Spain’s Atlantic Islands maritime-terrestrial national park protects the Cíes, Ons, Sálvora and Cortegada archipelagos and their surrounding waters, linking seabird colonies, rocky reefs, kelp, maërl and sheltered seagrass habitat.
Islas Atlánticas de Galicia
Why it is protected
Protect representative Atlantic island and marine ecosystems of Galicia.
Conserve seabirds, reef communities, dunes and submerged vegetation.
Habitats and significant life
Habitats: Rocky reef, Kelp forest, Maërl bed, Seagrass bed, Island cliff.
Significant species: European shag, Yellow-legged gull, Common bottlenose dolphin, Harbour porpoise, European lobster.
Rules and activities
Landing, anchoring, navigation, diving and fishing are controlled through park rules and permits.
Visitor capacity and access arrangements vary by island and season.
Governance
Galician national-park authority; Spanish National Parks Network; Maritime and fisheries authorities.
Pressures
Visitor pressure; Fishing interactions; Marine litter; Invasive species; Ocean warming.
Protection effectiveness
These dimensions are intentionally separate: a valid designation or active management program does not, by itself, prove ecological recovery.
Habitats and marine life connections
Ecologically related protected areas
These places share documented habitat types or the same ocean region. The relationship is ecological context, not proof of direct connectivity.
Condition and evidence
MLL reports what the available evidence supports. It does not infer ecological health from designation or mapped coverage.
Insufficient evidence
Place-specific ecology and management evidence has been reviewed, but the available indicators do not support a single current ecological trend for the whole protected area.
Ecological Condition
Insufficient evidenceSpecies and habitat monitoring active; no unified trend assigned
- Evidence period
- Current evidence review
- Geographic scope
- Protected feature or area described by the source
- Confidence
- limited
- Reviewed
- 2026-09-12
How to read this: Insufficient evidence means the available evidence cannot support a conclusion. It does not mean the MPA is in poor condition.
Species and habitat monitoring active; no unified trend assigned. Confidence: limited. Results should be interpreted by archipelago, habitat and indicator.
Sources
Atlantic Islands of Galicia National Park — Xunta de Galicia. Verified 2026-09-13.