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The reasons by which the Park has been conserved so wonderfully have been the lack of communications, its subdesert character and a great large estate in which at the beginning of century cereals like the wheat and the barley were cultivated. Witnesses of that time are the amount of mills that exist sprinkling all the extension of the Park. These cultures went away leaving to plant species that did not have as much dependency of the water, as henequén and esparto. also the advantage of the Mountain range had much importance, the collection of collo, the palm and the thyme are some of the examples. Other types of resources that the Park offers are the salinera operation, the piscícola wealth of their coast and the increasing international demand of the naturista and ecological tourism. The salinera operation is located in the highway of the light of the Cabo de Gata. The Phoenicians already controlled the water of the sea that entered the natural salt marshes and charcones that was here for the extraction of the appraised salt. Since then until the present time the salt mines have been in activity. They are one of the most attractive points of the Park, because they are a clear sample of compatibility between the extraction of a resource and the existence of life animal in freedom.

In its origin, the coastal quarters like the one of the Tunny net of Monteleva , they were lived by fishermen , not in vain his name comes from the location in that place of a tunny net of that type, already used from the Arab time . Nowadays the silhouettes of the boats beached in beaches give to the place a very special particularitity him. Its fishing is artisan and the declared salary one mile marine within the natural Park is for avoiding that great industrial boats esquilmen the marine bottoms, by a side its great biological interest and by another its incredible natural beauty.

The tourist demand, every day more interested in the naturalistic and rural tourism in search of virgin beaches and outside bullicio and traditional commotion, finds its paradise here. Kilometers of beaches without urbanizing. Solitary coves. Subdesert landscapes of dunes and steppes. The volcanic mountain range. The cliffs of thousand forms and colors conform an attractiveness without equal for the visitor. One of the old industries is even attractive that were in the Park. The mining. The Romans extracted silver in Rodalquilar, but the importance of these mines came with the discovery of its gold veins. The mining town that can be observed in Rodalquilar was constructed in the first quarter of century and was working until 1966. Very peculiar it is the great plain formed by the mineral that was extracted next to gold, visible remote by his rosaceous color and because it lacks any type of vegetation. Also of first half of this century it is the mineral loading base which we can observe in Bitter Water, aim of the railway line that transported the iron from Lucainena (to few kilometers of Nijar) to be embarked to its destiny.

Special interest has for specialists and fans to the botany the peculiar vegetal resources of the Natural Park.

As far as the flora, the Cabo de Gata presents/displays more than 1,000 species, that stop to subsist, have to face very adverse conditions of life: excessive heat, drought, salinity of the atmosphere, wind..., so that they have been specialized and adapting to means: they accumulate water in his leaves, they are stocky, the roots grow meters and meters in depth to reach the water...

There are plants adapted to more or less brackish humid means like are the insipid scorpiurus and the reeds, that provide the necessary cover it nest building of the aquatic birds. There are other adapted plants to live in sands on dunes and near beaches like barrón and the cottony one. In the mountain range we found, mainly in the shadiest precipices, cornicabras, aulaga Moor, esparto, líquenes... and the palmito , the only native palm of Europe, that was used for the manufacture of brooms, paper, baskets...

We have not been able to forget three species, people in charge of the present landscape of some spaces of the Park like the zone of the Amoladeras or the solarium of Round Majada, who were incorporated to the Park, some of them for more than fifty years, to give to this area an extensive agroenergético culture and to provide an industry which it lacked. These are toots it, henequén and the chumbera. From the two first fibers were obtained with which cords and weaves made. Of third, flavorful higo chumbo.

Without a doubt, the Park will be the paradise for the fans to the ornithology. Only in the salt mines of the Cabo de Gata , including within the agreement RAMSAR , we can contemplate more than one hundred species throughout all the year. Between all it emphasizes flamenco pink , the majestic one. At the end of August they get to enter itself more than two thousand units. Other birds that rest and n the salt mines during their migrations are the avoceta, cigüeñuela, the correlimos, the launderer cowherd, the common newspaper...

In the coast we can observe many other birds, the reidora gull, the gull patiamarilla, will cormorán moñudo, the common gannet... And in the mountain range the perdicera eagle, the real owl, the roquero airplane, the solitary roquero nest, the real billhook... and more down, in the coastal steppe, the lark of dupont, the montesina coplay, the bee-eater, mochuelo... An endless ones of birds for whose so single observation we needed prisms binocular or a telescope. Other animals that live in the Natural Park are the Moorish sprocket wheel, the ocelado lizard, the hocicuda viper, the jineta, the wild boar, all of them in the mountain range mainly. In the lowest zones of the Park, the hare, the fox, the bastard snake...

And if you are become fond of to the submarinismo you will be able to find in the 12,000 You have also correspond to the marine mile more than thousand species between flora and fauna that do of their bottoms, along with their geologic forms, the elements of greater relevance and singularity of the Park, and, for that reason, one of greater the attractiveness for the visitor: herreras, serranos, salmonetes of rock, pulpy, starfishes, sprocket wheels of sea, posidonias, cistoseiras...

The Park supposes a good excuse for the mainland boarding schools, with multitude of routes on foot, in bicycle or vehicles all land. Next we suggested several itineraries to make on foot throughout the Natural Park. They can be independent or to be united among them. It does not forget to wear good footwear, prism binocular and water.

ITINERARY I

Retamar - Tower and Hermitage of Tower Garci'a - Amoladera Boulevard - Boulevard Moral - San Miguel of the Cabo de Gata - the Tunny net of Monteleva

Degree of difficulty: Easy

ITINERARY II

The Tunny net of Monteleva - we turned to the east and we took the path that there is behind the salt mines that take to us until the highway of Pujaire - San Miguel of the Cabo de Gata - Tower of the Civil Guard - Observatory of aquatic birds of the salt mines - Church and salinero town - the Tunny net of Monteleva

Degree of difficulty: Easy

ITINERARY III

The Tunny net of Monteleva - F hoop of the Cabo de Gata (suroriental point but of the Iberian Peninsula) - Reef of the Sirens - Tower of White Vela - Beach of Mónsul - Beach of the Barronal - Beach of Genoveses - San jOse.

Degree of difficulty: Difficult