51³Ô¹ÏÍø

MADRID, SPAIN - APRIL 07: Roman bridge on the Lozoya River, in the Angostura Valley, in the Pinar de los Belgas, on April 7, 2022, in Madrid, Spain. El Pinar de los Belgas is a forest with an area of 2,016 hectares located in the Lozoya Valley, between the Natural Park of Lagunas de Peñalara, Rascafria and Puerto de Cotos. The timber extraction of El Pinar de los Belgas has a long history, an extraordinary industrial activity that has had a social and economic influence on the entire city of Madrid. The demand for wood for the construction of new neighborhoods in 1860 led the Sociedad de El Pinar de los Belgas to build a sawmill and warehouses in the capital. Today, El Pinar is a recognized example of forest management, exploitation, conservation and sustainability. At the end of 2021, the Pinar de los Belgas was acquired by the National Parks Autonomous Organization for 19 million euros. The Pinar de los Belgas is a site of exceptional natural wealth, considered one of the best Scots pine forests in the Iberian Peninsula and a refuge for the black vulture, a protected species. (Photo By Rafael Bastante/Europa Press via Getty Images)