The Albufera Natural Park, A Wetland Of International Importance In The Valencia Region, Threatened By Water Pollution And Unsusta Royalty-Free Stock Photo

The Albufera de Valencia l’Albufera, in Catalan is a freshwater coastal lagoon located some 10 km to the south of the city of València. It constitutes the core of the Parc Natural de l`Albufera de València. It is also a Ramsar Site included in in the list of wetlands of international importance for birds under the Ramsar Convention. Besides its natural diversity, the Albufera also has a rich agricultural and ethnographical heritage. Rice has been cultivated there since the XVIII century. However, despite its protected status, the Albufera natural park is threatened by weak water management. The water quality in the lagoon and the rice paddies often surpasses the pollution thresholds, mostly because of the excessive use of fertilizers in the hydrographic basin around the lagoon and also due to sewage pollution in this densely populated area. More recently, a project to enlarge the already vast commercial port of València city has come to jeopardise the Albufera’s future. Hydrographical modelling has shown that the enlargement of the harbour will cause a drastic increase of the coastal erosion in the sand barrier that keeps the lagoon separated from the sea. This in turn would facilitate saltwater intrusion, potentially destroying the natural habitat. If the sand barrier was intensively eroded, it might even disappear.