The publication analyses the political, institutional, legislative, socio-economic and cultural context in which the process that culminated in the declaration of a protected area (PA), the Montgó Natural Park, was triggered, and its evolution and impact on the development of the Marina Alta region and, in particular, the municipalities of Dénia and Jávea. As a case study, this PA has allowed the conservation and protection of nature to be addressed in densely urbanised territorial contexts with an economic orientation marked by residential and mass tourism, as is the case of a large part of the coastal strip of the Valencian Community. On the other hand, the research has focused on the analysis of a factor that has been scarcely dealt with in the genesis of protected areas: leadership in the collective initiatives and actions that culminate in the declaration of a "protected enclave". Understanding the concerns, interests or expectations of certain people or small groups of social actors is often essential in order to unravel the logics maintained in the articulation of the declaration process or, even, of positions openly opposed to this protection that manage to abort this process. 

Ana María Campo Muñoz has a degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Valencia, a degree in Social and Cultural Anthropology from the UNED and a PhD in Social Sciences from the University of Valencia. She has worked as a technician of Endangered Species and technician of Protected Natural Spaces in the Generalitat Valenciana. She is president of the association Observatorio del Vinalopó; president of the Participation Council of the Protected Landscape of the Sierra del *Maigmó and Sierra del *Sit; and researcher on issues related to informal networks of biodiversity conservation in the province of Alicante. She is currently working on the *Goberpark project, which aims to understand the evolution of the management of natural parks and analyse the situation through a multidisciplinary approach, funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation and the ERDF programme.