‘Sierra de Guadarrama’ National Park has a Research, Monitoring & Evaluation Centre whose aim is to support the park’s management. This Centre belongs to Madrid’s Environmental Public Agency -Consejería de Medio Ambiente, Ordenación del Territorio y Sostenibilidad-, and its work is focused on Madrid’s territory inside the park although it also works in active collaboration with Segovia on many projects and initiatives.

Scientists and specialists from the National Park are assigned to the Research, Monitoring & Evaluation Centre. From here, research studies as well as management support actions are coordinated. It contains environmental data bases, digital cartography and a small library for inner use and external researchers’.

In short, the main lines of work carried out at the Research Centre are:

• Applied research to tackle management challenges within the park.
• Coordination and scientific support of external research studies.
• Support of the Park’s Chief Executive on management actions.
• Environmental monitoring and analysis of ecological indicators.
• Sample assessment.
• Report preparation.
• Data centralization (environmental, cartographic, bibliographic, documentary etc.)
• Park’s Natural and Cultural values’ communication.
• Park Visitor Services’ support.
• Forest and Land Management’s support.

The Research Centre is located in Rascafría and it has a laboratory at ‘Los Cotos’ Pass.

Belonging to the Research Centre, there is also a Breeding Centre for Threatened Amphibians at Sierra de Guadarrama National Park. It springs from a collaborative initiative between Madrid’s Environmental Public Agency -Consejería de Medio Ambiente, Ordenación del Territorio y Sostenibilidad- and the National Natural History Museum. Initially, it was created to preserve midwife toad’s population at Peñalara Massif, though nowadays it is used to preserve amphibian species all around the Park. It is one of the active conservation actions that are being developed within the Park’s territory in order to recover amphibian’s populations gravely affected by emerging disease.

Scientists and specialists from the National Park, assigned to the Research, Monitoring & Evaluation Centre, regularly post articles related to their research area on the Scientific Blog.