Sierra de Guadarrama National Park (in Spanish: Parque Nacional de la Sierra de Guadarrama) is a national park in Spain. It covers about 34,000 hectares, making it the fifth largest park in Spain's national parks system. The Guadarrama mountain range (Sistema Central) includes areas that are important for nature. These areas are located in the regions of Madrid and Castile and León, specifically in the provinces of Segovia and Ávila. The law that created the park was published in the BOE on June 26, 2013.

Ecology

The park is designed to protect the eleven unique ecosystems found in the Guadarrama mountains, including the only Iberian example of "high Mediterranean mountain." The area includes more than 1,280 different species, with 13 of them facing the risk of extinction. There are over 1,500 native plant species and 30 distinct types of vegetation. The animals living in the mountains make up 45% of Spain's total animal species and 18% of Europe's total animal species. The vegetation includes Scots pine, oak, juniper, piorno, and many other plant species. The area is home to many mammals, such as red deer, roe deer, fallow deer, wild boar, wild goats, badgers, several mustelids, wild cats, foxes, and hares. Many types of waterfowl live near the reservoirs, and large birds of prey, such as the Spanish imperial eagle and the Eurasian black vulture, are also present. Recently, a group of wolves was found in the park after being absent from the region for 70 years.

History of attempts to designate the park

In the 1920s, the Peñalara Mountain climbing society suggested that the Guadarrama mountain range (Sierra de Guadarrama) should become a national park. This idea was paused until the early 2000s, when the Community of Madrid restarted the plan. Before the national park was created, some areas of the Sierra de Guadarrama received other forms of protection:

• Since 1984, El Escorial has been protected as a World Heritage Site, including the Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial and its natural surroundings.
• The Peñalara Natural Park was established in 1990. This park includes wetlands important for amphibians, which were designated a Ramsar site in 2006 (Humedales del Macizo de Peñalar). The park is also within a Special Protection Area for birds.
• A regional park, the Parque Regional de la Cuenca Alta del Manzanares, was created in the 1980s. The area, which covers the upper Manzanares River basin, became a biosphere reserve in 1992 (Cuenca Alta del Río Manzanares).

At the start of the 21st century, the proposed national park would have been the fourth largest in Spain. In 2006, it seemed the park’s creation was close to approval. A plan for the part of the park in Madrid was approved in November 2006.

Castile and León agreed in principle to include part of its territory in the national park, but delays in creating a plan made it seem the project might be paused in early 2008. Some news reports said Castile and León, which had been losing population, wanted to allow development in the area because of its proximity to Madrid. However, the government did not officially cite population loss as the reason for delays. Instead, it publicly stated that protecting traditional land uses, such as commercial forestry (which is not allowed in Spanish national parks), was a concern. Castile and León suggested lower protection levels, such as natural or regional parks, instead of full national park status. In 2009, Castile and León agreed to approve a plan for the national park in 2010, though it would be smaller than originally proposed. Madrid also supported a smaller version of the park.

In late 2008, Madrid proposed reducing the size of the park’s Madrid portion, citing the need to protect traditional land uses like farming, hiking, and forestry. Esperanza Aguirre, the president of Madrid, said traditional uses were the best way to protect the area. She included hunting and fishing in this category. Aguirre claimed the park’s size would not shrink but that protection would be reduced outside a central area. Most of the park would be limited to mountain peaks, while lower slopes would allow more development. Detailed plans were shared in 2009 and were welcomed by local communities, who supported the idea of more housing in the area.