This Easter, the Alta Garrotxa Consortium and the municipalities of Sales de Llierca, Montagut and Oix and Tortellà will begin to implement the first actions in the area of ​​Sadernes and Sant Aniol d'Aguja, in the heart of the Natural Area Protected of the Alta Garrotxa, to avoid the problems derived from the excess of vehicles that have been in increase in the last years.

As usual, it will only be possible to park in places specifically designated for this use with the aim of reconciling the conservation of this natural space with citizen coexistence. This is a measure aimed primarily at ensuring public safety and public order, as the overcrowding of cars last summer caused serious traffic problems and accessibility for emergency vehicles, such as ambulances or fire trucks, and endangered public safety, as well as the conservation of natural space and coexistence with the affected municipalities.

The Alta Garrotxa Protected Natural Area currently has a single parking area to access the Sadernes and Sant Aniol d’Aguja gorges sector, located precisely in the town of Sadernes. In addition, it is precisely at the height of this single car park where the regulation of motorized access to the natural space begins, which makes it impossible to access and park further.

Parking in spaces other than the skills or non-compliance with the regulation of motorized access will lead to sanctions by the Mossos d'Esquadra or the Corps of Rural Agents, as well as the same rural guard service. of the Consortium. This measure will make it possible to decongest the crowded points, improve the visitor’s reception and respect for the natural environment and guarantee a framework for coexistence with the area’s residents. In addition, the Consortium will have an information service to attend to the visitor and make a correct reception of the user.

These measures start from a broader study that is currently being carried out jointly by the Alta Garrotxa Consortium, SIGMA, the Girona Provincial Council and the Emys Foundation, and which aims to detect pressures and needs. resulting from the overcrowding of bathing areas in various sections of the EIN, and proposing management measures to streamline access. This study focuses on the space of Sadernes and Sant Aniol d'Aguja as a pilot test for the creation of a management model of sustainable public use replicable in other municipalities that are in the same problem, with the will to find the balance between the conservation of the space and its recreational use.

The problem of overcrowding in natural areas of Catalonia continues to require solutions to avoid overcrowding, especially in gorges and rivers, where there has been an increase in visits in recent years, but especially after the end of the confinement of COVID-19. For this reason, the aforementioned study goes beyond the management of car parks, as it will calculate the load capacity of each space and propose management measures aimed at making the conservation of natural values ​​compatible with the visit of the space, the well-being of the inhabitants of the municipalities that lodge these natural spaces, an access to the quality natural environment and the promotion of the knowledge of the present natural values.