page_title: Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park / History
caption_attribution_description: Español: Vista de parte de Aigüestortes desde el pueblo de Son Català: Vista d'Aigüestortes des del poble de Son Nederlands: Zicht op Aigüestortes vanuit het dorp Son This is a photography of a Special Area of Conservation in Spain with the ID: ES0000022. Natura2000 entry, EEA entry
context_page_description: Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park, is one of the fifteen Spanish national parks, and the only one located in Lleida, Spain.
  A wild mountain region in the Pyrenees, with peaks rising to 3017 m and with nearly 200 lakes, many of them of glacial origin, the park comprises a core area of 141 km² and a buffer zone of 267 km² surrounding the park. The park's name in Catalan is Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici, freely translated as "The winding streams and St. Maurice lake".
  The park has an elevation range of 1600 to 3000 metres and contains four major vegetation zones: lower montane, upper montane, subalpine and alpine.
  The fauna includes Pyrenean chamois, brown bear, marmot, ermine, roe deer, among other mammals and numerous birds.
  The park was created in 1955 after Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park, first Spanish national park in the Pyrenees in 1918. Its administrative seats are in Espot and Boí. The park is mainly located in the comarques of Pallars Sobirà and Alta Ribagorça.
context_section_description: Human settlement of the Pyrenees dates back at least to the period of glacial melting. Inside the borders of the national park, there is no record of stable human habitation during this time, but recent archeological studies have found evidence of temporary settlements from 8,500 years ago in the Neolithic Age.
  During the 19th century, the high Pyrenees became more populated, fueled by strong demand for natural resources with intense forestry, farming, and fishing. At the beginning of the 20th century, hydroelectric electrical power plants were built, resulting in a great transformation of the landscape.
  On 21 October 1955 the national park was created, becoming the fifth Spanish national park. On 30 March 1988, the Catalan government took ownership of the park, together with an additional buffer zone, according to the Catalan laws. From that date, management of the wild protected areas has been managed by the autonomous government, which has introduced increases to the budget and staffing, along with stricter rules.
  Since then, forestry exploitation, fishing, camping and any exploitation of natural resources has been forbidden. However, an allowance is made for cattle breeding and the operative hydroelectric generation. Traditional uses of natural resources which are compatible with the protection of the wilderness are only allowed in the buffer zone.
  In 1996 the national park was enlarged, to a total area of 14,119 hectares.
  In 1997, after litigation between Catalan and Spanish laws, it was agreed that autonomous regions can also take part in the management of the national parks.
caption: Aigüestortes National Park from Son
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