La Vall de Gallinera
This name refers to an area of cliffs and crags located between the towns of Benirrama, Benialí and Benitaia.
Difficult to access, the area was declared a flora micro-reserve by the Generalitat Valenciana on November 6th, 2000, given the floristic richness it contains. The protected area has a surface of 4,456 hectares.
The main species subject to protection are the sandwort (Arenaria valentina), bloody geranium or bloody cranesbill (Geranium sanguineum), “llunetes de penya-segat” (Biscutella montana), “pesolera de pastor” (Lathyrus pulcher), “bracera de Segària” (Centaurea segariensis) and “herba gossera” (Teucrium flavum subsp. glaucum). However, the importance of rock communities that include “ferradura de cingle” or “ferradura valenciana” (Hippocrepis valentina), “escabiosa de cingle” (Scabiosa saxatilis subsp. saxatilis), a type of germander called “poliol amarg” or “poliol de penya” (Teucrium buxifolium) and “rogeta de penya” (Saxifraga Cossoniana), is also relevant as a protective factor, since these plants could not live outside their context and, therefore, the purpose of the micro-reserve is to protect the plant communities as a whole. The presence of the bloody geranium is particularly noteworthy, given that it is a relict plant, witness to other colder and wetter periods when it must have been more abundant.
In the micro-reserves of flora, one must circulate with special care, because the flora and fauna are very fragile and so the environment must be attentively respected. Many of the species that live in this location are endemic, rare or threatened. The fauna is also protected, although hunting is tolerated within the current regulations.