The area which the Municipal Nature Reserve Els Plantadets spans is considered an important area of environmental interest within the Municipality of Jijona with great value in terms of ecology, scenery, cultural heritage and recreation.
From the geomorphological point of view, the area belongs to the southern Prebaetic system, characterised by alternating mountains and valleys of carbonate rocks, in a predominantly NE-SW direction, characteristic of the Beatic Range. The predominant materials correspond to the tertiary age, white and blue Miocene marl stands out interspersed with sandstone made from silt and this makes up most of the central sector. In the eastern sector, which is also the highest part, limestone predominates.
The vegetation of this area is very homogenous, consisting mainly of Aleppo pine woods, which, although they are the products of re-forestation initiatives, are now very naturalised. You also find small holly oak woods and scattered stands of Valencian oak. The bushes around the pine woods are those naturally heat-loving Mediterranean species such as kermes oak, juniper, prickly juniper, Phoenician juniper, pistacia lentiscus, European fan palm and genista cinerea.
The herbaceous layer consists of leguminous species, cistaceae, and aromatics of the Lamiaceae (formerly Labiatae) family corresponding to places where the line of holly oak recedes such as spiny gorse, heather, thyme, sage, sideritis, male rosemary and a rock rose known as Montpelier cistus. One also encounters species such as members of the asparagus family, asphodel and pampass grass. In the shadiest areas we can find vines such as rough bindweed, common wild madder, honeysuckle, brambles, fragrant virgin’s bower (clematis flammula), along with ivy.
As far as fauna is concerned we can find such mammals as foxes, badgers, common genets, wild boars, rabbits, and, less frequently, hares.
Concerning reptiles and amphibians, we can mention the presence of the common toad, Natterjack toads, the Large Psammodromus lizard, the Spanish Psammodromus lizard and the ocellated lizard. Amongst the snakes we can find the Montpellier snake, the horseshoe whip snake and the Lataste’s viper.
The bird species are those generally found in pine woods, with examples such as the Common Wood Pigeon, the Turtle Dove, the European Green Woodpecker, the Spotted Flycatcher, the Long-tailed Tit, the Coal Tit, the European Crested Tit, the Eurasian Wryneck, the Short-toed Treecreeper, the Common Nightingale, or the Eurasian Tree Sparrow. The Eurasian Sparrow Hawk, the Tawny Owl, the Eurasian Scops Owl, and the Eurasian Eagle Owl are species which can also be found in the area, and which may even nest here in some cases. In the more open spaces in the pine woods we can find species such as the Common Kestrel, the Crested Lark, the Woodchat Shrike, the Blackeared Wheatear, the African Stonechat and the European Bee-eater.
In terms of landscape, the area is of great local interest, as it constitutes an extensive patch of green in an otherwise arid area, as is the countryside from the Montnegre river basin to the coast. The high parts of the region are of great interest, since you can see most of the mountains in the north of Alicante, such as Aitana, Puig Campana, Serrella and Menejador.
Of historical note is the existence of two caves and a reservoir linked to the keeping of livestock.
The Natural Spaces of Jijona
Wide horizons, natural spaces