Loose Wetlands are a very heterogeneous and unique set of ecosystems that are ‘on horseback’ between earth and water. They are among the most complex, dynamic and productive natural systems, although they are also the most vulnerable on the planet.
They are generally known countless ecosystem services they offer and the countless benefits they generate. Until well into the twentieth century, however, they were considered worldwide as unproductive spaces and sicknessers and were only taken into account to transform them into agricultural land.
That’s the main reason why Wetlands have sustained the entire planet a rapid and historical regression. According to data from the Ramsar convention, almost 90% of the Wetlands of the world has been lost since 1700, although the rhythm of the loss was delayed from the end of the 20th century and the protection against these spaces were multiplied in the XXI.
Forgotten Wetlands
On the occasion of World Wetlands Day, On 2 February, environmental activists will participate in this celebration Under the motto “Forgotten Wetlands”, For the purpose If those wet areas that were or are of great importance of the administrative indifference, but that they are less attention for not holding the maximum protection figures.
Some of these Wetlands have been analyzed in the report Wetlands for an uncertain future. Analysis about the State of Maintaining Wet Areas in Spain Recently presented by the Environmental NGO. The document analyzes the current situation of wet areas in Spain, taking into account the situation of Ramsar Wetlands, the state of preservation of community interest habitats (HIC) linked to the wet areas of Spain (coastal, freshwater habitats and peat competitions), or the trends of Winterwater bird populations as indicators to perform the analysis of their nature conservation status.
The greatest threats influence Mediterranean Wetlands
One of the conclusions of the report is that 76 % of the types of habitats in the community related to wet areas have an unfavorable state of preservation. A really high figure if it is considered that this figure will be reduced to 60 %in the context of the European Union.
In addition, The habitats that are present in the Mediterranean and Alpine Biogeographic regions are those that have a poorer conservation status that present 89 % and 80 % of the total types of habitats respectively consider an unfavorable state of conservation. The existing situation in the Mediterrane region, where 47 % of the species of evaluated habitats have an unfavorable state of conservation-Malo.
“We need urgent action to save Wetlands. The results of the report allow one Reliable and global diagnosis of these ecosystems“,” Asunción Ruiz, executive director of a bird defender NGO, And he adds: “With this new work we have identified regional patterns and priority areas to guide maintenance actions. We make them available to society and public administrations for the obligations of the Regulation on nature restoration and the strategic leglands plan in 2030. We have left for five more years to save the Wetlands and Restore the ecological functionality of these spaces.
In that sense, environmental activists urge the recovery of Lagunas de la Janda (Cádiz), who has become the largest on the peninsula with more than 7,000, and the Antela Laguna (Ourense) with 3,600 originally has. In fact the Strategic Wetland Plan at 2030 Specifically includes the recovery of at least 1,000 hectares of the La Janda and 500 ha of the Antela Lagune before 2030 and must therefore be performed.
Likewise, the NGO has repeatedly asked the Miteco Coastal Lagunes, a habitat for priority community, are the first to be in danger of disappearance In Spain, and are included in the Spanish HabitatCatalogus in danger of disappearance, which is still being treated to be created by Miteco, in accordance with the provisions of the natural heritage and biodiversity law. An ecosystem that is included in Wetlands, among others in the Mar Menor, in the Albufera of Valencia, in Doñana, in the Maspalomas Lagoon, in the Prat de Cabanes-Torreblanca or in Adra’s Albufera.
Natura 2000 Network Wetlands: Average Quality
On the other hand, the global state of preservation of consumers of Community Interests (HIC) is associated with Wetlands that are part of the Natura 2000 network can be classified as an intermediary. The state (good) has been collected for 34 % of the Records evaluated in the spaces included in the Natura 2000 network Evaluated, the state (insufficiently) obtained for 50 %and the state (bad) for 13 %, while 3 %corresponds to records without information.
By bioguographic regions, The situation is again less favorable in the Mediterranean Sea area against the Atlantic Biogeographic Region. In addition, Habitats included in Wetlands on the coast show a state of conservation slightly better than interior leglandsWhich reflects a greater vulnerability of the latter, with the exception of the coastal lagins of priority Habitat, whose situation and future prospects can be considered critical.
“These results, obtained when evaluating a representative sample, show the need to develop strategies that are adapted to the details of each territorial scope and implement more effectively more effective measures to improve the status of habitats in poorer condition and the protection of people with the best guarantee of preservation ‘, explained Kiko Álvarez, responsible for the NGO species and spaces.
Decline of winter species
The analysis of the tendency of the Winter Birds population for two periods, one in the long term (1990-2023) and another short term (2007-2023), throws Trend data for 67 bird species. Of them, 36 have experienced a fall in populationWho has shown a deterioration of the populations of the Winterwatervogel in our country in recent years.
The negative tendency to common and abundant species as the case of the Annar Common, the common shape, the normal chicken, the Azulón Ayrade or the Oxyra Gour. Given the three most important wetlands, Natural Space Doñana, Delta del Ebro and Albufera de Valencia, which accommodate almost 40 % of the populations of the winter water birds, It is noted that for all of them, Registered trends are negative.
“In order to understand this decline in winning those, we must consider that wetlands species have fallen in population size worldwide because changes in land use and over -exploitation and pollution of water stocks have influenced your habitats. In addition, if we add the effects of climate change, a displacement of The wintering and reproduction areas of these species to the North Peninsula by having better Perspectives of the future And greater water availability than in the south, “says Álvarez.
Some improvements
Ecologists have also calculated the trends Populations of anatids and winter and long-term winter focus For Wetlands who would house most of the wintering, between the Natural space of Doñana, Delta del Ebro and the Albufera of Valencia, all located in the Mediterranean Sea.
In recent decades, the aquatic ecosystems of Doñana have suffered serious decline due to the over -exploitation of water masses derived from farmer in agriculture in intensification with drought. Avifauna is no stranger to this dynamic and the population trends of migratory birds reflect the extreme decline that Doñana suffers, as indicated by the result of Aquatic counts developed in January 2024, which with 122.196 copies is the worst winter in the history of the National Park.
In the case of Ebro Delta, although this Wetland It remains an important hiding place for thousands of winter water birds, in the short term it is also observed that that The populations of Anatica and points of sale, which reached high figures, have a significant decrease in their number experienced, with a regressive trend.
Finally the Albufera van Valencia In the winter, an impressive variety of water birds, with Populations of winter anatides between 20,000 and 40,000 copies per year. However, Winterwatervogel populations also have a negative trend in recent years.