection zone there are five farms:

• - Atxarte, property of the Abadiño town council, located at the foot of Mount Untzillatx. Currently without activity.

• - Atxa-txiki, property of the Abadiño town council, located at the foot of Mount Untzillatx. Currently without activity.

• - Zalloventa, on land in Mañaria at the foot of the Arrietabaso, exploited by the Amantegi Group.

• - Markomin Goikoa, located in Mañaria at the foot of Untzillaitz, operated by Hijos de León Amantegui, S.A.

• - Mutxate, located in Mañaria on the Mugarra spur, exploited by the Italcementi Group.

[6]​.

Recreational activities

One of the purposes of the protection applied to the lands that make up the Urkiola Natural Park is the recreational use of its natural values. Therefore, recreational use, in its multiple expressions, is one of the main uses of the Park.

Mountaineering, hiking, mountaineering, climbing and caving have always been present in the Park's lands. If the use given to the Sanctuary area in its different religious and festive facets is considered recreational, it must be said that it dates back to the most distant antiquity.

With the exception of the hospitality establishments in the port and Sanctuary area that emerged sheltered from passers-by, pilgrims and tourists, the recreational use of the Park is little linked to economic activity and has not been fully utilized or organized.

The proximity of the Park to areas with a high population density and well connected to it means that many visitors flow to it to carry out very diverse activities, mountaineering, climbing, caving, pigning... activities that are generally carried out in one day. There is the possibility of exploiting the recreational resources of the Park by promoting the so-called "green tourism" that would have to be made compatible with its conservation. Free camping and sports practice with motorized vehicles are prohibited.

• - Landaederra.

On the northern slope of the Mugarra near the Yurreta de Orozketa neighborhood, on one side of the road that goes up to the Mugarra and the old marble quarries, this recreational area opens up, centered around a shelter and a fountain. The shelter has two different parts, one open and public and the other closed. It is owned by the Durango city council who manages its use. Around the shelter there are tables and grills. The tree masses that surround the area are pine plantations.

• - Neberondo.

Below the summit of Mugarra on its northern side, just where the forest gives way to the gray limestone, this recreation area opens up around an old refrigerator, from which it takes its name. The refrigerator is converted into a shelter and among the pine and beech trees outside there are tables and grills. Along a narrow grassy path you reach a fountain located at the bottom of a small valley.

• - Aldazitala and Sanctuary.

The BI-623 highway that crosses the Park and passes through the port of Urquiola, where the main entrance area to the Park is established and the main recreation area that extends around the Sanctuary and its nearby area towards the Álava part.

Among old pollarded beech trees and samples of some of the old jobs that were developed in these mountains, such as charcoal making or making and maintaining ice from the winter snows, tables, grills and fountains are distributed along with other services such as children's games and toilets. Very easily accessible as it is next to the road with prepared parking lots and a unique wealth of vegetation, with paths prepared for walking, make these areas highly visited and used by residents of nearby towns.[9]​.

History of the Park

On March 27, 1989, Law 4/1989, of March 27, on the Conservation of Spaces, was approved

Natural and Wild Flora and Fauna that made possible the figure of a natural park for the protection of spaces that required it. The Basque Government, at the request of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, and under the law on the Conservation of Natural Spaces and Wild Flora and Fauna, proceeded to declare the Urkiola natural park by Decree 275/1989, of December 29, 198. Thus it was born and began the protection of an area that brought together a series of relevant characteristics in terms of landscape, ecosystems, geological composition and bionatural wealth.

In 1994, the Urquiola Natural Resources Management Plan was approved by Decree 102/1994, which was reported to the Superior Court of Justice of the Basque Country, which declared it null and void in a ruling given on October 24, 1997. On July 18, 2002, it was approved by Decree 147/2002 published in the Official Gazette of the Basque Country dated August 9, 2002, a new Urquiola Natural Resources Management Plan which is in force.

The Park was designated as a Site of Community Importance (ES2130009) in December 1997 and integrated into the Natura 2000 Network under the Habitats Directive (43/92/EC).[10]​.

Legislation

The Urkiola Natural Park was born and regulated by the laws and decrees promulgated by the Basque Government and the Provincial Council of Vizcaya, these are the following:

• - Law 16/1994 of June 30 on Nature Conservation of the Basque Country. Published in the Official Gazette of the Basque Country on July 27, 1994.

• - Decree declaring the Urkiola natural park. Published in the Official Gazette of the Basque Country on January 4, 1990.

• - Decree 111/2006, of May 30, which approves the regulatory part of the Master Plan for the Use and Management of the Urkiola Natural Park. Published in the Official Gazette of the Basque Country on August 8, 2006.

• - Decree 147/2002, of June 18, which approves the Natural Resources Management Plan of the Urkiola Natural Park. Published in the Official Gazette of the Basque Country on October 2, 2006. Published in the Official Gazette of the Basque Country on August 9, 2002.

• - Correction of errors in Decree 111/2006, of May 30.

• - Decree of the Provincial Council 74/1999 of May 11 on management of forest use in the Urkiola natural park. Published in the Official Gazette of Vizcaya on June 14, 1999.[32]​.

Ownership of park land

The ownership of the land that makes up the Park is diverse, with different types of public and private property existing. There are public utility and freely available forests belonging to the town councils, land belonging to individuals, seles and land belonging to the Provincial Council of Vizcaya (138 ha). The size of the properties varies greatly, from small areas of just one hectare to the 911 hectares owned by the Abadiño town council. There are 3,898 hectares, 65.4% of the park's surface area, that are privately owned, while 2,060 hectares are publicly owned, 34.6% of the Park's surface area. The publicly owned lands are further divided into Public Utility Forests, 1695 ha, and freely available lands, 365 ha.[10]​.

Management

The management of the Park is the responsibility of the agricultural departments of the provincial councils of Álava and Vizcaya for which they have signed different agreements.

The direct management of the Park is the responsibility of the Director-Conservator who is appointed by the provincial councils within the framework of the agreements reached for its management. A Board of Trustees of 25 members has also been established that has the function of advising on management.[1]​.

The Director-Conservator is appointed by the agriculture departments of the provincial councils of Álava and Vizcaya. He is the coordinator of the Park's management, which is carried out by the councils and directs its staff. It must ensure compliance with the "Natural Resources Management Plan" and the "Use and Management Governing Plan."

The Director-Conservator prepares the annual investment program that he proposes to the Board of Trustees and the annual reports of activities and results. Also to prepare action plans, studies and research that develop what is indicated in the Management Plan. He is the representative of the Park in foreign relations and acts as Secretary of the Permanent Commission of the Board of Trustees.[1]​.

The Board of Trustees of the Urkiola Natural Park is the body that collaborates and advises on its management. This body has two complementary forms of operation, in plenary session and in a permanent commission, and its president is appointed at the request of the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries of the Basque Government. It has 25 members with the following assignment:

• - Two representatives from the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries of the Basque Government.

• - Two representatives from the Minister of Urban Planning, Housing and Environment of the Basque Government.

• - A representative from the Provincial Council of Álava from the area of ​​agriculture.

• - A representative from the Vizcaya Provincial Council in the area of ​​agriculture.

• - One representative for each municipality to which the Park territory belongs.

• - A representative of Associations of Euskadi with an accredited track record in the study and protection of the environment.

• - A representative of the ecological and conservation Associations of Euskadi.

• - A representative of the Mountain Federation of the Basque Country").

• - A representative of the Confederation of Foresters of the Basque Country.

• - A representative of the Agrarian Chambers.

• - A representative of the Agrarian Unions.

• - A representative of the Mountain Agriculture Federation of the Basque Country.

• - A representative of the University of the Basque Country, UPV.

• - The Director-curator of the park.

Protection zones

In addition to the lands that constitute the Urkiola natural park, a "Peripheral Protection Zone" has been established, in accordance with Law 16/1994, which consists of a perimeter area 100 meters wide, excluding urban and rural centers (these are Artaun in Dima, Urkuleta and the consolidated industrial land around the hermitage of San Lorenzo in Mañaria). In this area, actions that may harm any of the objectives pursued by the protection of the natural park status of the Urquiola environment can be suspended or limited. This limitation must be made following a report from the Board of Trustees.

Within the Park there are areas with particular protection figures, such as the special hunting regime zone without free zones. The ban on all the rivers and streams of the Park, the consideration of "Non-Developable Land of special protection" without the possibility of building buildings for residential use or for other uses except those of the Park, the reception area is excluded.

• - Urquiola. Edited by: Central Publications Service of the Basque Government. ISBN 84-457-0644-6.

• - Urquiola Trails. Edited by: Sua Edizioak. ISBN 84-8216-071-0.

• - Wikimedia Commons hosts a multimedia category on Urkola Natural Park.

• - Website of the Urkiola natural park of the Abadiano town hall.

• - Urkiola Natural Park on the website of the Provincial Council of Vizcaya.