Arrábida Natural Park

The Convent of Our Lady of Arrábida in the natural vegetation of the region.

Arrábida Natural Park (Portuguese: Parque Natural da Arrábida) is a natural park located on the northern shore of the Sado River estuary in Portugal. Founded in 1976 and covering 108 square kilometres (42 sq mi), it is one of the 30 areas which are officially under protection in the country.

The park covers the Arrábida Hills, the Mediterranean-like vegetation and microclimate of which resemble Adriatic locations such as Dalmatia. The highest point in the park is the Serra da Arrábida at an elevation of 499 metres (1,637 ft). Two of the park's beaches—Portinho da Arrábida and Figueirinha—are popular among the inhabitants of Lisbon and Setúbal. Overlooking the two beaches is the Convento de Nossa Senhora da Arrábida (Convent of Our Lady of Arrábida), a former monastery established in the 16th century, managed today by the Fundação Oriente.^[1] The Portinho da Arrábid beach is famous for being a regular feature on Portuguese TV commercials and in 2004 a major fire destroyed a significant area of the park.

Flora

In this area there is a lot of vegetation, that means the people want to care for the trees. Not only the people from Portugal also from the outside (people from other countries). And the aquatic fauna also has to have with the ecology of the area.

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  Cephalanthera longifolia

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  Ophrys fusca

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  Ceratonia siliqua

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  Quercus coccifera

Fauna

A rare eagle in the Arrábida Natural Park called "Bonelli's Eagle" (Hieraaetus fasciatus)

Of special relevance, the value of the maritime fauna on all over the park, like for example the Pedra da Anicha. The bay is an important zone for the breeding and maintenance of the maritime fauna in the Atlantic North. In total there are 213 species of vertebrates: 8 amphibians, 16 reptiles, 154 birds, and 35 mammals.

Geology

Breccia of Arrábida

Of special importance, the existence of some rocks, mainly limestone at the south and grayish rocks at the north. Also, there is the existence of the breccia da Arrábida, and several dinosaur remains.^[2]

Popular culture

A stretch of road in the natural park is notable for being the scene in the 1969 James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service where Tracy Bond (played by Diana Rigg) is shot dead by Irma Bunt (Ilse Steppat) in a drive-by shooting at the end of the film.^[3]

Arrábida is depicted in the video game Tom Clancy's Endwar as one of the theatres in World War III, when the U.S. Army invades Portugal in an attempt to weaken the European Federation's defences.

References

1. Convento da Arrabida Monastery. SesimbraPortugal.net.
2. Kullberg, J. C., Pais J., Almeida J. A., & Mateus O. (2012). Contributo do património geológico e geomorfológico na candidatura da Arrábida (Portugal) a Património Mundial Misto. 46º Cong. Brasileiro Geologia / 1º Cong. Geologia Países Língua Portuguesa. Set-Oct 2012, Santos.
3. Locations for On Her Majesty's Secret Service at the Internet Movie Database

External links

• (Portuguese) Official Site of the (Portuguese) Institute for Nature Conservation
• (Portuguese) Decreto-Law n.º 622/76, of July 28, that created the Arrábida National Park