There is an agreement between the Liérganes Town Hall and the Fundación Naturaleza y Hombre for the management of this site.

The reserve frames the valleys of La Quieva and the headwaters of Las Porquerizas, located in the southern part of the municipality, opposite the famous Tetas de Liérganes.

Specifically, they are located in the Rubalcaba neighbourhood, where the Quieva and Porquerizas streams flow into the Miera River, one of the Pasiego rivers that provides most of its water to the Bay of Santander estuary.

To access the area, use the Barrio de Rubalcaba detour to Porquerizas or La Quieva.

This natural space is characterized by a mosaic of habitats or ecosystems. This mosaic is the result of the transformation produced by the silvopastoral system that has governed these valleys since ancient times. When visiting the area we will be able to find from meadows of forage use, for the extensive agricultural exploitation; deciduous forests dominated by species like oak, beech, ash, birch, hazelnut, walnut. On the other hand, and associated with the Quieva and Porquerizas streams, there is the typical riverside forest, where willows, elderberries, alders or birches grow.

Dominating the Quieva valley, we find the large limestone rock formations of Peña Pelada. This area is the preferred habitat for species such as the peregrine falcon, the Griffon vulture or the Egyptian vulture. In addition to these species, it is possible to observe other birds such as the sparrowhawk, the buzzard or the jay; mammals such as the fox, the marten, the weasel or the wild boar.

The secular use of the valleys for livestock will allow us to identify vestiges of the typical Pasiego constructions, with the dominant presence of stone huts, some of which are being rehabilitated. We are faced with a reliable representation of what has been and may continue to be a typical Pasiego valley, where ethnographic heritage meets biodiversity.

Collaborators:

• Liérganes Town Hall