• Energy Research

This paper proposes a conceptual and applied analysis of the protection of periurban natural spaces, recognised as Periurban Parks in Europe and in some regions of Spain. These areas have been scarcely studied and valued in Castilla-La Mancha, and a first approach to the identification and regional characterisation of these territories is proposed with the intention of evaluating the protectionist options in the face of the threats posed by their proximity to the urban nucleus and the intense public use to which they are subjected. The methodology, applied for the recognition and inventory of the main periurban natural spaces in cities of Castilla-La Mancha with more than 15,000 inhabitants, combines the investigation and analysis of bibliographic, cartographic and electronic sources, especially focusing on the consultation of municipal information on green areas, which have been finally contrasted by means of field work. The results propose a preliminary list of regional periurban natural spaces, with particular attention to the province of Ciudad Real. It concludes by confirming the threats and deterioration, as well as the lack of protection in the regional environmental legislation of the landscapes of this type of area and emphasising the need to create the figure of Periurban Park within the Network of Protected Areas of Castilla-La Mancha.