Albufera Nature Park in Mallorca to expand by almost a quarter

Water quality is central to the management for Albufera. | Archive

Majorca Daily Bulletin reporterMuro22/02/2021 17:53

The Balearic government has approved the expansion of the Albufera Nature Park by 390 hectares. The park, which has protected status, will now cover 2,036 hectares in all - an increase of 23.7% - the expansion incorporating more wetlands in Muro and Sa Pobla, the Son Bosc area and Es Comú beach.

There is now also an Albufera plan for the management of natural resources (PORN), the environment minister Miquel Mir saying that one of the plan's main objectives is the protection and quality of water. Peripheral areas, amounting to 754 hectares, that aren't part of the park will be included in the plan. These include so-called ecological corridors, wetlands that are part of the usual movement of certain species of fish and birds.

The inclusion of peripheral areas is intended to ensure the control and conservation of nearby rural environments and contribute to the main purposes of the park, e.g. the maintenance of water channels and the management and restoration of ecosystems and habitats.

Mir explains that Albufera is dependent on the water and that loss of quality has affected flora and fauna. The plan will mean that there are "flexible management tools" to react to changes and to therefore ensure "the optimal conservation of one of the most emblematic natural areas in the Balearics".