Recovering the silence at the Fageda d’en Jordà, Natural Park Garrotxa Volcanic Zone, Catalonia

The work consists of four parts. Part 1 discusses the background to and the context of the consideration of intangible heritage in natural protected areas in Spain in general, and in La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park in particular. It also analyses the intangible heritage of the Nature Reserve of Fageda d’en Jordà and describes the uses and impacts associated with the visit. Part 2 describes the objectives of the work. Part 3 provides a diagnosis of the current situation, while Part 4 makes proposals such as the establishment of clearer criteria for Natural Park managers and the consideration of silence as a universal value. It describes some of the actions proposed regarding noise made by traffic, other mechanical apparatus and by visitors, and includes proposals for stakeholders (guides, operators of horse and cart service, etc.), complemented by general information and signposting and publicizing of the work undertaken to increase social awareness of the value of silence. The work also contains three appendices: (i) Maps of the nature reserve, the network of trails and current uses; (ii) Profiles of proposed acoustic screens; and (iii) Quantitative data of the noise measured in the nature reserve in autumn 2013.