Work has begun on what will be the first eco-park in Andalucia, on the site of the former plant nursery in San Pedro de  Alcantara.

The Parque Forestal de los Tres Jardines will cover 9.5 hectares and include three different types of gardens.

The smallest will be a 5,000m2 Arab garden, the design of which has been researched in books dating from the 11th and 12th centuries. Water will play a large part in this garden and it will have pomegranate, olive, and fig trees.

The next garden will be 14,000m2 and will be planted with vegetation typical to Marbella, including jacaranda, orange trees, and oleander.

The largest garden of 20,000m2 will be dedicated to the Mediterranean, with a pine forest, shrubs, and riverside plants, and a 31,000m2 meadow, typical to the Iberian Peninsula.

The regional government has provided four million euros for the eco-park which should take 36 months to construct.

The water used to keep its tens of thousands of plants and trees alive will be either recycled or taken from rainwater.

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