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The Park is situated to the south-west of Barcelona,
approximately a half hour's drive from the city. Its limits are the lower valley
of the river Llobregat, the Mediterranean sea and the
Penedès Depression. The Park has two different geological regions: limestone
and conglomerates. The limestone scenery is spectacular, with dolines, potholes,
gorges, limestone pavements and a river resurgence at the coast.
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Investigating the effects of fire on the ecosystem
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Most of the Garraf offers a characteristic southern
Mediterranean landscape. The vegetation is of African origin. Garraf is the most
northerly area of Europe where this type of vegetation grows. It can be
categorized as garrigue (typical Mediterranean xerophytic vegetation found on
limestone) or brolla, (a variety of shrub land found on south-facing slopes).
Rural depopulation has left many farmhouses and villages in the
region deserted. The area has seen a recent growth in second homes and tourism
is growing in importance in the village of La Plana Novella.
The Garraf is a very important area for the manufacture of
cement. Several large quarries operate cement plants, exporting to other
Mediterranean countries through the ports of Garraf and Barcelona. Exhausted
pits are used as land-fill sites, which have caused contamination of the ground
water.
The area was declared a Natural Park in 1986, forming part of a
green belt that surrounds the strongest urbanized sector in Spain.
Students studying the impact of fire on the vegetation
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The effects of fire, July 2001
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Study Options
 Limestone
scenery: processes and landforms.
The
adaptation of species of garrigue vegetation.
Plant
adaptation within limestone pavement microclimates.
A study of
the economic use of garrigue vegetation species.
The effects
of fire upon the natural vegetation and soils: vegetation succession and the
adaptation of species to fire damage.
The effects
of altitude and aspect upon the natural vegetation.
The effects
of geology upon the natural vegetation.
Park
management strategies and the effectiveness of visitor management.
The
environmental and economic impact of quarrying in the Park.
The
environmental impact of a land-fill site.
Human
impact.
Slope
variations in relation to changes in aspect on the same lithology.
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