The Autonomous Community will close access to the nesting areas of the golden eagle in Sierra Espuña between the months of January and June 2020, when traffic will be restricted to any person or vehicle due to the risk for the conservation of protected species during the reproduction period , as you have recently communicated to the City of Totana.
The Ministry of Water, Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Environment has established the temporary closure of access to the nesting areas of the golden eagle in the Sierra Espuña regional park, in the places of Cuevas Luengas and Solana de Pedro López.
During this period, traffic will be restricted to any person or vehicle on five kilometers of trails due to the risk for the conservation of protected species during the reproduction period, and the alternatives will be provided to users outside the safety zone.
The prohibition will be signaled on the ground by means of signs and fencing at the access points to the area, where the water path will be offered as an alternative route, which runs through the Umbria del Barranco de Sierra Espuña.
During the six months in which access will be closed, the General Directorate of the Natural Environment will intensify the monitoring of the reproduction of eagles and human activity in both places, through environmental agents, and inform citizens about the importance of these measures through the program of information and attention to the visitor of the Regional Park, as well as to the municipalities of the Tourist Association of Sierra Espuña, the work group 'Participatory management of the trails of Sierra Espuña', the Mountaineering Federation , the Hunting Federation and other sports and recreational entities.
The golden eagle ('chrysaetos eagle') is considered of special interest in the catalog of endangered wildlife species in the Region of Murcia.
For several consecutive years the Ministry of Environment verified the reproductive failure of this species, and experts attributed it mainly to the high presence of visitors to the area, the result of the widespread rise of activities in nature (sports, recreational, collecting. ..) and the proximity of the path to the nesting platforms to these recreational areas.
This year three of the five pairs of golden eagles of the regional park and the Special Protection Area for Birds (SPA) of Sierra Espuña have been reproduced.
Therefore, it is considered necessary to continue with the closure measures for access to nesting areas, initiated in 2016 by the Ministry.
