RECOVERY OF GRANITE QUARRIES IN MORALZARZAL

Moralzarzal is an area linked to stone (granite) and Dehesa landscape (semi-wild land combining agriculture, pasture, hunting and forest resources). Due to its location in the foothill of Sierra de Guadarrama National Park, this is an area of environmental and naturalistic interest. Workcamp participants will be lodged at the villages of El Boalo, Cerceda and Matalpino, which are located at the entrance of the National Park. http ://elpais.com/diario/1998/06/29/madrid/899119463_850215.html. Tasks to be done : - Cleaning of quarries. As quarries are located in the territory owned by the village, they have had an urban use as meeting places. The Quarries′ environment has been deteriorated by urban solid wastes and graffiti. - Fence. Quarries to be cleaned are in the Dehesa Vieja in Moralzarzal, where livestock stays for much of the year. We propose to protect the quarries with a simple fence (with no ecological footprint or construction) to prevent access of livestock to drink and defecate in winter, when quarries are flooded. - Signalling. Information regarding traditional human uses of the Dehesa should be considered as part of the environmental signalling. Stonework is one traditional use that should be included in the information panels for visitors. -Recovery of biological species. The quarries at the Dehesa remain flooded most of the year. Protected species of amphibians such as the Iberian ribbed newt and tritons need to be recovered. On the other hand, in the forest, seedlings of shrub species such as Cytisus scoparius or Retama sphaerocarpa could be planted inside the fenced area.