Madeira Natural Park

Madeira Natural Park was created on 10 November 1982 to protect the island's nature, biodiversity and landscape. It covers about two thirds of Madeira, includes land in every municipality and is most extensive in the centre and along the north coast; in practice, almost all of the island outside the towns is park. It is managed by the regional Institute of Forests and Nature Conservation (IFCN) and is entirely open to the public.

The park is divided into zones, from strict and partial reserves to a rural transition zone around its edge that makes up about 60 per cent of the area and absorbs the impact of human activity. Three ecosystems stand out: the Laurissilva, the evergreen laurel forest listed as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site in 1999; the Central Mountain Massif, with its high-altitude vegetation; and the arid peninsula of Ponta de São Lourenço at the eastern end of the island.

The laurel forest grows mainly on the north side of the island and shelters birds found nowhere else, such as the Madeira laurel pigeon, which spreads the seeds of the forest trees, and the tiny Madeira firecrest. The park also protects a rural heritage of farm terraces, traditional haylofts, water mills and levadas, the irrigation channels that cross the mountains. Since 2011 the whole park area within the municipality of Santana has also been part of a Biosphere Reserve.

The best way to visit is on foot, following the network of recommended trails, many of them alongside levadas. They lead through high mountain scenery, dense forest and farmed slopes that run down to the sea. Before setting out, check that the chosen route is open and take water and suitable clothing and footwear.