Los wetlands are all those areas with a good water retention capacity, which can vary in size and flow according to the times of the year and the cycles of rainfall. There are gaps and swamps that can be permanent and other spaces that have a high water variability.
Each wetland is an ecosystem by itself and has its own associated biodiversitySometimes, with a large number of endemisms. They are also a source of resources for humans, excellent carbon sinks, water filtration and purification spaces and much more.
Protect Castellanomano wetlands
The regional government is making an important investment effort for seven million euros between 2022 and 2026 to address numerous Murse improvement, conservation and restoration actions In Castilla-La Mancha, within the framework of the funds of the recovery, transformation and resilience.
“These initiatives reflect a continuous commitment of the government of President García-Page with the preservation of these valuable ecosystems for future generations” In this way, the Minister of Sustainable Development, Mercedes Gómez, has explained during her visit on Monday to La Larguna de Villacañas, on the occasion of World Wetlands Day, on February 2, where she has been accompanied by the Vice Minister of Media Environment, José Almodóvar; and the mayor of the municipality, Juan Ángel Almonacid.
As the counselor recalled, this year the motto chosen has been to ‘protect wetlands for our common future’ and aims “that citizens contribute to conserve and protect wetlands as fundamental ecosystems that support life, but that They are also regulators of the water cycle, Natural treatment players, provide food and subsistence means, regulate the weather and are important carbon sinks. ”
In this context, the counselor has indicated that protecting wetlands is essential, not only to preserve biodiversity, but also for guarantee the resilience of the planet against global challenges as climate change. “The loss of these ecosystems entails the extinction of species and an ecological imbalance that directly affects the quality of human life.” And, of course, Gomez has not wanted to miss “its cultural and recreational value, being inspiration for local traditions and activities such as ecotourism, providing important economic benefits in the territories.”
Works in the Larguna de Villacañas
The action that the counselor has visited in the Larguna Larguna de Villacañas will have an investment of 442,329 euros for the rehabilitation of the green filter. This project consists of building a green filter of macrophytes at the exit of the Villacañas treatment plant, performing the corrective actions necessary to put it into operation again, remeding the Defects found regarding water regulationas well as establish criteria for subsequent maintenance. “In this way, the characteristics of the water that reaches the Laguna Long will be improved and will contribute to the conservation of the biodiversity of the environment,” said Mercedes Gómez.
In addition, there are two complementary actions associated with this lagoon that will be executed in 2025. On the one hand, they are going to perform conservation worksuch as the realization of islands for the conservation of different species of aquatic birds, the improvement of paths or the preparation of the plant associated with the green filter, for an amount of 48,327 euros and the collaboration of the Global Nature Foundation.
On the other hand, an action will be carried out for the installation of a flow rate of flow to the water control and ensure the complete purification of all the waters to the ditch that leads to the Lar Construction of a dike to avoid the passage of water without debugging within the ditch itself, with a total budget of 315,857 euros.
“Therefore, an important investment that exceeds 806,000 euros, which will undoubted emphasized Gómez.
Wetlands improvement projects
Other relevant projects that are being carried out in the region with MRR funds, are the karst valley of the Hacadillas, in the Lagunas Natural Park of Ruidera (between Ciudad Real and Albacete), for an amount of 467,333 euros; the restoration of numerous wetlands in municipal terms of Pedro Muñoz, Pozol of Calatrava, Alcazar of
Also in the province of Cuenca, The restoration of the tobaceous barrier of the nail lagoonin the Natural Park of the Serranía de Cuenca, which consists of the restoration of the waterfall, recovering the geological processes of carbonate deposition on that barrier, with the amount of 209,582 euros; and the plant habitat restoration project, in the flier and the tables, with the removal of waste for an amount of 229,128 euros.
In addition to the Road improvement in the Natural Reserve of La Laguna de la Sal, in Villafranca de los Caballeros; and performances in La Laguna de Lillo, both in the province of Toledo; or the restoration of the Salado River basin, in Guadalajara.
Daimiel Tables and other performances
Gómez recalled the work that is already being carried out between the Government of Castilla-La Mancha and the State, within the framework of priority actions for the Recovery of the Daimiel National Parkby implementing measures oriented to the restoration of ecosystem functionality and biodiversity conservation.
“Since last year, the Regional Government is working with the willingness to agree on future solutions for the National Park and the socio -economic development of the area. Measures that will be agreed with users of the environment, in order to guarantee that all environmental actionseconomic and social that are applied allow the recovery of the underground aquifer and the development is guaranteed ”. Currently the flood is found at 11.65 percent of the lagoon vessel, with an flooded surface of about 200 hectares.
In addition, there is another project that is being launched, together with the Ministry of Ecological Transition, the Biodiversity Foundation and several autonomous communities. “We are in the first phase for the implementation of an interesting European Project Integrated Wetland Restoration Life at the national level”, Said the counselor.
Finally, Mercedes Gómez has referred to the monitoring project of aquatic avifauna threatened in Castilla-La Mancha and that are the subject of national coordinated censuses, such as the Malvasía Cabeciblanca, Cerceta Pardilla, Porrón Pardo and Moruna Focha, all of them are included in the ‘end of extinction’ category. The project is oriented for technical support in matters related to the monitoring of the species, detection of possible problems for its conservation and proposals that favor the definitive settlement of these species in the region.
Castilla-La Mancha houses a large group of wetlands in its territoryabout 500, of varied typology and high environmental value, and among them eight wetlands, such as La Laguna de Manjavacas, Laguna del Prado, Lagunar Complex of Alcázar de San Juan, Tables of Daimiel, Lagunas de Puebla de Beleña, Laguna de El Mile and Ruidera lagoons, which are internationally recognized as wet areas of importance, according to the Ramsar Convention.