Albufera Natural Park
| La Albufera | |
|---|---|
| L'Albufera | |
IUCN category VI (protected area with sustainable use of natural resources) | |
Barraca, typical construction of the Albufera | |
| Location | Spain |
| Nearest city | Valencian Community |
| Coordinates | 39°17′45″N 0°20′00″W / 39.295736°N 0.333453°W |
| Area | 21,120 ha |
| Established | July 8, 1986 |
| Visitors | 30,000 (in 2007) |
| Governing body | Decreto 89/1986 |
| Website | http://www.parquesnaturales.gva.es/va/web/pn-l-albufera |
|
Natural parks | |
The Albufera Natural Park (in Valencian Parc Natural de l'Albufera) or simply La Albufera (from the Arabic البحيرة al-Buḥayra, "the lake") is a Spanish protected natural area located in the province of Valencia, Valencian Community. It was referred to by the Romans as Nacarum Stagnum, and in some Arabic poems, it is referred to as "Mirror of the Sun".
The park covers an area of 21,120 hectares, including the Albufera wetlands and the coastal zone adjacent to both, and it is located approximately 10 kilometers to the south of Valencia. On July 8, 1986, the Generalitat Valenciana designated the area a natural park.
On October 23, 1990, the Special Protection Plan document for the Natural Park was approved (subsequently overturned by the Supreme Court of Spain). Additionally, on May 16, 1995, Decree 96/1995 was approved, which in turn approved the Natural Resources Management Plan (PORN, Plan de Ordenación de los Recursos Naturales) of the Albufera Hydrographic Basin. On November 19, 2004, the Council of the Generalitat Valenciana approved Decree 259/2004, which established the Albufera Master Plan for Use and Management (PRUG, Plan Rector de Uso y Gestión).
In 1902, the Valencian writer Vicente Blasco Ibáñez published the novel Cañas y barro, which is set in the Albufera region at the beginning of the 20th century.
The Albufera of Valencia is a shallow coastal lagoon with an average depth of 1 m and situated on the Mediterranean coast to the south of the city of Valencia. It occupies an area of 23.94 km2 and is surrounded by 223 km2 of rice fields. The Albufera's hydrographic basin encompasses an area of 917.1 km2, spanning from sea level to an altitude of approximately 1,000 meters above mean sea level. It is separated from the sea by a narrow sandy coastal bar, known as a restinga, which is stabilized by a pine forest, specifically the Dehesa de Saler. It serves as a migratory corridor for numerous avian species.
The Albufera is an important ecological area that supports endangered species like the fartet and the samaruc. It is also one of the few lagoons in the Valencian Community that has been preserved. The region's coastline used to have many lagoons and marshes. Some of these can still be seen, including the Marsh of Pego-Oliva, the Marsh of Jaraco, the Marsh of Rafalell and Vistabella, the Marjal del Moro in Puzol-Sagunto, and the Marsh of Almenara.