Cabrera National Park

About this heritage

South of the island of Mallorca, in the Balearic Islands, the Cabrera Archipelago brings together limestone islands and islets, and along with the surrounding waters, they form a Maritime-Terrestrial National Park, the first in Spain with this protection status.

To learn more

Beneath these waters, we find the valuable underwater meadows of Posidonia oceanica, and the gigantic pen shells, the largest bivalve mollusk in the Mediterranean, which, with its filtering capacity, helps maintain the transparency and excellent quality of these waters.

On land, the Archipelago includes the main island of Cabrera, the island of Conejera, and fifteen islets, totaling 1000 hectares of emerged surface. Its semi-arid climate, subject to salt and wind, conditions the development of Mediterranean scrubland, the garrigue, which hosts several endemic plant species.

Birds are the faunal emblem of the archipelago, given its role as a stopover site on the migratory routes of more than 150 species. The Audouin's gull and Eleonora's falcon are symbols of Cabrera's birdlife. The National Park is included within the Network of Special Protection Areas for Birds, is a Site of Community Interest, and is part of the network of Special Protection Areas of Importance for the Mediterranean.

To know it better

The Cabrera Archipelago was a strategic location on the maritime routes of successive civilizations that arrived at these coasts seeking refuge and sustenance, such as the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, and Byzantines.

Prehistoric remains dating back to the Bronze Age have been found. However, the scarcity of arable land, lack of water, and a certain isolation prevented permanent settlement.

Much of its history and destiny have been linked to skirmishes and military conflicts. During the Middle Ages, it suffered continuous attacks from Barbary pirates. As naval control over the Mediterranean increased, pirate raids decreased, allowing agriculture and livestock farming to develop.