The abertis foundation has become the protective organisation for the Cap de Creus Natural Park, following the signing this afternoon of an agreement between the Catalan Minister of the Environment and Housing, Salvador Milà, and the Chairman of the abertis foundation , Miquel Roca i Junyent. This partnership will last for a year and will permit the carrying out of public works, reclamation and conservation work on the area. Also present at the event was the abertis Managing Director Salvador Alemany.

The agreement forms part of the Department of the Environment and Housing’s initiative to constitute, through the Sponsorship and Patronage Agency, a Sponsors’ Council for its parks. This council will be made up of businesses that wish to participate in the protection of Catalonia’s most important natural spaces.

The biological importance and historical and cultural heritage of Cap de Creus means that this partnership fits in perfectly with abertis’ corporate social responsibility activities, which regard the environment and culture –as well as people– as a priority. Furthermore, the abertis foundation is characterised by its involvement in the territory in which the abertis corporation carries on its activities.

The Cap de Creus Natural Park, created in as such1988, covers an area of 13,843.11 hectares, of which 10,780.44 are of land and 3,063.67 sea. It is located in the Alt Empordà district in the province of Girona. Its borders cover practically the entire coastline between Roses, Cadaqués and el Port de la Selva and go inland until reaching the municipalities of Palau-Saverdera, Pau, Vilajuïga and Garriguella.

A unique Natural Park

This Natural Park, visited by some 500,000 people last year, is unique due to its triple importance: the richness of its land-based biology, that of its marine biology and its historical and cultural heritage. From a biological viewpoint, worthy of especial note is the diversity of flora and fauna, the coexistence of Mediterranean and non-Mediterranean elements and the presence of numerous unique species. Its is also well-known for its stunning landscapes, with the exceptional beauty of both its coastal and inland areas.

With regard to the historical and cultural heritage which surrounds it, the monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes —a real jewel of Catalan Romanesque architecture— is its most important element. Also important are Dalí’s stomping grounds of Portlligat and la Vall de la Santa Creu, as well as the archaeological remains which reveal the ancestral presence of man in the area.

Today, the key priorities for Cap de Creus are related to improving infrastructures and services, signposting, the reintroduction of species and the dissemination of information on the area by means of publications and studies. Additionally, the Park’s action plan also contemplates, more broadly, the implementation of management of its marine resources, the prevention of forest fires, the reclamation of urbanised areas of great natural and landscape-related importance, the promotion of scientific research, the encouragement of public usage that respects the area, environmental education, dissemination of its natural and cultural heritage and contributing to the sustainable socio-economic development of the local population.