The cork oak is an endemic tree of the two western shores of the Mediterranean, that is to say, it has adapted neither to the climatic conditions nor to the ground of other zones of our planet. Until centuries ago, its wooded formation in pure state – the cork oak grove dominated practically the vegetation from Portugal and Morocco, to Italy. The action of the human being, plowing earth to satisfy its agricultural necessities or to provide grass to the cattle, and destroying the forests to use its wood in the construction or like fuel, has reduced the presence of this tree, that at the present time concentrates itself in Morocco and Tunisia, the South of Portugal, Andalucia, Extremadura and the North part of Cataluña in Spain; and, to a lesser extent, in the French Noon and the island of Córcega.

From the ecological point of view, it is what a tree denominates itself climax, that is to say, the forest species queen, the best one adapted and equipped to survive and to dominate his ecosystem. In addition it has a high capacity of protection and ground creation. The forests of cork oaks, located in subject zones of Mediterranean climate continuously to the desertificación risk, also constitute a green border front to the problems of loss of grounds and hydric resources. Hoisted and the their accompanying scrub as much acts numerous environmental as of great importance on local or regional scale like of all Mediterranean. The trees retain the ground with their roots, at the same time that with the glasses reduce the force with which the water of torrential rains erodes the land. Also they produce new and fertile ground thanks to the nutrients that pump of depth with their roots and to the foliage that give off continuously. When retaining the rainwater with its glasses and causing that it falls of more progressive form, aid to the progressive infiltration in the land. Also, their shade and the protection in front of the wind that offers its glass, reduce the evaporation and increase the availability of water in the dry Mediterranean zones.

The forests are of department store of Earth carbon, at this moment in which the consequences of the effect are afraid conservatory in the Earth climate. Not only in the trunks, branches and leaves of the trees, but also in their roots, the dead wood and the organic matter of the ground.