From an administration point of view, Serra do Marão iss plit into the municipalities of Amarante, Baião, Mesão Frio, Régua, Santa Marta de Penaguião and Vila Real. Its considerable length of 20 km allows for a high diversity of natural conditions and geomorphological features.
On the higher grounds, the temperatures are lower and the precipitation higher (cold mountainous land transitioning to high mountains). The geological diversity, with a foundation of metasedimentary rocks, is defined by brisk slopes. The agroforestry areas are made up of large parts of arable and grazing crops and important areas of terraced soils.
The landscape is marked by a strong contrast between the hardiness and the roughness of the mountainous landscape and the mildness and productivity of the agroforestry mosaics. The higher areas are covered by a blanket of thickets, dominated by heather shrubs and carqueja and the frequent presence of rocky outcrops, which in the case of the schist form a habitat for endemic and nationally rare plants. These mountainous areas integrate important stretches of protected habitats and a meaningful fauna of vertebrates, with special mention of the Iberian wolf. The presence of important remains of the old mining activity should also be pointed out. The agroforestry mosaics are characterised by their diversity of small agriculture plots, often built on terraces and by the presence of important native oak forest and other hardwoods as is the case of the chestnut and ash tree. Due to its high natural value, it is part of the “Natura 2000” network (a place of community importance of “Alvão-Marão”).
in. Serra da Aboboreira, heritage, nature and landscape, AMBT
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