Areas of naturalistic interest included in the Territorial Planning Guidelines (DOT)

Mapping of areas of naturalistic interest included in the Guidelines for Territorial Planning of the Basque Country (DOT) at 1:25,000 (year 1997). Law 4/1990 of 31 May 1990 on the Planning of the Territory of the Basque Country defines the spatial planning instruments of the Basque Country. Among them, the Guidelines for Territorial Planning (DOT) constitute the general framework of reference and they will have to be amended the rest of the documents that are made. The aforementioned Law establishes, as one of the determinations to be included in DOTs, “the delimitation and precise definition of the areas or areas that should be subject to special protection in order to preserve their ecological, cultural or economic values and ensure, where appropriate, the rational exploitation of the natural resources existing therein, in accordance with the specific legislation in each applicable case”. For these areas is included a regulation, with a binding nature, that refers to the uses and activities in them prohibited, admissible or propitiated. In addition, in the DOT a “Open List of Areas of Naturalistic Interest” is attached, as spaces to be taken into account by territorial, sectoral and municipal planning in order to preserve their ecological, cultural and economic values. In some cases, these areas have already been included (in whole or in part) in other protection figures.