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| − | NOTE: Some of the pictures shown in the search come either from [[Tablas de Daimiel National Park]] which has its own article, or from steppic areas around the wetlands covered | + | NOTE: Some of the pictures shown in the search come either from [[Tablas de Daimiel National Park]] which has its own article, or from steppic areas around the wetlands covered. Search for more specific photos under each article |
''Content and images originally posted by Fernando Alonso (fdokykcu)'' | ''Content and images originally posted by Fernando Alonso (fdokykcu)'' | ||
Revision as of 10:31, 12 April 2016
Overview
This entry provides general information and an index on several groups of shallow wetlands located in the corner between the provinces of Ciudad Real, Cuenca and Toledo, about 150 km SW from Madrid.
Associated to the Westen La Mancha aquifer, most of them were in origin endorheic shallow lakes or lagunas (laguna in Spanish stands for a shallow inland lake, so it has a different meaning from the English term lagoon, which sounds similar but indicates a coastal one), drying out completely during summer and developing saline or hypersaline ecosystems, although other wetland types as riverine flood areas were also found (i.e. confluence of Gigüela and Záncara river near Alcázar de San Juan). Size does not exceed 200 Ha for the larger ones. Tablas de Daimiel National Park, located at the western end of the aquifer, and the nearby Laguna de Navaseca are treated on its own.
Some of these wetlands are located close to small towns and now receive some of their treated/untreated sewage, having lost as a result most of their saline character. Many have developed a fringe of Phragmites reeds instead of the original prairies of Salicornia ramosissima, Salsola soda, Suaeda sp and several Limonium sp, becoming also more permanent and eutrophic. In some places Tamarix bushes have been planted in the shore. Those subjected to the more extreme natural hydrological conditions develop extensive salt pans during the dry season.
The degree and extent of inundation changes from year to year. In a normal year you can expect to find all of them dry from July until October (the smaller ones may dry out sooner), with the exception of Laguna Grande and Laguna Chica at Lagunas de Villafranca, Los Charcones at Lagunas de Miguel Esteban and perhaps Laguna de la Veguilla at Lagunas de Alcázar. Of those receiving treated/untreated sewage, some are managed to dry out to avoid botulism.
The plains surrounding these wetlands offer an agricultural landscape of cereal, vineyards and olive trees with an increasing proportion of irrigation fields, but still maintaining drier steppe-like areas which hold a healthy population of steppic birds.
The area was designated Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1981.
Areas of interest
Includes nearly thirty shallow lakes distributed in seven major groups. All of them are protected under Natura 2000 network and three of them: Laguna de Manjavacas,Lagunas de Alcázar and Laguna de Pedro Muñoz have been also designated as RAMSAR sites.
An article has been included for each of them:
Lagunas de Alcázar
Laguna de Manjavacas
Laguna de Pedro Muñoz
Lagunas de Lillo
To do
Lagunas de Quero
To do
Lagunas de Miguel Esteban
To do
Lagunas de Villafranca
To do
History and Use
In the early 1950’s an estimated area of over 35.000 Has of wetlands existed in the middle of one of the most dry areas of the Iberian Peninsula, La Mancha, the renowned home to Don Quixote. They constituted a major resting place for wintering wildfowl and migrating aquatic birds, as well as a European importance site for some breeding species. At that time wetlands were considered a nuisance and a sanitary issue (malaria being endemic) by everyone except for some families of fishermen who lived on them, mainly at what later become Tablas de Daimiel National Park.
In 1956 an Act for “sanitation and colonization“ of these wetlands provided the funding and legal support needed to start their destruction to favour agricultural development. The first actions consisted mainly in the drainage systems and the channelization of most rivers, having a dramatic effect on inundation periods and extension of these wetlands. Slowly awareness grew about the damage being inflicted on them and its real value. In 1973 Las Tablas de Daimiel became national park, and in 1981 the whole area was named Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO.
But only five years later nearly 20,000 of the remaining 25,000 Has were at great risk. In fact, it was from late 1970’s onwards when the irrigation fever exploded without any control by political powers within the aquifer, which feeds both the area of Tablas de Daimiel National Park (on its western end) and the wetlands included in this entry (on its central and eastern side), depleting it.
In 1987 an obvious black landmark was reached when aquifer levels dropped so much that water finally ceased to flow from the springs of “Los Ojos” of river Guadiana feeding the National Park. In 2008 the peat in accumulated for centuries in the beds of the now dry lakes ignited spontaneously originating a massive subsurface fire within the limits of Las Tablas that lasted for months and was only finished during the extremely wet 2011. Ploughing, dumping and pollution completed the aggressions suffered by the remaining wetlands.
Although conservation measures have gained strength in the last three decades, there is still an ongoing dualism within the public administration: the same office that is developing conservation measures for these wetlands is also responsible of promoting irrigation in the officially declared over-exploited aquifer. In fact, the Water Authority itself recognized in 2005 the existence of 22,000 illegal compared to the 16,000 legal ones in this area. As late as 2011 the regional government was still promoting the change to trellised vineyards instead of the traditional ones, even inside Nature 2000 protected wetlands, a new and distinct threat for steppic birds living around them. The remains of what once was a mighty wetland area are still fighting for their survival.
Access and Facilities
The whole area is roughly encompassed between three highways: A-4, CM-42 and AP-36 (toll), and a national road, N-420, making access easy by car from Madrid in about 1h 30 min. The roads in between are well paved and signposted. Alcázar de San Juan is the biggest town in the area (pop. 35,000), and is also linked by railway to Madrid, Albacete, Ciudad Real and Jaén. Accommodation and restaurants are readily available in the area.
While binoculars may be enough at times at Laguna de Pedro Muñoz, the two inner hides of La Veguilla at Lagunas de Alcázar and at Los Charcones at Lagunas de Miguel Esteban, a scope is invaluable for all the other wetlands, as distances involved are usually large.
Other facilities available at each site are described in each article.
Contact Details
See under each article
External Links
NOTE: Some of the pictures shown in the search come either from Tablas de Daimiel National Park which has its own article, or from steppic areas around the wetlands covered. Search for more specific photos under each article
Content and images originally posted by Fernando Alonso (fdokykcu)
