Ebro Delta Natural Park

•The Ebro Delta : Delta de l'Ebre: in the Province of Tarragona, Catalonia, in northeastern Spain. It is on the Mediteranes Sea, and is the northernmost point, by some designations, of the Gulf of Valencia. Its location per Ramsar site designation.

Geography

• The Ebro Delta is one of the largest wetland areas 320 square kilometres (79,000 acres) in the western Mediterranean region. The Ebro delta has expanded rapidly on soils washed downriver. The town of Amposta, a seaport in the 4th century, demonstrates the historical rate of growth of the delta as it is now located well inland from the current river mouth. The rounded form of the delta attests to the balance between sediment deposition by the Ebro and removal of this material by wave erosion.

Agriculture

• Some delta areas have been drained for agricultural use over the centuries. The modern delta is in intensive agricultural use for rice, fruit (in particular citrus), and vegetables.

Wildlife

In 1983 Spain designated a large part of the delta as a natural park. Ebro Delta Natural Park has a total surface area of 7,802 hectares(19,280 acres). The natural park has protected wetlands, beaches, marshes, salt, pans and estuaries that provide extensive habitats.

The problems

• The intense use of its water throughout the Ebro Basin puts the river under strong pressure and affects its ecological functionality. The Delta is the most vulnerable part of the river, altered by the drastic reduction of water and sediment flows. This accelerates the deterioration of its water quality, with important pollution episodes, anoxia and salinization which cause strong imbalances in its natural ecosystems. This loss of biodiversity enhances the development of alien species, as well as the deterioration and disappearance of all kinds of life in the wetland, the coastal waters and the sea.