Go Green-Ecosystem Recovery at Albufera Natural Park

Join a biologist for an enlightening walk and boat cruise through Albufera National Park to see how its former rice fields were transformed into a natural reserve. Decades of harmful agricultural practices deteriorated the water quality and threatened the wildlife within the area that is now the Tancat de la Pipa reserve. Once the rice fields were converted to freshwater wetlands, the wildlife—particularly water birds—returned in great numbers. The biologist will describe the transformative process and how the reserve’s spring-fed waters are naturally filtered. A leisurely cruise on a boat will provide you with a different perspective of the wetlands and the chance to observe the flourishing biodiversity. You may spot black-winged stilts, crested coots, little-ringed plovers, and countless migratory birds such as bee-eaters. Marsh harriers are also abundant. These raptors can be easily identified in the air by their long tails and wings, which they typically hold in a shallow “V.”

HIGHLIGHTS
• Follow a biologist through a national park, parts of which were once used for farming.
• Gain insight into how the land was transformed from rice fields into freshwater wetlands.
• Cruise through the reserve in a boat and observe the abundant water birds.

HELPFUL HINTS
• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.