Valle de Roncal

The Roncal Valley possesses contrasting landscapes and climates. In the south we find the Burgui Gorge (Foz de Burgui) and Burgui valley, enveloped in pine trees. From Roncal to Uztarroz the valley is squeezed into a gully of rock, beech and oak trees.

To the north lies the Belagua valley which is the sole glacier valley in existence in Navarre, formed thousands of years ago from one of the strips of ice which broke off from the Larra glacier. Its name comes from the River Belagua. Belagua’s diverse vegetation includes pine, fir, beech, gall oak, hazel, box and lime trees.

 Rising up and over the mountain pass of Belagua, the landscape makes way for the Larra Nature Reserve (Reserva Natural de Larra), a plateau dominated by the ‘Table of the Three Kings’ mountain (la Mesa de los Tres Reyes) and the peaks of Anie, Arlas and Lakora. With an altitude of between 1000 and 2444 metres and an area of 2789 hectares, Larra makes up one of the most impressive Karstic massifs in Europe. Limestone pavements, dolines and chasms, like those of the Saint Martin Stone, dominate the landscape. These circumstances have converted Larra into a prime area for pot-holing. The vegetation includes black pine, rhododendrons, cranberry and juniper trees…In the lower-lying regions, beech-fir woods are in abundance. The most characteristic animals found here are the brown bear, the capercaillie, chamois, marmot, ermine, partridge, grey partridge, white-backed woodpecker, black woodpecker, Tengmal’s owl and the wallcreeper.
 

The brown bear

The bear, among the wild Pyrenese fauna, is par excellence the “Lord of the Forest”, a mythical and emblematic animal. Its presence in the Roncalese mountains is, without doubt, the best measurement of environmental health.

After many centuries of sharing the same habitat with man, we can say that today the Pyrenese bear is in the final throes of its existence in the Pyrenese mountain range. At the time of writing, only two indigenous bears survive in the entire Pyrenees;

two males with no chance of reproduction. One, the oldest, called Camille, lives in the forests and tracks of the Roncal valley. We do not know until when we will be able to witness his footprints in the pastures.

The bear is an omnivore which eats everything, provided the food is conditioned by the time and seasons of the year. However, its presence is not always welcome by shepherds and farmers; the problem lies in the fact that, above all, in spring and autumn it usually kills one or two sheep to eat in order to store fat so as to either see through its hibernation or recover fat lost over the winter.Los pastores defienden su ganado, como es lógico; y, por otro lado, el oso no entiende que unos animales que están sueltos en el monte tengan dueño.

Logically, the shepherd defends his livestock; yet a bear does not understand that animals which roam freely in the mountains have an owner.

At present, the Roncal valley possesses a policy of indemnity and compensation which is unique in Europe, allowing the shepherds to be more tolerant towards the presence of one of nature’s treasures, the bear.

We are dealing with an animal which is totally inoffensive and shy. It is almost like a ghost: footprints can be distinguished, scored tree trunks made by its nails can be spotted, occasionally dead livestock are found, and dens are discovered…but the bear is never seen. The creature only worries about staying invisible and avoiding any human contact. Its nocturnal habits help it succeed.

Since 1996, the French government has been implementing a progressive policy of reintroducing the indigenous bear (of Slovenian stock) back into to the Pyrenees. Although these specimens are let loose in the Central Pyrenees on the French side, at this moment in time, a young bear (Nere, born in the Pyrenees, but of Slovenian parentage) has already made its way to the edge of the Roncal valley. These are territorial animals; therefore, it makes you realise that when Camille finally vanishes from the Roncalese mountains, Nere will occupy his habitat.