Serra do Xurés is the Galician name for a range of mountains which straddle the border between Spain and Portugal: the Portuguese variant is Gerês.

[2] The importance of the site from an ecological point of view is due to the wealth of forest ecosystems and bogs and a high level of endemic species that has been developed by climatic influences from the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean.

[3] The park's flora is characterized by a deciduous forest with Pyrenean oak (Quercus pyrenaica), birch (Betula pubescens/Betula celtiberica) and Mediterranean elements such as Arbutus unedo and higher altitude holly (Ilex aquifolium).

There are several relic plants, including Portuguese laurel (Prunus lusitanica), a species that colonizes the ravines and other areas that have high humidity.

Some amphibians and reptiles that can be found in the park are the Iberian wall lizards (Podarcis bocagei/Podarcis guadarramae) and the viperine snake (Natrix maura).