El Montes de Málaga Natural Park It has once again become a focus of Andalusian environmental policy thanks to sustained investment that has been growing in recent years. Since 2019, the Andalusian Regional Government has mobilized 6,3 millones de euros to strengthen the management of this space, which is key both for the protection of the natural environment and for the quality of life in the Malaga metropolitan area.
A large part of these funds has been allocated to the forest management, fire prevention and infrastructure improvements, but also public use initiatives and environmental education programs that aim to bring the park closer to the community. The Minister of Sustainability and the Environment, Catalina GarciaShe visited the site accompanied by the territorial delegate in Malaga, José Antonio Víquez, and the park director, Pablo Blanco, to learn firsthand about the work carried out and the challenges that will be addressed in the coming years.
A small park in size, but crucial for Malaga
With slightly less than 5.000 hectaresThe Montes de Málaga are among the smallest natural parks in Andalusia, but they exert a strategic function for more than one million people residents of the capital and its metropolitan area. Its role goes far beyond its scenic value: it acts as a green lung, helps regulate the local climate, protects the soil, and contributes to order the water cycle in an area particularly vulnerable to episodes of intense rainfall.
This territory is also the result of an ambitious hydrological-forestry restoration undertaken between 1919 and 1959, when thousands of hectares were reforested and hundreds of infrastructures were built for to contain erosion and regulate the flooding of the Guadalmedina RiverThis historic effort has been key to reducing the risk of flooding in the city since the mid-20th century and has made the park a benchmark for forest management at the state and European levels.
In recent years, this legacy has been reinforced by the declaration of the area as a Special Conservation Zone (SCD) and the approval of the Natural Resources Management Plan (PORN) and the Master Plan for Use and Management (PRUG)These instruments regulate land use, set conservation priorities, and ensure that any use complies with the requirements of the Natura 2000 Network.
The councilor emphasized that the park «It remains an example of long-term forest management"," insisting that maintaining this continuous work is what allows us to protect the population, conserve biodiversity and offer a leisure space close to the city.
Investment of 3,66 million between 2019 and 2025
Between 2019 and 2025, the Andalusian Regional Government has carried out a total investment of 3.661.711,69 eurosOf this amount, the most significant item, amounting to 2.228.534,18 Euros, has addressed the forest and environmental management, with actions such as silvicultural treatments, improvement of forest tracks and fire prevention work.
These interventions focus on reduce the fuel load on vegetationTo improve the health status of forest areas and facilitate access for firefighting teams, thereby minimizing the impact of potential fires in an environment where the forest lives very close to inhabited areas.
In parallel, funds have been allocated 912.160,50 Euros to improvement of public facilitiesThis section includes recreational areas, marked trails, viewpoints, and information and orientation points for visitors. The aim is to make the park more accessible and safe, while still protecting ecosystems and controlling visitor numbers in the most sensitive areas.
The third pillar of this stage consists of the actions of Environmental education, outreach and social participation, which have had 460.544,99 EurosThrough training programs, activities with educational centers and volunteer projects, the aim is to promote a more responsible relationship between citizens and the natural environment, especially in a park so closely linked to the daily life of Malaga.
During the visit, Catalina García emphasized that this block of investments already completed «has allowed the park's resilience to climate change to be improved» and consolidate its environmental, social and educational function as a reference space for the province.
New projects to adapt to climate change and prevent fires
The Board has also designed a package of specific actions between 2025 and 2027 to respond to the challenges that have intensified in recent years. One of the most important is the decline of conifer reforestation, very sensitive to drought and high temperatures, as well as the growing risk of fires in the interface between the forest and urbanized areas.
Within this framework, an approximate direct investment of 2,08 millones de euros until 2026. One of the most notable items are the 703.000 Euros funded with funds EAFRD, which will be allocated to silvicultural treatments aimed at the fire prevention and improving the condition of forest areasThese works include thinning, pruning and removal of dead material, among other technical actions.
Another important line of action is interventions in public forests affected by forest decline processes, with a budget of 459.000 Euros coming from Recovery, Transformation and Resilience PlanThe goal is to promote more diverse and resilient stands, combining species and structures that better withstand current and future climatic conditions.
In addition to all this, there are the New preventative treatments in the Guadalmedina River Basin mountain range, planned for the period 2026-2027, with an estimated investment of 793.000 Euros in the framework of Strategic Plan for the Common Agricultural PolicyThis basin, closely linked to the city of Malaga, is key to regulating runoff water and minimizing damage during episodes of heavy rainfall.
Additionally, the following are being implemented wetland habitat restoration projects of the park, such as the Charcas del Francés, which have a budget of 129.000 EurosThese wetlands act as a refuge for wildlife, contribute to the recharge of aquifers, and help to increase the diversity of environments in the protected area.
Infrastructure reinforcement, traditional uses and sustainable energy
The planning for the period 2025-2027 also includes other interventions worth around 573.000 eurosfocused on improving the park's functionality and its compatibility with traditional uses and public enjoyment. Among the planned measures, a program of construction and rehabilitation of sheepfolds and corrals, endowed with 83.000 Euros and co-financed with funds NextGenerationEU, which aims to promote the grazing as a sustainable management tool of plant fuel.
This commitment to extensive livestock farming aims to combine the continuity of traditional activities with the fire preventionsince the use of the pasture helps to keep the most flammable vegetation under control and creates discontinuities in the forest mass.
On the public use side, actions are being implemented to improvement of recreational facilities with a budget of 96.000 Euros and financing of European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)These works include the renovation of rest areas, accessibility improvements and adaptation of signage to better guide visitors and reduce impacts on the environment.
Another open front is the incorporation of renewable energies and less polluting mobility in the park's surroundings. To this end, the installation of solar photovoltaic self-consumption plants and charging points for electric vehicles, with a staff of 73.876 EurosIn this way, the aim is for the protected area's own infrastructure to set an example in energy efficiency and emissions reduction.
Finally, the forest road network It will be reinforced through the program RedVIA, with an investment of 320.000 Euros co-financed with funds EAFRDThese improvements aim to increase safety, accessibility and emergency response capacity, as well as facilitate routine forest management work throughout the park.
The CREA El Boticario, a key element in the protection of wildlife
The official visit to the Montes de Málaga Natural Park included a tour of the Center for the Recovery of Endangered Species (CREA) The Apothecary, located within the protected area. Since 2019, the Andalusian Regional Government has allocated 1,1 millones de euros to the operation and modernization of this center, a figure that will rise to approximately 1,4 millones de euros with the investment planned for 2026.
Among the actions already carried out are the improvement of the building's energy efficiencythe installation of systems Photovoltaic Solar Energy and the incorporation of new specialized veterinary equipment, such as multiparameter monitors for advanced tracking of the introduced fauna.
Furthermore, the Board has committed to allocating funds until 2027 about 13 million euros to Andalusian Network of Recovery Centers for Threatened Species, of which 1,13 million These investments specifically pertain to El Boticario. They are co-financed with funds. SPRINGwill allow the creation of a veterinary intensive care unitNew flight pens and aviaries, specific areas for turtles, quarantine zones and improvements to the water supply and perimeter fencing.
With these improvements, the center will strengthen its Specialization in the treatment of vultures and turtlesThese are two groups of animals that require very specific facilities and protocols for their recovery and subsequent release. The councilor emphasized that "the commitment to the Wildlife Recovery Centers (CREA) is, in practice, a commitment to biodiversity and to social responsibility towards wildlife."
The Andalusian CREA Network, created in 2012 and managed by the General Directorate of Forest Policy and Biodiversity, has one center in each provinceIn 2024 alone, it attended to 7.917 copies of protected species, of which almost 5% belonged to threat categories such as vulnerable or endangered. Provinces such as Seville, Cadiz, and Malaga exceeded a thousand admissions, which demonstrates the role of these facilities across the country.
In the specific case of El Boticario, around [number] are registered each year 1.000 admissionsThe majority are birds, followed by mammals and reptiles. More than half of the specimens arrive at the center in the hands of private individuals, a fact that reflects the high level of social awareness existing around the protection of wildlife and the importance of citizen collaboration in the success of conservation efforts.
Environmental education and social participation as cornerstones for the future
In addition to the more technical aspects, the Board insists on the educational and social role both the park and the recovery centers. The actions promoted since 2019 in the Montes de Málaga Natural Park have focused on to bring forest management and conservation closer to the populationespecially to young people and local communities who regularly use the space.
In this context, the work of CREA El Boticario includes activities of environmental awarenessguided tours and collaborations with educational centers and social entities. The councilor emphasized that «Citizen involvement is fundamental"and that the educational component "contributes to building a society that is more respectful and committed to its natural environment."
The combination of investment in infrastructure, active forest managementHabitat restoration and environmental education programs constitute a model of action that seeks to go beyond responding to specific emergencies. This involves anticipate risks, adapt to the new climatic context and consolidate a space that is both a refuge for biodiversity and an area of orderly leisure for the metropolitan population.
With this package of measures, the Andalusian Regional Government intends for the Montes de Málaga Natural Park to maintain and strengthen its role as natural barrier against floods, carbon sink, wildlife refuge and open-air schoolaligning management with European conservation guidelines and with the demands of a citizenry increasingly attentive to the health of their natural environment.
