SA DRAGONERA NATURE RESERVE

Physical environment Lying south-west to north-east, Sa Dragonera is an extension of the Serra de Tramuntana. It has two quite different sides: it is practically inaccessible on the north-west coast with 300 metre high cliffs, whilst it there are gentle slopes towards the south-east. Between Majorca and Sa Dragonera there are various islets inside the boundaries of the Reserve: Pantaleu, Illa Mitjana and Els Calafats. The des Freu Channel separates Sa Dragonera from Majorca and is about 780 metres wide. In addition to the land projecting out of the water, an extensive area of the sea is also deemed to be protected.

Sa Dragonera is made up of calcareous rock that is dissolved easily by rainwater, which causes the so-called karstic formations such as potholes and caves. The whole structure is part of the tectonic superimposition that makes up the Serra de Tramuntana. Na Pòpia, also called Puig del Far Vell, at 353 metres, Puig des Aucells, at 311 metres and Es Més Alt, at 1,345 metres, are the most important summits.

Flora The most common plant group represented on the island, from sea level to the very peak of Na Pòpia, is the maquis of wild olive trees and spurge olives, in other words hard-leaved Mediterranean shrub land with the following species present: wild olives, mock privet, joint pine, spurges, mastic trees, blackthorn, and osyris alba. There are also creepers such as old man's beard and hairy vetch, as well as wild asparagus. Its is interesting to note the presence of three species endemic to the Balearics in the maquis: St. John's wort (hypericum balearicum) with small wrinkled leaves, wild madder (Rubia angustifolia ssp. caespitosa), a very sticky plant, and mountain sarsaparilla, (Smilax aspera ssp. Balearica) that forms prickly bundles.

The long, narrow island of Sa Dragonera lies to the west of Majorca in the municipality of Andratx

Fauna With regard to the bird population, the colonies of Audouin's gull are especially important, as it is one of the most threatened species in the world. Herring gulls, cormorants, and Manx shearwaters also nest on the cliffs. As for raptors, Sa Dragonera has the largest population of Eleanor's falcons of all the Balearic Islands. Nor it is it unusual to see ospreys or kestrels. Another major group that deserves mention are the reptiles. Sa Dragonera has an endemic subspecies of lizard (Podarcis lilfordi ssp giglioli). It is very easy to observe these jewels from the past, the only land animals to have survived the arrival of mankind on the island.

The sea The sea is particularly important in the Sa Dragonera Nature Reserve, and snorkelling or scuba diving are highly recommended. The sea bed throughout the whole of the protected area is home to the majority of benthonic communities found in the Mediterranean, ranging from fields of Posidionia to coralligenous areas.