The Minister of Environment, José Juan Díaz Trillo, has presented two more natural parks in Andalucia with the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism, an award given for areas that reconcile environmental conservation with quality tourism development.
The latest additions are the Sierra de Tejeda , Almijara y Alhama and the Bahía de Cádiz. Awards, issued by the European Federation of Parks (Europarc), were also renewed for the Sierra de Aracena, Picos de Aroche, Sierra de Grazalema, Los Alcornocales, Sierras de Cazorla, Segura and Las Villas.
Andalucia is now the European region with the most protected areas with the accreditation of quality tourism, a total of 18.
In addition to being the top region in Europe, Andalucia is also the region in Spain with the most parks holding the ‘quality’ distinction. These are:
Bahía de Cádiz (Cádiz), Tejeda , Almijara y Alhama (Málaga), Sierra Norte de Sevilla, Sierra Mágina (Jaén), Sierra de las Nieves (Málaga), Sierra María-Los Vélez (Almería), Sierra de Cardeña and Montoro (Córdoba), La Breña and Marismas del Barbate (Cádiz), Los Alcornocales (Cádiz-Málaga), Sierra de Aracena and Picos de Aroche (Huelva), Sierras de Cazorla, Segura and Las Villas (Jaén), Sierra Nevada (Granada-Almería), Sierra de Andujar (Jaén), Sierra de Grazalema (Cádiz-Málaga), Estrecho (Cádiz), Sierras Subbéticas (Córdoba), Cabo de Gata-Níjar (Almería), Doñana (Huelva-Cádiz-Sevilla).