Thanks to a European project, the El Hito lagoon is being restored. This project, which ends on December 31, claims the natural value of the salt steppes of La Mancha and the urgent need to protect and preserve them.
More than 65 kg of seeds collected, 260,000 plants planted, 300 m³ of waste removed, 36 cooperation agreements signed with farmers or the conversion of 40 hectares of arable land into saline steppes are some of the actions that made it possible restore a wetland of great natural value, unique in Europe: the El Hito lagoon.
This jewel of the salt steppes of La Mancha is located between the Cuenca municipalities of El Hito and Montalbo and is now, thanks to a European Union LIFE project led by the Global Nature Foundationhas recovered its values, including very unique species of native plants and insects and the visits of thousands of cranes and waterfowl during the winter.
The El Hito Lagoon is one of the most emblematic wetlands in Castilla-La Mancha, home to no fewer than five environmental protection figures, ranging from the Castilla-La Mancha Natural Park to Ramsar wetland of international importance or the space of the Natura 2000 network. However, this distinction has not prevented this network from being damaged by humans for decades.
The LIFE El Hito project, which ends at the end of this year, started in October 2021 with the purchase of 387.72 hectares in priority flood and salt marsh areas. Once registered with the Global Nature Foundation, demolition work began on the agricultural warehouses on the banks of the wetland and the removal of more than 3,500 m³ of uralite, 300 m³ of waste or more than 60 trucks of rubble began, as well as the elimination of a illegal dumping site. In addition, 13.5 kilometers of fences were removed, more than 1,000 meters of drains were cleaned and more than 3,000 meters of roads running through the interior of the lagoon were closed and made accessible to cars and motorcycles in the summer.
Spring in El Hito is spectacular
As lagoon restoration progressed, not only the direct threats affecting the wetland decreased significantly, but so did their impacts given space for biodiversity. Thus, in 2024 it has been possible to enjoy a spectacular spring, the likes of which had not been observed for years in the El Hito Lagoon, with more than 250 plant taxa recorded, with the presence of a wide variety of species characteristic of the El Hito Lagoon. saline wetlands of La Mancha.
“The acquisition of land, previously under cultivation and now vacant, has significantly contributed to increasing the diversity of the flora of this unique enclave,” says the person responsible for the scientific monitoring of the flora of the El Hito lagoon and Chairman of the Global Nature Foundation Board, Santos Cirujano.
Plant species such as Lythrum flexuosum are conspicuous, threatened and endangered characteristic of saline wetlandswhich covers the ground in a striking pink color during flowering; or the coralillo (Microcnemum coralloides), which grows on salty edges and is reminiscent of the coral reefs of the Caribbean Sea.
The wetland restoration work has been completed with the planting of more than 260,000 specimens of albardín (Lygeum spartum) and other plants typical of brackish grasslands, produced in the nurseries that the foundation has in Toledo and are planted on land acquired with funds from LIFE El Hito.
A project that would not have been possible without the support of the Cuenca Provincial Council, which has resolutely joined the wetland restoration together with Redeia and the Junta de Castilla-La Mancha, the mayors of nearby towns such as El Hito and Montalbo, and the neighbors who believed in this project from the very beginning.
Various scientific discoveries
The discovery of new species was one of the surprises of LIFE El Hito. Thanks to scientific supervision, we have carried this out counts of wintering, aquatic breeding birds and steppe birdsperiodic monitoring of entomological biodiversity, preparation of plant mapping (proposing a new habitat for the European Union) and a soil survey.
As a result of this work it has been possible to recreate specimens of Limonium soboliferum, a unique plant species from El Hito which was considered extinct. In addition, a new subspecies of grass was discovered for science, Festuca salzmannii subs perisgilbertii, and a new beetle of the genus pimelia was found.
The Global Nature Foundation’s arthropod monitoring team in the Laguna de El Hito Nature Reserve, led by the entomologist of the National Museum of Natural Sciences Mario García París, was in charge of this research and provided the opportunity to name the new beetle through an awareness campaign carried out by Global Nature and involving more than 500 people. Pimelia Quixotiana is the name chosen for this small beetle that lives in the area of the Laguna de El Hito Nature Reserve and is crucial for the preservation of living soil.
Bird watching while sightseeing
LIFE El Hito has also enabled a wide variety of resources and infrastructure for visiting these environments that host a a large number of cranes, flamingos and water birds every year. To achieve this, a bird observatory, a car park and two tourist routes with 22 interpretation panels have been installed.
Tourist brochures have also been prepared about El Hito Lagoon and visiting others interesting places in the regionsuch as the Uclés Monastery and the archaeological site of Segóbriga. A shelter has been installed from which the birds can be viewed more closely, video guides have been developed and a live broadcast camera has been installed that broadcasts 24 hours a day.
Likewise, a traveling exhibition about the LIFE projecttaking it to more than 50 schools in the province, reaching almost 3,000 boys and girls and more than 150 teachers. In addition, they have participated in exhibitions at the Science Museum, the Archaeological Museum of Cuenca or at various fairs, directly reaching almost 60,000 people.
After three years of work led by the Global Nature Foundation, splendor has returned to this Cuenca lagoon unique nature reserve in Europe. The recovery actions end with a citizen campaign to name a new beetle discovered in El Hito.