The Atlantic Islands of Galicia National Park (Galician: Parque Nacional das Illas Atlánticas de Galicia, Spanish: Parque Nacional de las Islas Atlánticas de Galicia) is the only national park in the province of Pontevedra, within the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain. It includes the archipelagos of Cíes, Ons, Sálvora, and Cortegada. The park has a land area of 1,200 hectares (3,000 acres) and a sea area of 7,200 hectares (18,000 acres). It is the tenth most visited national park in Spain. It was the thirteenth national park to be created in Spain. Since 2021, it has been named a protected Ramsar site.

Geography

The islands of the park are found in the continental platform of the Galician Rías Baixas. The Cortegada and Sálvora archipelagos are located inside and outside the Ría de Arousa, respectively. The Ons archipelago, which includes the Ons and Onza islands, is positioned at the entrance of the Ría de Pontevedra. Similarly, the Cíes Islands are around the entrance of the Ría de Vigo and include the islands Monteagudo, Montefaro, and San Martiño.

The national park covers 8,480 hectares, which are divided into different areas as follows:

Geology

The geological history of the islands began during the Palaeozoic era, a time when the materials that now form the land and ocean areas of the park were created. The islands of Cíes, Ons, and Sálvora are made mostly of granite-like rock. In Cíes and Ons, the main type of rock is two-mica gneiss-granite, while in Sálvora, the main rock is coarse-grained amphibole-biotite granodiorite. Cortegada, however, is mostly made of metamorphic rocks such as shale and paragneiss, along with some migmatite granite.

Climate

The islands in the park are mostly located in an oceanic climate area, but many have a sub-humid Mediterranean climate influenced by the Atlantic Ocean. These islands receive less rain than nearby coastal areas because their low elevation allows clouds to pass over easily. Cíes gets about 1,000 millimeters of rain each year, while Ons and Sálvora receive 1,500 millimeters annually. Rain is very rare during the summer months. Cortegada, which is located near the coast inside an estuary, has an oceanic climate and receives 2,000 millimeters of rain yearly. The average yearly temperature ranges between 13 and 15 degrees Celsius, with little change throughout the seasons. In summer, winds mostly come from the north, and in winter, winds primarily blow from the southwest.

Flora and fauna

This sea-land ecosystem includes a laurel forest and more than 200 types of seaweed. It is also known for its shellfish, corals, and anemones.

Among the birds, several species are important because they are in danger. These include the European Storm Petrel (Hydrobates pelagicus), which may make up 1% of the Spanish Atlantic population. The Balearic Shearwater (Puffinus mauretanicus) and the Eurasian curlew (Numenius arquata) are listed as Endangered in the Spanish Catalogue of Endangered Species. The Yellow-legged Gull (Larus cachinnans michahellis) is also notable because it migrates and makes up 7-15% of the worldwide population in the Atlantic Islands of Galicia, as well as a third of the Spanish population. The European Shag (Phalacrocorax aristotelis) is listed as Vulnerable in both the Spanish and Galician Catalogues of Endangered Species. In Galicia, it makes up 1-3% of its worldwide population and 78% of its Spanish population.

In the marine environment, up to 27 species of whales, dolphins, and seals live here. The most common species include the Common Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), the Harbour Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena), the Long-finned Pilot Whale (Globicephala melas), and the Short-beaked Common Dolphin (Delphinus delphis).

The park also has a regular presence of marine turtles. The most common species are the Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta), the Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas), Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle (Lepidochelys kempii), the Hawksbill Sea Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), and the Leatherback Sea Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea).

In the amphibian group, the islands have smaller salamanders than nearby continents. These salamanders have special traits, such as different ways of reproducing and being active during the day, to adapt to life on islands. Reptiles include Bedriaga's skinks (Chalcides bedriagai) and ocellated lizards (Timon lepidus). A special insect is the rare Spanish festoon butterfly (Zerynthia rumina). Mammals are not common, but there are many rabbits with few predators. In recent years, otters have returned to the area.

• One of Europe’s largest bay laurel forests is found on Cortegada Island.
• The park is home to the largest European Shag colony in Europe.
• The Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michaellis) was once common along the entire Galician coast.
• Cíes has the largest Galician population of Corema album.
• The Common Bottlenose Dolphin is the most common marine mammal in the park.

History

There is evidence that people lived on the islands since the Iron Age. Ceramics from Roman times have also been found there. During the Middle Ages, the islands were controlled by different monastic groups, owned by the Church, managed by nobles of that time, and attacked by invaders who used them as bases for raids on the coast. More recently, the Cíes Islands were inhabited until the 18th century, but pirates forced people to leave. Ons Island still has a small permanent population of 63 people. In 1980, the Cíes Islands were declared a natural park. They are also protected as a Special Protection Area for birds. On June 13, 2002, they were declared a national park. However, six months later, an oil spill from the Prestige oil tanker reached the shores of the islands, except for the island of Cortegada. The islands of Lobeiras and Sisargas were first considered for inclusion in the national park and may be added to the park in the future.

Tourism

During the summer, boats run daily between Cíes and the ports of Vigo, Baiona, and Cangas, and between Ons and Portonovo, Sanxenxo, Bueu, Marín, and Pontevedra. The number of visitors each day is limited, and all visitors must book permission in advance from the Galician Government. In Cíes, there is a camping area, but permission must be reserved at the Vigo port. Access to Salvora and Cortegada is limited to organized groups only. There are no trash cans on the islands. Visitors must take all trash back to the mainland.

In 2017, the park had a total of 327,149 visitors. The Cíes archipelago had the most visitors (216,975), followed by Ons (88,306), Sálvora (7,261), and Cortegada (6,500). The park has two visitor centers, one in Vigo and one in Ons. Cíes also has an information center, and there are information points on Cíes, Ons, and Cortegada.

Environmental issues

Because of many fires and farming, the original forests of the islands slowly disappeared. In the 1970s and 1980s, people tried to plant new forests using trees from other places, such as Eucalyptus and Acacia. These trees helped create new forests, but they made the soil quality worse and increased the chance of fires. Now, the park is slowly replacing these trees with arbutus, pine trees, and birch trees. This process will take about 20 years.

The Prestige oil spill in 2002 and the cleanup caused serious harm to the environment in the park. Even though most fuel is gone now, after 20 years, the park's variety of plants and animals has not returned to what it was before the spill. Lichens completely disappeared in some areas and have only started to return a little. The number of baby European shags born each year has dropped by more than half.

Gallery

• View of the Cíes Islands from Cabo Silleiro
• Cliffs along the Atlantic coast of the Cíes Islands
• San Martiño Island within the Cíes archipelago
• Porta Lighthouse on Faro Island, part of the Cíes Islands
• Dorna Beach and port in the town of Ons
• Cruceiro near Buraco do Inferno in Ons
• Onza Island
• Cortegada Island viewed from Vilagarcía de Arousa
• Ancient village located in Sálvora