The Madriu-Perafita-Claror Valley is a glacial valley in the southeast of Andorra. It covers an area of 42.47 square km, approximately 9% of the total area of Andorra, and is part of the second largest watershed basin in Andorra. The isolated valley is recognised as a haven for rare or endangered wildlife, and the undeveloped valley has recently been considered to be the "spiritual heart" of Andorra. The valley is a glacial landscape, with high pastures, craggy cliffs and steep wooded valleys. The Madriu-Perafita-Claror Valley is a glacial valley in the southeast of Andorra. It covers an area of 42.47 km², approximately 9% of the total area of Andorra, and is part of the second largest watershed basin in Andorra. The isolated valley is recognised as a haven for rare or endangered wildlife, and the undeveloped valley has recently been considered to be the "spiritual heart" of Andorra. It became Andorra's first, and to date its only, UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004, with a small extension in 2006. The valley is a glacial landscape, with high pastures, craggy cliffs, and steep wooded valleys. It is bounded by mountain ridges to the south, east and west, with the southern edge running along the border with Spain, and by an escarpment which drops away into the Valira valley to the north. It is isolated from the rest of Andorra, and can only be reached by tracks passable on foot. Dwellings, field terraces, tracks, and the remains of ironworking demonstrate the ways that the natural resources of the high Pyrenees were used by the local inhabitants over a period of over 700 years, through changes in climate, economic prosperity, and social structures. Two small settlements, Entremesaigues and Ramio, are situted in the narrow valley floor. Both were year-round settlements until the last 50 years, but both are now occupied only in the summer. There are 12 houses in all, constructed from local granite with schist roofs. Each house has a large barn for storage of grain and hay. The houses and the enclosed areas near the settlements are the only areas owned privately, accounting for approximately 1% of the area of the valley.
Like most of the territory of Europe, the Madriu-Perafita-Claror Valley is not virgin land. Man has used it, crossed it and enjoyed it for centuries, moulding a landscape in which his imprint is everywhere present. The main historical uses of this zone were farming (tillage, animal husbandry and forestry), iron working and hydroelectric power. As a result of these uses, numerous human elements have come down to us which, situated in a unique natural environment, make up the cultural landscape of the Madriu-Perafita-Claror Valley. The structure of the vegetation has also been modified by all these activities, the imprint of which has often to be read indirectly starting with meadows sited on forest land, terraces made on steep slopes or birch woods replacing old-growth pine woods. At present the Madriu-Perafita-Claror Valley is the scene for new leisure related activities, among which one should note trekking, mountaineering, observation of nature, hunting and fishing. Man continues to use this territory inasmuch as it is suited to present reality, combining new demands and traditional activities, some of which, such as animal husbandry (cows and horses) still have a significant presence and contribute in an essential manner to the maintenance of the landscape. Hunting and fishing, the first with significant changes compared to traditional usage, maintain an active presence. Finally, there are two concessionaries using resources in the Madriu valley: Forces Elèctriques d'Andorra (FEDA), the authority responsible for the hydroelectric power use of the waters of the Madriu and Companyia d'Aigües Potables d'Escaldes-Engordany (CAPESA), which supplies drinking water to Escaldes-Engordany. In both cases, the contribution of the Madriu-Perafita-Claror Valley is generous and very important if we bear in mind that the water from the Madriu catchment area enables the production of 11% of the electricity produced in the country and the supply of drinking water to 20% of the country's inhabitants.
The cultural landscape of Madriu-Perafita-Claror Valley offers a microcosmic perspective of the way people have harvested the resources of the high Pyrenees over millennia. Its dramatic glacial landscapes of craggy cliffs and glaciers, with high open pastures and steep wooded valleys, covers an area of 4,247 ha, 9% of the total area of the principality. It reflects past changes in climate, economic fortune and social systems, as well as the persistence of pastoralism and a strong mountain culture, notably the survival of a communal land-ownership system dating back to the 13th century. The site features houses, notably summer settlements, terraced fields, stone tracks and evidence of iron smelting. Criterion (v): The Madriu-Perafita-Claror Valley is a microcosm of the way its inhabitants have harvested the scarce resources of the high Pyrenees over the past millennia to create a sustainable living environment in harmony with the mountain landscape. The Valley is a reflection of an ancient communal system of land management that has survived for over 700 years.
