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Natura 2000

Natura 2000 on an adventure bike: what SAC, SCI and SPA mean in Spain

Last reviewed: November 9, 2026

Natura 2000 is the European network of protected sites: SACs and SCIs protect habitats and species, and SPAs protect birds (Law 42/2007, art. 42). A dirt track running through one is not closed by that alone: the site's management plan and your region's law decide. Check them before you ride in.

Acronyms and names

Red Natura 2000
Natura 2000: the European ecological network of protected sites (SCI, SAC and SPA).
Law 42/2007, art. 42
LIC (SCI)
Site of Community Importance: chosen for its habitats and species, until it is designated an SAC.
Directive 92/43/EEC; Law 42/2007, art. 42
ZEC (SAC)
Special Area of Conservation: an SCI that has been designated, with its conservation measures.
Law 42/2007, arts. 42 and 46
ZEPA (SPA)
Special Protection Area: the sites best suited to conserving birds.
Directive 2009/147/EC; Law 42/2007, art. 44
Plan de gestión
Management plan: the goals and measures of each SAC or SPA. It can limit access or require a permit.
Law 42/2007, art. 46.1.a
Evaluación de repercusiones
Impact assessment: required for any plan or project likely to affect the site significantly.
Law 42/2007, art. 46.4

What Natura 2000 is

It is the European ecological network of protected sites. In Spain it is made up of SCIs, until they become SACs, the SACs themselves and SPAs (Law 42/2007, art. 42). It comes from two EU directives: the Habitats Directive, behind SCIs and SACs, and the Birds Directive, behind SPAs.

It covers many sierras, steppes and river valleys: a day's ride often goes through several. The same area can be an SAC and an SPA at once, and sit inside a natural park.

What the designation does and does not say

Designating an SAC or an SPA does not publish a list of closed tracks. What the law requires is that each site has conservation measures and a management plan or instrument (art. 46.1.a), and that any plan or project likely to affect it significantly is assessed first (art. 46.4).

So the answer is in two places: the site's management plan, which the region publishes in its gazette, and the region's law on riding in the countryside. If it is also a protected natural area, its PORN and PRUG as well.

What it means on a bike

  • If neither the management plan nor your region's law limits a track, being in Natura 2000 does not close it.
  • Some plans close particular tracks or seasons, for example while birds are breeding.
  • An event, an organised ride or an activity that could affect the site may need a permit from the region.
  • Never off the track: riding a motor vehicle cross-country without a permit is an offence under the Forestry Law (Law 43/2003, art. 67.k), inside and outside Natura 2000.

Why two neighbouring sites have different rules

Each SAC or SPA has its own plan and each region its own law. Two steppe SPAs in neighbouring regions can protect the same birds and treat bikes very differently. The acronym is European; the riding rules belong to each site and each region.

What changes from region to region

In most regions we have reviewed, Natura 2000 brings no traffic rule of its own: each site's management plan decides. Four that name it:

  • Extremadura: motor traffic off the ways or outside what is authorised, inside a protected area or a Natura 2000 site, is a minor offence (Act 8/1998, art. 66.2.28).
  • Balearic Islands: the protected areas act also covers Natura 2000: off-track or on restricted tracks without a permit is an offence (Act 5/2005, arts. 1.2 and 50.1.d).
  • La Rioja: Natura 2000 is a protected area, so only the authorised ways are open (Act 2/2023, arts. 47.1.f and 55.j).
  • Region of Murcia: in protected areas and Natura 2000 sites their own rules apply, and the wildfire order is supplementary (Order of 24 May 2010, art. 16).

Real examples

Bardenas Reales (Navarre): an SPA inside a natural park

The Bardenas are a natural park and an SAC (ES2200037) and contain two SPAs, El Plano-Blanca Alta and Rincón del Bú-La Nasa. Their use regulations only allow motor vehicles on the authorised tracks (art. 15), at 40 km/h at most and in groups of fewer than 5 vehicles (art. 16), from 8:00 until one hour before dusk (art. 3).

In the El Plano-Blanca Alta SPA, the tracks to La Ralla, El Rallón and Pisquerra are closed, and in 2026 it was closed even on foot during the bird breeding season, from 26 January to 16 September. Before you go, check the notices on the park's website.

Source: Bardenas Reales use regulations (BON no. 148, 25-06-2021) · Checked on November 3, 2026

Rules across Spain

Belchite steppes (Zaragoza): a plan that does not mention bikes

The Estepas de Belchite-El Planerón-La Lomaza SPA (ES0000136) and the SACs around it have basic management plans approved in 2021. They neither ban nor expressly regulate bikes on existing tracks, but the plan for the SAC covering the plains and steppes on the right bank of the Ebro asks to avoid vehicle traffic on salt flats and endorheic basins.

And any activity that could affect Natura 2000 needs a permit from Aragón's environmental agency (INAGA): a large group or an organised ride is not a private outing. The area also contains public forests and drove roads, each with its own rules.

Source: Basic management plan of SPA ES0000136 (BOA no. 67, 27-03-2021) · Checked on November 3, 2026

Rules in Aragón

When several designations overlap

They add up. A natural park can be an SAC and an SPA at the same time, contain public forests and be crossed by a cañada: the rules of all of them apply at once, and if one of them closes the track, it does not matter that the others say nothing.

The other designations

How Corally applies it

  • The map's «Areas with their own rules» layer draws SACs, SCIs and SPAs as «Natura 2000».
  • Your plan's badge tells you which site the route goes through and for how many km; where an SAC and an SPA overlap, those km are counted once.
  • Corally does not read management plans: it tells you where you are, and the site's plan tells you what you can do.

Plan a route on dirt tracks What Corally tells you on your plan: areas with their own rules

Frequently asked questions

Is Natura 2000 the same as a natural park?
No. Natura 2000 is a European designation (SAC, SCI and SPA) and a natural park is a protected natural area under Spanish and regional law. They often cover the same ground, and then the rules of both apply.
Can I ride an adventure bike through an SPA?
It depends on its management plan and the regional law, not on being an SPA. Many have roads and tracks that are ridden as normal; others close tracks or seasons for breeding birds, like the Bardenas.
What is the difference between an SAC, an SCI and an SPA?
An SPA protects birds (Birds Directive). An SCI is a site chosen for its habitats and species (Habitats Directive) and becomes an SAC once it is designated with its conservation measures. On a bike, what changes is each site's plan, not the acronym.
Where can I find the management plan?
On your region's natural areas website and in its official gazette. Search for the site code (ES0000136, ES2200037…), which appears on its official page.
Does a large group change anything?
It can. An organised ride or an event usually needs a permit from the region, and some sites limit group size: in the Bardenas, fewer than 5 vehicles.
Why do two neighbouring sites have different rules?
Because each has its own plan and each region its own law. The acronym is European; the riding rules are set by each site and each region.

Sources (with the article)

A practical guide written by Corally from the laws cited. It is not legal advice. The areas come from public data that can lag behind what is on the ground, and a barrier, a sign or a wildfire closure always takes precedence over this page.

Rules across Spain, region by region