Guadalquivir Marshes

Last updated
Guadalquivir Marshes
Marismas del Guadalquivir
Las Marismas, Villafranco del Guadalquivir.jpg
Las Marismas del Guadalquivir landscape, depicting rice fields in the Isla Mayor area.
Spain location map with provinces.svg
Red pog.svg
Guadalquivir Marshes
Coordinates: 36°57′N6°19′W / 36.950°N 6.317°W / 36.950; -6.317 Coordinates: 36°57′N6°19′W / 36.950°N 6.317°W / 36.950; -6.317
Country Spain
Region Andalucia
Area
[1]
  Total2,000 km2 (800 sq mi)
Sunset at Las Marismas Sanlucar barrameda marisma1.jpg
Sunset at Las Marismas

The Guadalquivir Marshes (in Spanish : Marismas del Guadalquivir or simply Las Marismas) are a natural region of marshy lowlands on the lower Guadalquivir River.

Contents

The Las Marismas zone forms a large part of the province of Huelva, province of Seville and province of Cádiz in Andalucia, Spain. The area includes parts of the municipalities of Isla Mayor, Los Palacios y Villafranca, La Puebla del Río, Utrera, Las Cabezas de San Juan and Lebrija.

Rice farming in this area produces 40% of Spain's national crop. Some areas are protected for wildlife and habitat, including dunes.

History

Approximately two millennia ago the wetlands comprised a large lagoon and estuary, known as Lacus Ligustinus in Latin, leading to the Guadalquivir River mouth with some sand bars to the South. Over time the lake silted up, gradually transforming into marshland. [1] This silt has formed into a barrier of dunes extending approximately 70 kilometres (43 mi) along the coast, known as Arenas Gordas (English: "the fat sands"). [2]

The marquessate de las Marismas del Guadalquivir is a Spanish noble title named after the area; this noble title was created by Royal Decree of King Ferdinand VII in 1829 for Alejandro María Aguado y Ramírez de Estenoz. [3]

In the early 21st century, the Guadalquivir wetland region's main economic activity is agriculture, specialising in the cultivation of rice. An area of about 400 km² is devoted to rice farming. It has an annual output of about 310,000 metric tonnes, equating to approximately 40% of Spain's rice production.

Protected area

The wetland zone acts as a buffer zone between the human settlements of the Guadalquivir region and Doñana National Park, a protected area of marshland, streams, and sand dunes. The National Park was established in 1969 as a nature reserve when the World Wildlife Fund joined forces with the Spanish Government to purchase a substantial part of the local wetlands in order to preserve them. [4]

Fauna

The Las Marismas area is home to a large number of wildlife species. Commonly seen terrestrial animals include deer, lynx, and wild boars. Notable avian species include vultures, flamingos, herons, spoonbills, and ducks. The rare Spanish imperial eagle lives here, whose population is considered vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doñana National Park</span> National park in Andalucía, southern Spain

Doñana National Park or Parque Nacional y Natural de Doñana is a natural reserve in Andalucía, southern Spain, in the provinces of Huelva, Cádiz and Seville. It covers 543 km2 (209.65 sq mi), of which 135 km2 (52.12 sq mi) are a protected area. The park is an area of marshes, shallow streams, and sand dunes in Las Marismas, the delta where the Guadalquivir River flows into the Atlantic Ocean. It was established as a nature reserve in 1969 when the World Wildlife Fund joined with the Spanish government and purchased a section of marshes to protect it. The eco-system has been under constant threat by the draining of the marshes, the use of river water to boost agricultural production by irrigating land along the coast, water pollution by upriver mining, and the expansion of tourist facilities. It is named after Doña Ana de Silva y Mendoza, wife of the 7th Duke of Medina Sidonia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guadiana</span> River in the Iberian peninsula

The Guadiana River, or Odiana, is an international river defining a long stretch of the Portugal-Spain border, separating Extremadura and Andalusia (Spain) from Alentejo and Algarve (Portugal). The river's basin extends from the eastern portion of Extremadura to the southern provinces of the Algarve; the river and its tributaries flow from east to west, then south through Portugal to the border towns of Vila Real de Santo António (Portugal) and Ayamonte (Spain), where it flows into the Gulf of Cádiz. With a course that covers a distance of 829 kilometres (515 mi), it is the fourth-longest in the Iberian peninsula, and its hydrological basin extends over an area of approximately 68,000 square kilometres (26,000 sq mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guadalquivir</span> River in Spain

The Guadalquivir is the fifth-longest river in the Iberian Peninsula and the second-longest river with its entire length in Spain. The Guadalquivir is the only major navigable river in Spain. Currently it is navigable from the Gulf of Cádiz to Seville, but in Roman times it was navigable to Córdoba.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tartessos</span> Semi-mythical harbor city and the surrounding culture on the south coast of the Iberian Peninsula

Tartessos is, as defined by archaeological discoveries, a historical civilization settled in the region of Southern Spain characterized by its mixture of local Paleohispanic and Phoenician traits. It had a proper writing system, identified as Tartessian, that includes some 97 inscriptions in a Tartessian language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Province of Cádiz</span> Province of Spain

Cádiz is a province of southern Spain, in the southwestern part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is the southernmost part of mainland Spain, as well as the southernmost part of continental Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Province of Huelva</span> Province of Spain

Huelva is a province of southern Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is bordered by Portugal, the provinces of Badajoz, Seville, and Cádiz, and the Atlantic Ocean. Its capital is Huelva.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sanlúcar de Barrameda</span> Municipality in Andalusia, Spain

Sanlúcar de Barrameda, or simply Sanlúcar, is a city in the northwest of Cádiz province, part of the autonomous community of Andalucía in southern Spain. Sanlúcar is located on the left bank at the mouth of the Guadalquivir River opposite the Doñana National Park, 52 km from the provincial capital Cádiz and 119 km from Sevilla capital of the autonomous region Andalucía. Its population is 68,656 inhabitants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marismas Nacionales–San Blas mangroves</span> Mangrove ecoregion of the Pacific coast of Mexico

Marismas Nacionales–San Blas mangroves is a mangrove ecoregion of the Pacific coast of Mexico. The marismas nacionales stretches from Mazatlán, Sinaloa southwards to San Blas, Nayarit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ayamonte</span> Municipality in Andalusia, Spain

Ayamonte is a town and municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Huelva, Andalusia. It is located near the border with Portugal on the mouth of the Guadiana River. According to the 2015 census, the city had a population of 20,357 inhabitants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trebujena</span> Place in Andalusia, Spain

Trebujena is a city and municipality located in the province of Cádiz, part of Andalusia in southern Spain. The area is known for its labor movement and its vineyards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Costa de la Luz</span>

The Costa de la Luz is a section of the Andalusian coast in Spain facing the Atlantic. It extends from Tarifa in the south, along the coasts of the Province of Cádiz and the Province of Huelva, to the mouth of the Guadiana River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bajo Guadalquivir</span> Comarca in Andalusia, Spain

The comarca of Bajo Guadalquivir is a comarca straddling the provinces of Seville and Cadiz, in Andalucia, Spain. A Spanish comarca is roughly the equivalent of a county in the United States or Canada, a riding in the United Kingdom, or a Landkreis in Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isla Mayor</span> Municipality in Seville, Spain

Isla Mayor is a municipality located in the province of Seville, Spain. According to the 2009 census, the municipality has a population of 5873 inhabitants.

Olivares is a city located in the Province of Seville, Spain. According to the 2016 census (INE), the city has a population of 9480 inhabitants. It is located in the Aljarafe, the comarca downstream of the Guadalquivir and west of Seville. It borders Albaida to the west, Gerena to the north, Salteras to the east, and Sanlúcar la Mayor and Villanueva del Ariscal to the south. After the establishment of the House of Olivares, it grew in size and influence, becoming an important urban center in the Aljarafe.

The Doñana Disaster, also known as the Aznalcollar Disaster or Guadiamar Disaster, was an industrial accident in Andalusia, southern Spain. On 25 April 1998, a holding dam burst at the Los Frailes mine, near Aznalcóllar, Seville Province, releasing 4–5 million cubic metres of mine tailings. The acidic tailings, which contained dangerous levels of several heavy metals, quickly reached the nearby River Agrio, and then its affluent the River Guadiamar, travelling about 40 kilometres along these waterways before they could be stopped. The Guadiamar is the main water source for the Doñana National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the largest national parks in Europe. The cleanup operation took three years, at an estimated cost of €240 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alto Guadalquivir</span> Comarca in Andalusia, Spain

Alto Guadalquivir is a Spanish comarca in the province of Córdoba. It covers an area of 1,299 km², and has a population of 44,828 inhabitants. It borders the comarca of Valle de los Pedroches to the North; Campiña Este - Guadajoz to the South; Córdoba and the comarca of Valle del Guadiato to the West; and the province of Jaén to the East.

Veta la Palma Estate is a commercial fish farm in southern Spain. The aquaculture operation is part of the private business Pesquerías Isla Mayor, S.A. (PIMSA) at Isla Mayor, municipality of Puebla del Rio near Sevilla. PIMSA is part of Hisparroz, the leading Spanish company in rice seed production, is owned by the family Hernandez, whose industrial and commercial strategy is integrated within the group Ebro Foods. It is located on an island in the Guadalquivir river, 10 miles (16 km) inland from the Atlantic Ocean in Seville province of Spain. At 11,000 hectares it is the largest finca in the environs of Doñana National Park, and one of the biggest private properties in the province of Seville. It produces 1,200 tons of sea bass, bream, grey mullet, and shrimp each year. The fish food used in the farm's semi-extensive systems contains no dioxins, antibiotics or GMOs. Given its 32 km2 area this gives a yearly yield of 37 tons per square kilometer. The fisheries have attracted more than 200 species of migratory bird, many of which are endangered.

Antonio Cano Gea (1917–1987) was a Spanish naturalist, photographer and journalist. He was born in Serón in 1917 and died in Almería in 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marquess of Marismas del Guadalquivir</span> Hereditary title in the Peerage of Spain

Marquess of Marismas del Guadalquivir is a hereditary title in the Peerage of Spain, granted in 1829 by Ferdinand VII to Alejandro María Aguado, an important merchant banker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southwest Iberian Mediterranean sclerophyllous and mixed forests</span>

The Southwest Iberian Mediterranean sclerophyllous and mixed forests is a Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub ecoregion in southwestern Europe. It occupies the southwestern Iberian Peninsula, encompassing coastal lowlands and mountains in portions of Portugal and Spain.

References

  1. 1 2 F. Ruiz; A. Rodríguez-Ramírez; et al. (2002). "Cambios Paleoambientales en la desembocadura del río Guadalquivir durante el Holoceno reciente" (PDF). Geogaceta. Sociedad Geológica de España. 32: 167–170.
  2. 1 2 Scheffel, Richard L.; Wernet, Susan J., eds. (1980). Natural Wonders of the World . United States of America: Reader's Digest Association, Inc. pp.  231. ISBN   0-89577-087-3.
  3. Marquesado de las Marismas del Guadalquivir - Real Decreto de 20 de mayo de 1829
  4. WWF (April 2011). "For a living planet" (PDF). Gland, Switzerland: WWF-World Wide Fund For Nature (formerly World Wildlife Fund). pp. 18–19. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 21, 2012. Retrieved 6 April 2014.