Natural Park of s'Albufera
de Mallorca
S'Albufera de Mallorca is
a wetland area, of approximately 2,580 ha with a perimeter of 32 kilometres,
embracing part of the municipality of Alcúdia, Muro and sa Pobla,
and has had extraordinary economic and ecological importance in this zone
of the island. It is important not to confuse this lagoon, known as the
big one, with the small lagoon at Pollença.
A large part of s'Albufera
(1,700 hectares) conserves its natural characteristics intact, which make
it a privileged place to be with an important environmental worth because
it has remained relatively undisturbed for a long time period.
It is necessary to point
out, however, that on the 3rd of November 2000 a fire destroyed a total
of 450 ha of the area, 440 ha of which belonged to the Natural Park. Luckily,
it wasn't the nesting season and the ecological consequences haven't been
too devastating. In the spring of 2001 it will be possible to enjoy a total
recovery of the affected area.
Here, the main vegetation
is the canyet and the cesquera plants, which were formerly used on the
island for, amongst other things, feeding livestock. During the months
of summer, the sea water floods into s'Albufera, which during the rest
of the year is nourished by fresh water running from the high ground. This
causes salted earth. In these lands saltworts and rushes grow, but also
it should be noted that so do elm trees, tamarisks and albàs.
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The fauna that inhabits s'Albufera
is as diverse as abundant. Counting only birds, there are about 230 species
that live, nest or spend some time in this protected natural space. Of
the ones that nest, it is important to highlight the coot, the cap-blau,
the suís, the avisador and sedge-warble. However, there are also
many migratory species which stop only to rest, such as flamingos or the
limícoles, and also those who spend the whole winter such as ducks,
herons... In the wetland areas, fish such as eels, sea-pechs, silverfish,
amphibians and reptiles are also abundant.
With the arrival of mass
tourism in the sixties, the landscape in the region of s'Albufera was dramatically
altered along the coastal area, when large spaces were built on and lakes
and canals were constructed around the hotels and apartment blocks.
To put a halt to this process
and preserve the richness of the biggest wetland area of Majorca, the Balearic
Government approved, in 1988, the creation of the first Natural Park of
the Balearic Islands, with a total of 1,700 ha protected. Also, the area
was declared ZEPA (Bird Special Protection Zone), and a Biosphere Reserve.
Also, s'Albufera is included in the Ramsar treaty for the protection of
wetlands.
Maritime and terrestrial
National Park of Cabrera
The archipelago of Cabrera
is one of the most important natural spaces within Spanish territory. The
High Court declared it a National Maritime-Terrestrial Park in 1991 because
of its exceptional natural and landscape value. The Park is located in
the south of Majorca, 10 kms from Ses Salines and 12 km from Colònia
de Sant Jordi. It consists of a total number of 18 islands and islets,
which sum a total surface area of 1,836 ha.
The island of Cabrera is
the largest one, with a coastal perimeter of 38 kilometres, an extension
of 1,569 ha and a maximum elevation of 172 meters at the spot known as
na Picamosques. The Illa dels Conills, with 137 hectares and a height of
122 meters is the second island of importance. The rest are islets, most
of which are almost inaccessible.
However, the status of National
Park has been designated to more than just the islands. In fact, the insular
land totals only about 18% of the 10,000 hectares which compose the protected
space, the rest is of a marine element. Anyway, the total of the park,
the terrestrial and marine space, enjoy an optimum amount of conservation
that, together with its isolated position, make it one of the most valued
ecological places of the western Mediterranean.
One of the most peculiar
characteristics of the National Park of Cabrera is the presence of some
environmental conditions which are slightly different on each individual
islet throughout the archipelago, so it is possible to find endemic species
or particular varieties of each one. From all the endemic species, the
lizard should be highlighted as it can be divided into about ten sub-species
that have developed in different parts of Cabrera because of the fast rhythm
of its evolution. This surprising evolutionary process depends on the dispersion
capacity of each animal or plant specie
Birds, as usually happens
around coastal areas, are very numerous in the National Park of Cabrera.
However, the most important fact is that in the whole of the islands some
breeding colonies have been established of some of the most important marine
birds of the Balearic Islands. In the case of the Audouin seagull, the
cormorant, the virot, the puffin and the noneta. Also present are such
species as the falcó comú, the falcó de la reina,
the osprey and the falcó eleonora.
As for the vegetation of
the area, it is determined by the limited space of the islets, the climate
conditions, the salinity and amount of sunshine. These are some environmental
singularities that simplify the ecosystems considerably. Cabrera is covered
with the brushwood of wild olive trees, savines and some areas, pine trees.
The biggest contribution
to the national network of National Parks is the protection of a large
marine area. The transparency of the water has allowed the development
of large plant communities. The sea bed is home for numerous subaquatic
flora and fauna.
The underwater areas around
Cabrera are covered with the endemic posidònia oceànica of
the Mediterranean seaboard, and are a perfect space for the preservation
and reproduction of many animal species, such as crustacea, molluscs, equinoderms
or fish.
Another species that should
be mentioned in any discussion on Cabrera is the vell marí (foca
monjo), even though its presence is very sporadic and becoming more infrequent,
as the vell marí has practically become extinct in the Mediterranean,
the reason why it is a very appreciated and protected animal.
However, the queen of the
marine life in Cabrera is the turtle. They are very resistant animals,
gradually becoming more and more scarce, and can live up to a year without
eating and have a longevity of more than a century.
These aquatic reptiles evolved
from tortoises, and have varied in morphology to adapt themselves to the
water. In spite of this, they still maintain links, because their breathing
is aerial and they lay their eggs on the beach. However, it's a fact that
they have transformed their legs into flippers to be able to swim faster
that their terrestrial cousins can walk.
These animals lay between
one hundred and two hundred eggs, but just a few will become adult turtles
because of predators. This, coupled with sea water contamination, fishing
and the actions of people have combined to make the turtle an endangered
species. |
