Área de Allariz Biosphere Reserve

Área de Allariz Biosphere Reserve is a UNESCO-designated site covering four municipalities in the province of Ourense, in the Spanish region of Galicia: Allariz, A Bola, Rairiz de Veiga and Vilar de Santos. The area earned its biosphere reserve status in 2005, recognized for its ecological value and for a traditional, sustainable land-use pattern that has survived here for generations.

Where is the reserve located?

The reserve sits in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, occupying a basin shaped by the Limia River. To the north, it is bordered by the granite mountains of Allariz, giving the area a naturally enclosed, varied terrain. Crucially, the reserve lies exactly on the boundary between two major biogeographic zones of the Iberian Peninsula — the Euro-Siberian and the Mediterranean. This overlap of climates and vegetation types explains the unusually rich biodiversity found within a relatively small area.

What landscapes make up the reserve?

The territory splits into three distinct landscape types that together form a patchwork of habitats. The first are the "veigas" — broad plains along the banks of the Limia and Antela rivers, covered in herbaceous vegetation and shrubland typical of wetland valley floors. The second is the "touzas," a mosaic of meadows and cultivated plots interspersed with woodland, a landscape shaped over centuries by farming and grazing. The third element is the "sebes," mixed forests of common oak and Pyrenean oak that form green corridors linking the other habitat patches.

What wildlife lives here?

This habitat diversity supports a rich array of fauna. Birds of prey circle the valleys hunting for food, while wolves still find enough wild terrain within the reserve to survive. Otters can be spotted along the rivers and streams, and the damp environments favor numerous amphibian species found only on the Iberian Peninsula. This combination of large predators, aquatic mammals and amphibians is rare in such a densely populated part of Europe, and it is one of the main reasons UNESCO recognized the area as worth protecting.

Why visit Área de Allariz?

Área de Allariz is a place where nature and centuries of human activity coexist rather than compete. Traditional farms, hay meadows and small cultivated plots sit alongside wild forests and river corridors, producing a landscape that changed slowly and kept its authentic character. For travelers seeking contact with nature away from the crowds, it offers walks along the Limia River, birdwatching opportunities, and simple rest amid the Galician countryside.

Frequently asked questions

When did the reserve receive UNESCO status? In 2005.

Which municipalities make up the reserve? Allariz, A Bola, Rairiz de Veiga and Vilar de Santos, in the province of Ourense.

What makes this area ecologically distinctive? Its location at the boundary of the Euro-Siberian and Mediterranean biogeographic zones, giving it exceptional biodiversity, along with the presence of wolves, otters and birds of prey.

What are the dominant landscapes? The wetland plains known as "veigas," the meadow-and-woodland mosaic of the "touzas," and the mixed oak forests called "sebes."