On the upper side of the forestry track that we are following we can see non-littoral mediterranean heath (habitat 4030pt3), dominated by red heather (Erica australis) and prickled broom (Pterospartum tridentatum), a habitat included in European dry heathlands. It is worth mentioning that heathers attain their maximum diversity in the northwest of the Iberian peninsula.
In this location the heathers form a mosaic with encroaching acidophilic scrub (habitat 6160pt2), which fall within the oro-iberian pastures of Festuca indigesta. The species that characterise this community are small herbaceous plants such as Plantago radicata, Minuarta recurva and the rare Festuca summilusitana, Ornithogalum concinnum and Armeria humilis.
In this mosaic of habitats in the highest parts of the Serra Amarela, we can see common partridge (Alectoris rufa), Montagu’s harrier (Circus pygargus), northern wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe), rock thrush (Monticola saxatilis), psammodromus lizard (Psammodromus algirus) and the Lataste’s viper (Vipera latastei).