The Tamariz lagoon is of immemorial originbut as a consequence of the various Dragados of the Sequillo River, it almost completely discarded, which transformed their channel into a ditch that the hikers had to avoid, especially in the time of floods regarding the floods.
A few years ago, and thanks to the proximity of the channel, the Regional Administration He recovered the lagoon as a wetland with an informative purpose. And the birds, which are truly grateful as soon as they discovered a new puddle in which to stand and rest, or look for food, the wetland filled with life, far exceeding administrative forecasts.
‘Relivir’ the wetland of the Tamariz lagoon
The Ministry of Environment, Housing and Territorial Planning has published on February 21, on the State Hiring Platform, a tender that includes the realization of various actions to restore the Tamariz Lagoon through the Elimination of woody vegetation not associated with the wetland (specimens of the genus Populus and Salix), in addition to removing the plant matter from both the lagoon bucket and the irrigation channel, together with the rehabilitation and conditioning of the hydraulic infrastructure of water supply to said wet zone, so that the best conservation of the aforementioned lagoon is allowed and, therefore, of its associated ecosystem.
The water mass Laguna de Tamariz is located in the Valladolid town that gives it its name. It is a Wet zone of undeniable natural valuewhich is part of the Zepa la Nava-Campos Sur, coincides with the Mount of Public Utility 159 and is proposed for its inclusion in the catalog of wet areas of special interest in Castilla y León.
It is located in full land of fields, characterized by its flat or slightly undulating relief, practically deforested and of great interest to steppe birds, where wet areas acquire special relevance due to the uniqueness of their habitats, Give cooking and sustenance to numerous threatened species of vertebrate and invertebrate faunaand provide a great variety and quantity of essential ecosystem services for society.
Wetlands are spaces of importance for the maintenance of ecological connectivity and their role as carbon sinks, contributing significantly to climate change mitigation. They are also a source of resources of economic, recreational, cultural and scientific interest. It can therefore be affirmed that wetlands are essential ecosystems for biodiversity conservation, human well -being and sustainable development.
This wetland is located in a privileged place, next to the Sequillo River and the Canal de Castilla, very close to the seventh lock. The Flood was produced naturally when winter and spring avenues overflowed the Sequillo river and flooded the valley grasslands. However, their desiccation as a consequence of the various Dragados of the Sequillo River in the decades of the 60s and 70s, which transformed their channel into a dredging and rectified channel with motorcycle on both banks in order to avoid flooding during their floods, changed its water regime.
Thus, The wetland lost its ability to flood natural by disconnecting from the plain of the Sequillo rivertransforming into a wet pasture that was flooded and used by farmers to obtain good pastures and fodder, thanks to the water from the Castilla Canal.
Given the proximity of the channel and the presence of a water infrastructure that allowed to incorporate water into the grasslands, the Junta de Castilla y León bought in 2007 the plot located further south with an area of 18.5 ha. This purchase culminated in 2017 with its Public utility declaration and inclusion in the catalog of public utility mountains in the province of Valladolidwith number 159.
Thus, during the first years an initial restoration was carried out (motorcycle, azud, islet, …) thanks to the collaboration of several administrations: autonomic, local and state, the latter, through the Duero Hydrographic Confederation. HE achieved an increase in flooded surface and flood period for a few years, with a water regime that imitated the natural cycle of flooding of a Mediterranean wetland, alternating periods of flooding and sting.
During those first years, the Wetland recovery was a success, especially due to its occupation by an abundant and rich bird communityalthough also by the communities of aquatic flora and another fauna, such as amphibians and aquatic invertebrates. Some of the most relevant species detected by their unfavorable conservation status were the cajudo or emblematic carricler such as common Ánsar.
However, the evolution of vegetation in a restored wetland of these characteristics was transforming the wet area into a less diverse place. Due to the eutrophic and clogging processes, the wetland has become a monospecific extension of high -bearted helophytic vegetation, very dense and homogeneous, which prevents the development of a varied biodiversity of flora and fauna that would characterize a well -preserved and managed wetland.
Managing wetland recovery
With the main objective of restoring and recovering the Tamariz de Campos wetland, the Ministry of Environment, Housing and Planning of the Territory Tenders this project, consisting of its hydrological restoration, thus contributing to recover its ecological splendorsince the opening of open water sheets without palustre vegetation will diversify the landscape of the lagoon, creating a more heterogeneous habitat.
This will contribute to improve its conditions for the presence of water birds and other species associated with wetlands that need the existence of open waters and that currently do not find these conditions in the Tamariz lagoon, in addition to improving mitigation and adaptation against climate change. For this, work will be carried out in two lines of action:
- Restoration of the Tamariz Lagoon. The plant matter will be eliminated from the surface of the lagoon by means of a unresta -excavator of the accumulated biomass on the ground on an area of 5.71 hectares. A mechanized landslide will proceed and in the lagoon environment all the emerging feet of leafy not associated with the lagoon will be appealed.
- Hydrological infrastructure maintenance that allowed their flooding or reversal of those that remain of old desiccation attempts, such as channels or drains that prevent their flood. Cleaning work that makes the water contribution to the Tamariz lagoon will be carried out, the existing gates will be conditioned, the withdrawal of the livestock enclosure will be carried out in poor condition and will be replaced by a more appropriate new one.
An size and high interest project, which has an execution period of 6 months, performing the actions during annuity 2025, and which has the financing of the Next-Generation EU funds. Once Finished you will have managed to improve the functional connectivity of several wetlands of field of fields: La Nava, Boada, Pedraza or the wetlands associated with the Canal de Castilla, to favor the expansion of species of flora and fauna currently threatened from this territory -Evertoro, imperial heron, cerebum carricler – that find in these habitats an appropriate environment at some time in their life cycle.
In addition, the Knowledge of biology and conservation problem of priority species existing in the wetlands of the field of fields, without Forget your contribution to climate change mitigation or the improvement of the social perception of wetlands in society in general and in the rural world in particular.