de l'albufera English version Parc Natural de l'Albufera [email protected] Centro de Información "Racó de l'Olla" Carretera El Palmar S/N 46012 - Valencia Aproximadamente en el kilómetro 10,5 de la Ctra CV-500 hay que desviarse en dirección El Palmar. Nada más incorporarnos en este desvío encontraremos el acceso al aparcamiento a unos 50 mts. a la izquierda. Assistance from: Tel. 96 162 73 45 http://parquesnaturales.gva.es Layout: Benjamín Albiach Galán Kun.Xusa Beltrán Photography: Benjamín Albiach Galán G. B. Map Design: Pau Pérez Puigcerver Printing this material has been possible thanks to the Cooperation Agreement source: ICV (Cartographic Institute of Valencia) signed on 21st April 2006 by the Caja de Ahorros y Pensiones de Barcelona, "la Caixa" and the Generalitat Valenciana (Autonomous Community Authority) for Undertaking Texts: Environmental educacion team the Integral Management Plan for Conservation of the Natural Systems of the Printed: Centro Especial de Empleo, IVADIS Valencian Communitys Network of Nature Reserves. Legal Deposit: Date declared a Nature Reserve: 8th July 1986 Included in List of Wetlands of International Importance Ramsar Conference: 8th May 1990 Date declared ZEPA area: (Zone of Special Protection for Birds) 8th June 1994 Date of approval of PORN: (Plan for Administration of Natural Resources) 16th May 1995 Date of approval of PRUG: (Plan for Governing Usage and Management) 19th November 2004 Municipalities inside the Reserve: L’Albufera Nature Reserve, in the south of Valencia, covers a surface area of 21,120 hectares, spread over thirteen municipalities: Valencia, Alfafar, Sedaví, Massanassa, Catarroja, Albal, Beniparrell, Silla, Sollana, Sueca, Cullera, Albalat de la Ribera and Algemesí. Its geological origin dates back thousands of years ago to a shoreline gulf that was separated from the Mediterranean sea through the sedimentation brought down by the Túria and Xùquer rivers. At the present time the Albufera Nature Reserve has a large number protected habitats included in the Habitats Directive. This great variety of mor- phological aspects can be defined in three overall environments: · The coastal sandbar. This is the sediment that separated the whole system from the sea. Here one can still find a well-conserved dune line, in which there is a good sample of the vegetation proper to Mediterranean Máquia and malladas, small areas of brackish waters, lying between the dunes and the “Devesa” forest system. · The rice fields, forming the environment with the greatest surface area, (14000 hectares), as this cov- ers two thirds of the total surface area of the nature reserve. Originally, when it was closed off, the sur- face occupied by seawater gradually turned into a large marsh of brackish waters to end up forming, from the 15th century onwards with rice-growing, one of Spain’s main rice-production areas. Criss- crossed by a large network of irrigation ditches and channels, its cycles of flooding and waterlogging make it one of the main feeding areas for the rich Albufera birdlife. There are small springs which are locally known as ullals scattered mainly over the western sector. · The Albufera lake is a coastal system with a sur- face area of 3000 hectares of shallow waters, with around 300 hectares of banks and islets on which dense swampland vegetation grows. It is important through its significance in regulating the water flow in the rice fields, as well as through its ecological and landscape value. Spectacular sunset over the Albufera lake. The only place in the Valencian Community where you can see the sun set over water ! B. Albiach Galán B. Albiach Galán B. Albiach Galán Farming in the reserve is associated with Fishing in the lake is done in the tradi- rice-growing tional way. History There have traditionally been three main uses of this At present fishing for sea bass and eels has dropped area – farming associated with rice-growing, fishing considerably, while fishing for the mullet and and hunting. American red crayfish (a species introduced in the 1980s) has increased. Fishing was legally recognised in 1250, which is when the fishing regulations for El Palmar Fishermen’s Rice-growing is another traditional usage of this area, Community (residents of Russafa who finally settled but much more recent (17th century) and has great on El Palmar island to work more conveniently) economic and environmental significance. As well as were set up, these later being applied to those of the major work as a green filter of the 14000 hectares Silla and Catarroja. Until the industrialisation of the surrounding the lake it has a role as the Reserve’s Lake’s area of influence, fishing provided major eco- pantry, thanks to the large population of water inver- nomic returns, as the clear waters of the lake pro- tebrates and small macrophytes which act as food for vided a large amount of fish (“gambeta”, “petxinot”, large numbers of the bird population. eels, sea bass, etc.). Vegetation Most of the reserve’s surface area is taken up by rice crops and by the lake or lagoon itself, which means that the autochthonous vegetation is limited on one hand to the channels, the “ullal” springs, areas bordering the paddy-fields and on the other side the sandy coastal strip, particularly the Devesa and line of dunes. On the sandy beaches of the Nature Reserve, as well as on the immediate dunes, there is a set of plants adapting to the harsh conditions of these environ- ments, where wind and high salinity are prevalent. Here one can find the borró grass, as well as the sealily and sea bindweed, amongst others. On the stabilised sandy area behind the dune zone there are patches of plurispecific bushland, amongst which the presence of lentisk and Italian buckthorn stand out. The vegetation of the inter-dune salt marshes has settled in soils that are particularly enriched with salts and regularly waterlogged. The dominant botanical species are the saltworts, which form a sub-environment of great importance due to their scanty presence in the Valencian Community. In the areas where there is freshwater and less brackish substrates, one can find diverse botanical communities associated with wetlands, formed mainly by submerged and floating swamp plants, of great diversity and special importance. The sub- merged plants or macrophytes have the best popu- lations in the ullal springs and in the channels with best water quality. As for the swamp vegetation of waterlogged zones, the prominent species are giant reeds, reed mace, saw-sedges and the Kosteletzkya pentacarpos or “trencadalla”, mainly spread over the islets in the lake. Fat duckweed (Lemna giba) B. Albiach Galán B. Albiach Galán B. Albiach Galán Garcilla bueyera (Bubulcus ibis) Samaruc (Valencia hispanica) Fauna Plentiful and diverse, the Albufera fauna includes At breeding time, the Albufera Nature Reserve is of some endemic Mediterranean creatures, as well as great importance through its colonies of herons, numerous protected species. Crustaceans known as which usually exceed 5,000 pairs. Installed in the “gambetas”, molluscs of the Unio and Anodonta densest part of the lagoon’s reed beds, there is a genera and fish from the ciprinodontidae family such major population of squacco heron or “oroval”, as as the samaruc and the fartet. well as of the purple heron or “agró roig”, accompa- nied by the more plentiful cattle egret or “esplu- As for birds, the Nature Reserve is of utmost impor- gabous” and the little egret or “garceta”. tance in the European context. According to the Generalitat, over 350 species of birds have been The colonies of terns make the Reserve the second observed at some time and from 240 to 250 of these most important in the Iberian peninsula for these birds. are regular visitors every year, 90 of these customar- There are over 6000 nesting pairs, of which the com- ily breeding here. mon terns and the sandwich tern and the black-winged stilts or “camallonga” are the most numerous. In winter there is a predominance of anatidae, with numbers around 20,000 specimens. The most plen- Other nesting species that are rare or scanty are the tiful species is the mallard or “coll vert”, and also a marbled teal or “rosseta”, the common shelduck prominent presence of the red-crested pochard or “tadorna” and Audouin’s gull or “gavina corsa” which “sivert”, the northern shoveler or “bragat” and the over recent years has been settling as a regular nest- common pochard, “boix”. ing bird here. E: 1/9.000 Mallada de l’Hospitalet CV-500 Lago de l’Albufera al Palmar al Perelló (Sueca) ---> ---> B. Albiach Galán Group of schoolchildren ready to set off on the Racó de l’Olla route RACÓ Route Duration: 2 hours. Two routes start from the centre Recommendations: We advise you to take binoculars. The path on the left leads to an observatory located on the “Northern” lagoon [2], where you will be On your visit to the Racó de l’Olla Information Centre, able to observe the birds in their natural habitat. The you will enjoy a wonderful view of the Nature Reserve route along this direction is through a system of sta- from the Observation tower, from which you will be ble dunes, where you will enjoy seeing the plant-life able to see a large variety of birds from the Wooden so characteristic of this environment. Observatory, learn along the two paths about the plant species adapting to these peculiar conditions and Special mention should go to the prickly juniper visit the exhibitions in the Caballerizas Centre. (Juniperus oxycedrus ssp. macrocarpa), a species with its habitat in the coastal sand areas of the Mediterranean. The route starts at the Information Centre [1]. Here This plant is of great interest, amongst other reasons you will find a small exhibition about the Racó de l’Olla through its scarcity due to the expansion of urban reserve and an observation tower from which you can development along the coast.