Pilancones

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Pilancones Natural Park is a protected landscape on Gran Canaria, in the San Bartolomé de Tirajana municipality. It covers about 5,794 hectares and was created in 1987. It lies north of the Roque Nublo country park and east of the Fataga protected area. The park protects soil and helps refill an underground aquifer, with several ravines running south that are interesting for geomorphology and scenery. The pine forests on the hilltops provide a healthy habitat for many birds, and the area also has cacti, spurge and aquatic habitats. The name comes from natural pools called pilancones that form after rain.

Open areas for visitors include Ayagaures y Pilancones, and public areas La Plata, San Bartolomé y Maspalomas and Montaña del Rey. The park is an ecologically sensitive area and a bird protection zone under European Union rules. It is classified as IUCN category V, a protected landscape/seascape.

Within the park stood the Pino de Pilancones, a Canary Island pine (Pinus canariensis). It was more than 500 years old and about 30–40 meters tall, and was one of Spain’s most notable trees. It died in a storm in 2008. Scientists dated the tree to around 1457–1458, making it one of the oldest Canarian pines.