Government has said it has extended the Gibraltar Nature Reserve by 2.42 km2 and so protected a uniquely scenic and little known area of Gibraltar for future generations.

The Devil’s Tooth Green Corridor, as the area will be known, gets its name from the shape of the rock formation that dominates the site which is close to North Gorge. It was formerly a footpath linking the area of the Naval Hospital to Camp Bay. The extension also includes important cliff formations in the Camp Bay area, connecting these to those south of Little Bay, already within the Nature Reserve, and so providing a green corridor extending all the way along Europa Foreshore to Europa Point.

The area has important biodiversity and holds a number of plant species rare in Gibraltar, such as the wild caper, found nowhere else on the Rock, and provides nesting sites for Kestrel and Peregrine Falcon. The habitat in the area will be improved to encourage more biodiversity, and it is intended to open parts of it to the public on a restricted basis in due course.

Minister for Environment, Heritage and Climate Change said, “There is much comment in some quarters about concrete jungles and loss of green areas. The step we’ve taken today shows the Government’s commitment to preserving important green areas and to environmental protection. And it goes further. These are areas that are part of our heritage and that were lost to us for years when they were under MOD control. We are giving them back to the community and we will soon be able to enjoy this long forgotten but stunningly beautiful and unique natural area.”