10. Hoz del arroyo Marín

In a capriciously arranged crescent-shaped place, La Hoz del arroyo Marín is a natural sanctuary. Its environmental importance is due to the fluvial-karst canyon, with vertical slopes over gypsum materials; to the autochthonous pine forest of Aleppo pines, unique in the province of Malaga; to the gallery woodland that shelters the stream; and to the presence of geological singularities, such as the outcrop of ophites.

It is a space with exceptional natural values, worthy of special protection. The preservation of its flora, fauna and geomorphological features of special beauty (it shows one of the best examples of fluvial and karst formations in gypsum across Andalusia), are reasons enough for this space to be included in the list of protected natural spaces.

Particularly remarkable is the Paraje de Las Lagunillas, in the northern part of La Hoz de Marín. Lakes and seasonal ponds proliferate there, caused by the water accumulation in depressions formed by the dissolution of the gypsum materials that compose it (sinkholes/dolines).