Sweeping forests, steppe, and river canyons
The Iberian Highlands form part of the Southern Iberian Chain — a 500-kilometre mountain range linking the Cantabrian Mountains with the Mediterranean regions of central-eastern Spain. Rising as a series of elevated plateaus and ridges, the area boasts a mosaic of ecosystems: sweeping pine, oak, and juniper forests, open steppe landscapes, and dramatic river canyons.
More than half of the 850,000-hectare Iberian Highlands rewilding landscape is protected - mainly as Natura 2000 sites. This sparsely populated area sits at a crossroads of competing climates, with dynamic and diverse habitats that have become a sanctuary for a wide range of wildlife species. These include thriving populations of raptors such as Bonelli's eagles, peregrine falcons, and eagle owls.
The Iberian Highlands span the two autonomous communities of Castilla-La Mancha and Aragón, where for decades large numbers of people have left seeking better economic opportunities elsewhere. This rural depopulation has encouraged the comeback of deer, wild boar, mouflon, and small groups of Iberian ibex, and led to an abundance of Egyptian and griffon vultures. But the top predators – Iberian lynx, Iberian wolves, and brown bears – are currently absent.
Livestock farming and hunting continue to have a significant but decreasing presence throughout the Iberian Highlands, while nature tourism is gradually developing. The high levels of biodiversity and low levels of human disturbance provide promising conditions for such tourism to play a greater role in diversifying and strengthening local economies, helping people stay in and return to the landscape and sustaining the area's rich cultural heritage.
Rewilding vision
Iberian Highlands | Spain
In the rugged folds of the Iberian Highlands a quiet revolution is unfolding. Once-fragmented food webs are being stitched back together. Scavengers such as cinereous vultures and bearded vultures are returning, carrying bones, consuming carcasses, and restoring nature's age-old cycle of decay and renewal.
The Iberian lynx has been reintroduced and is recolonising the landscape, helping to re-balance local food webs. At the same time, the return of large wild herbivores is reshaping ecosystems through natural grazing. Tauros, wild horses, and reintroduced Iberian ibex are helping to regenerate grasslands previously degraded by overgrowth and wildfire — enhancing biodiversity and strengthening natural resilience — and improve habitats in more arid areas for a variety of steppe bird species.
The removal of dams and artificial barriers is restoring the natural flow of rivers and streams across the Iberian Highlands. This is revitalising aquatic ecosystems, allowing fish and other freshwater species to move freely and regain their abundance. On land, a network of old-growth forest reserves has been established, safeguarding ancient woodland habitats that harbour high levels of biodiversity and boosting carbon storage.
People are central to this vision too. Local communities, long affected by rural depopulation and economic decline, are embracing the new opportunities offered by nature recovery. Activities such as nature-based tourism and wildlife watching are generating new income and livelihoods, reinforcing pride in local nature and culture. As a rewilding showcase, the landscape is attracting tourists, wildlife photographers, and travel bloggers from across Europe and beyond — as well as media interest in Spain and farther afield — elevating awareness and understanding of rewilding and the wide-ranging benefits it offers.
Do you want to know more about Rewilding Europe's efforts to make Iberian Highlands a wilder place?
Visit RewildingEurope.com >Explore a wilder, undiscovered Spain
Tucked away in the heart of so-called "Empty Spain", the Iberian Highlands remain one of Europe's best-kept secrets. Here, vast stretches of forest, dramatic cliffs, and arid plateaus create a landscape where time seems to stand still. Protected by two large natural parks and dotted with Natura 2000 sites, this region is both a sanctuary for wildlife and a living story of Spain's wild heritage.
This is a landscape where ancient pines, junipers, and oaks stand as witnesses to centuries of natural history — and where the mighty Tagus River begins its long journey across the Iberian Peninsula. Across its open plateaus, growing herds of wild herbivores now roam freely, shaping the land as they
once did in the past, as vultures soar overhead on the day's thermals. Dotted with small villages, the Iberian Highlands offer visitors a unique opportunity to encounter a different, rarely explored Spain — authentic, vibrant, and filled with exciting possibilities for natural and cultural immersion.
The Iberian Highlands are not only a haven for nature, but also a symbol of renewal. Through rewilding, local communities are exploring growing opportunities that link ancient traditions, new economic possibilities, and the revitalised landscapes which they call home. Visitors here do more than observe the wild — they step into an unfolding story where people and nature are increasingly flourishing together.
With its recovering nature and communities committed to a wilder future, the Iberian Highlands are redefining the future of sustainable tourism in Spain. A journey here is more than just a holiday — it is a voyage into the wild heart of Iberia.
