Guadalquivir Marshes Marismas del Guadalquivir | |
|---|---|
 Las Marismas del Guadalquivir landscape, depictingrice fields in theIsla Mayor area. | |
  Guadalquivir Marshes | |
| Coordinates:36°57′N6°19′W / 36.950°N 6.317°W /36.950; -6.317 | |
| Country | Spain |
| Region | Andalucia |
| Area | |
• Total | 2,000 km2 (770 sq mi) |
TheGuadalquivir Marshes (inSpanish:Marismas del Guadalquivir or simplyLas Marismas) are anatural region ofmarshy lowlands on the lowerGuadalquivir River.
TheLas Marismas zone forms a large part of theprovince of Huelva,province of Seville andprovince of Cádiz inAndalucia,Spain. The area includes parts of the municipalities ofIsla Mayor,Los Palacios y Villafranca,La Puebla del Río,Utrera,Las Cabezas de San Juan andLebrija andSanlúcar de Barrameda.
Rice farming in this area produces 40% of Spain's national crop. Some areas are protected for wildlife and habitat, including dunes.
Approximately twomillennia ago thewetlands comprised a largelagoon andestuary, known asLacus Ligustinus [es] in Latin, leading to theGuadalquivirRiver mouth with some sand bars to the South. Over time thelake silted up, gradually transforming intomarshland.[1] This silt has formed into a barrier of dunes extending approximately 70 kilometres (43 mi) along the coast, known asArenas Gordas (English: "the fat sands").[2]
Themarquessatede las Marismas del Guadalquivir is aSpanish noble title named after the area; thisnoble title was created byRoyal Decree ofKing Ferdinand VII in 1829 forAlejandro María Aguado y Ramírez de Estenoz.[3]
In the early 21st century, the Guadalquivir wetland region's main economic activity isagriculture, specialising in the cultivation ofrice. An area of about 400 km2 is devoted torice farming. It has an annual output of about 310,000 metric tonnes, equating to approximately 40% of Spain's rice production.
The wetland zone acts as abuffer zone between the human settlements of theGuadalquivir region andDoñana National Park, aprotected area ofmarshland,streams, andsand dunes. The National Park was established in 1969 as anature reserve when theWorld Wildlife Fund joined forces with theSpanish Government to purchase a substantial part of the local wetlands in order to preserve them.[4]
The Las Marismas area is home to a large number of wildlife species. Commonly seen terrestrial animals includedeer,lynx, andwild boars. Notable avian species includevultures,flamingos,herons,spoonbills, andducks. The rareSpanish imperial eagle lives here, whose population is consideredvulnerable by theInternational Union for Conservation of Nature.[2]
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