Cuenca Alta del Manzanares Regional Park

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Cuenca Alta del Manzanares Regional Park
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)
Soto de Viñuelas zone
Location	Spain Soto de Viñuelas
Coordinates	40°42′N 3°48′W / 40.700°N 3.800°W / 40.700; -3.800
Area	42 583 ha
Established	January 23, 1985 (1985-01-23)
Governing body	Ley 1/1985 de la CdM

The Cuenca Alta del Manzanares Regional Park, created in 1985, is the natural space protected area with the largest extension in the Community of Madrid (Spain) and one of the most ecologically and scenically valuable.^[1] It is located in the northwest of the region and extends around the upper course of the Manzanares River, along 42 583 ha. Its main municipalities of reference are Manzanares el Real and Hoyo de Manzanares. Unesco declared it a Biosphere Reserve in 1992.^[2]

It is located on the southern slopes of the Sierra de Guadarrama, with the exception of Monte de El Pardo and its eastern appendix, the Soto de Viñuelas, which are located in the detritic plain, characteristic of the Southern Subplateau. It has numerous ecosystems, among which pine forests, holm oak groves, juniper groves, rockrose groves, melojares and wetlands stand out.