Impact assessment of mountain races in the Guadarrama National Park

Alba Herreros Garrido

Master's thesis

Abstract:

It has been recorded a great increase of mountain races in the Spanish Protected Areas during the last decades, which can cause a rise of the environmental negative effects on these natural areas. One of the most famous mountain races is the Gran Trail de Peñalara, a race celebrated in the Sierra de Guadarrama National Park, a Protected Area located in the Central System of the Iberian Peninsula. During the next months, the new Use and Management Master Plan (PRUG), which lays down the regulations to be follow in the National Park, will be implemented. For that reason, Royal Spanish Alpinism Society (Real Sociedad Española de Alpinismo, RSEA), organizer of the Gran Trail de Peñalara race, has requested an Environmental Impact Assessment report, to assess all the potential impacts generated by this mountain race. To do this, firstly it was study the natural elements of the National Park that make up the environmental inventory with descriptions of the key environmental processes and interactions. Taking this into account, and after the study on digital cartography and fieldwork, it was analysed the likelihood significant impacts, and classified in Ecologically Sensitive Areas, which are the ones having the ecological or physical elements of greatest interest and that can potentially suffer more affection due to the celebration of the race. The most significant impacts found were the erosion of soil because of the amount of diffuse trail networks, the damage to vegetation by trampling and damage to water courses wildlife. As a solution of all these negative effects generated by the race, it will be necessary to carry out a series of technical corrective measures, such as signposting of trails and water courses, the location of aid station in urban areas or forest paths, avoid producing loud noises, and monitoring, and some preventive measures as environmental education activities. As long as these preventive and corrective measures are implemented, the celebration of the race will be compatible with the natural values of the Sierra de Guadarrama National Park.

Keywords

trail running, impacts, environmental assessment, trampling, ecologically sensitive areas, Sierra de Guadarrama, corrective measures

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 19. 4. 2018

Thesis defence

• Supervisor: Ing. Zdeněk Keken, Ph.D.

Czech University of Life Sciences Prague

Faculty of Environmental Sciences

Master programme / field:
Engineering Ecology / Nature Conservation