The known history of
Doñana National Park goes back over 700 years – the area was once a favourite
hunting reserve of several Spanish kings. In 1963, the Spanish Government, in
collaboration with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), decided to acquire
7,000 hectares (27 sq miles) of land to create the Doñana Biological Reserve.
Six years later, Doñana National Park was born, with its boundaries being
extended in 1978 and again in 2004. Since 2006, the park’s management has been
the exclusive responsibility of the Autonomous Community of Andalucía’s
government.
Today, it is the
world’s only protected area that is not only a National Park but also a World
Heritage site (designated in 1994), a Ramsar wetland site, a Biosphere Reserve,
and a European Community Special Protection Area.
The uniqueness of
Doñana is due to the great diversity of biotopes it contains, allowing for the
coexistence of a wide variety of plant and animal species. In addition to its
marsh ecosystem, which is characterised by high productivity, a set of
exceptional environmental units converge here: beaches, fixed and mobile dune
fields, scrub woodlands and maquis, and numerous lagoons scattered among the
vegetation. The park’s size and strategic location make it one of the most
important wetlands in Europe: as a wintering area, it receives more than half a
million water fowl each year, and also serves as a stop-over for migratory
birds on the route to and from Africa.
Having been inhabited
and altered by humans throughout its history, the Doñana region continues as a
stronghold for traditional uses such as beekeeping, harvesting of pine cones
and agriculture. Important traditional events include the “Saca de las Yeguas”,
a livestock event, and the “Romería de El Rocío”, one of the most popular
religious pilgrimages in the country.
Info Courtesy: IUCN
No comments:
Post a Comment