Aigüestortes set to grow by 2,259 hectares as Spain's government backs the expansion
The head of the Vall Fosca, the Serra del Reil and the Mainera lakes would become national park, almost all above 2,300 metres. The buffer zone grows too.
Spain’s Council of Ministers approved on 3 November the proposal to expand Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park, in the Lleida Pyrenees. It was drawn up by the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Government of Catalonia.
Which areas are added
The park would gain 2,259.10 hectares, 16.25% more than its current area. The land was already part of its buffer zone, in the municipalities of La Torre de Capdella (Pallars Jussà) and Sort (Pallars Sobirà).
It includes the head of the Vall Fosca, the Serra del Reil and the Mainera lakes. Most of it lies above 2,300 metres.
The buffer zone changes too
| Change | Area |
|---|---|
| New land in the buffer zone | 3,577.43 ha |
| Land removed from the zone, in Espot | 201.63 ha |
| Park and buffer zone, before | 39,995.35 ha |
| Park and buffer zone, after | 43,572.78 ha (+8.94%) |
The new areas are in La Torre de Capdella, Vilaller, Rialp, Espot and Vielha e Mijaran, including places such as Besiberri, Bedollar and the area around Lake Redon. The land removed in Espot is partly taken up by a ski resort. Rialp joins the park’s municipalities.
What’s still missing
The expansion is not final yet. Under Spain’s National Parks Act, it must be approved by a law of the Cortes Generales, the Spanish parliament. The government’s decision is the first step to move the process forward.
Aigüestortes was declared in 1955 and is Catalonia’s only national park. Its last expansion, in 1996, brought it to 14,119 hectares.
The lakes here are among the most studied in the Pyrenees: the new inventory giving an “ID card” to 6,361 lakes and ponds.
Sources and references
- MITECO – Government approves the national park expansion proposal, in Spanish (03/11/2026)
- ECOticias – Aigüestortes expansion, in Spanish (04/11/2026)
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