de la mata- torrevieja

de la matatorrevieja
English version
Parc Natural de la Mata-Torrevieja
[email protected]
Antigua Casa Forestal de la Mata (Torrevieja) N-332 - km 65.5
03188 La mata - TORREVIEJA (Alacant)
Tel: 966 92 04 04
http://parquesnaturales.gva.es
Assistance from:
Printing this material has been possible thanks to the Cooperation Agreement
signed on 21st April 2006 by the Caja de Ahorros y Pensiones de Barcelona, "la Caixa"
and the Generalitat Valenciana (Autonomous Community Authority) for Undertaking
the Integral Management Plan for Conservation of the Natural Systems of the
Valencian Community’s Network of Nature Reserves.
Layout:
Benjamín Albiach Galán
Kun.Xusa Beltrán
Phography:
Antonio Sáez
Benjamín Albiach Galán
Francesc Muntada
G. B.
Map Design:
Pau Pérez Puigcerver
source: ICV (Cartographic Institute of Valencia)
Texts:
Environmental educacion team
Printed:
Legal Deposit:
Centro Especial de Empleo, IVADIS
La Mata-Torrevieja lagoons are the in the county of
Vega Baja del Segura, occupying part of the municipal
boundaries of Guardamar del Segura, Torrevieja, the
Montesinos and Rojales. Along with El Fondo and the
Santa Pola Salt Flats, these form a triangle of
wetlands of international importance in the south of
Alicante. Declared of international importance from
1989 for the Convention Ramsar, and included inside
the zones of special protection for the birds (ZEPA)
according to the board(directive) Birds of the
European Union. The park also is included in the network nature 2000, forms a part of the catalogue of
humid zones of the Comunitat Valenciana, and is a
zone LIC (Place of Interest Comunitary).
La Mata and Torrevieja Nature Reserve has a surface area of 3,700 hectares. Of these, 2.100 are
stretches of water, while the rest is taken up by the
surrounding areas (1.400 hectares of the Torrevieja
lagoon and 700 of la Mata).
The two lagoons are separated by an anticline
known as "El Chaparral". A channel connects both
depressions which also communicate artificially
with the sea by means of a further canal known as
"El Acequión", by means of which a saltworks unit is
formed. La Mata lagoon acts as a heating tank while
the salt harvest is taken in the Torrevieja side.
The soils in the reserve are salty and the climate is
semi-arid with annual rainfalls under 300 mm and
high temperatures.
There are salt marsh zones, reed and rush beds and
hillier woodland. The salt marsh is present around
the lagoons with a high salt level. The reed and rush
beds are located around the edges of the pools with
less pronounced salinity and flooded with water.
Fauna
Birds are the fauna group of greatest relevance in the
Nature Reserve, consisting of almost a hundred species. Along with El Fondo and Santa Pola, la Mata and
Torrevieja Nature Reserve constitutes an enclave of
wetlands of crucial importance for the development
of the biological cycles of numerous species which
use it in both their migrations and in their nesting and
wintering. Between the birds nidificantes stand out,
the gull of audouin (Larus audouinii) and the gull picofina (Larus genei).
For example, the flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) feeds
and rests in la Mata. There have been concentrations of
up to 2.000 individuals of this bird and around 3.000
eared grebes (Podiceps nigricollis) during migration.
Antonio Sáez
Antonio Sáez
Montagu's harrier
Artemia salina
Among the nesting birds there are the black-winged stilt
(Himantopus himantopus), the common shelduck
(Tadorna tadorna), Montagu's harrier (Circus pygargus)
and the avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta), whose numbers
are enough to give the zone international importance.
There are also populations of snowy plover (Charadrius
alexandrinus), common tern (Sterna hirundo), little tern
(Sterna albifrons) and the stone curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus) around the lagoons.
The most characteristic invertebrate in the lagoons is
Artemia salina. This small crustacean, which along with
the larvae of the chironomid mosquito, constitutes the
fundamental diet of the numerous bird fauna of these
damp zones, tend to live in waters with a high level of
salinity, which is why it is so common on the edges of la
Mata lagoon.
Flora
The really aquatic vegetation is almost non-existent in this type of wetlands due to the high salinity of the waters. Nevertheless in the areas
surrounding the lagoons there are the best
redoubts of dry and damp salt marsh vegetation
in the Valencian Community. The Park there possesses the major population of wild orchid (Orchis
collina) of the Valencian Community
In some parts of the Reserve there is a widespread
presence of the order Arthrocnemetalia, within
which the formations of Arthrocnemum macrostachyum and Juncus subulatus are important. Also
the salt steppes of the Limonietalia and the species
Senecio auricula subsp. auricula form several associations of European interest in the zone.
The wet salt marsh, made up of formations of
reeds and rushes (Typho Phragmitetum chrysanthi
and Elymo-Juncentum maritimi), appears in places
where surface water accumulates, such as on the
northern edge of la Mata lagoon and in some isolated sections of the Torrevieja pool.
At the southern edge of la Mata lagoon there is
hill vegetation, consisting of the Mediterranean
kermes oak brushland (Chamaeropo-Rhamnetum
Lycioidis), Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis), thyme
and mat-weed.
Antonio Sáez
Orchis collina
History
A Royal Order issued in 1759 ordered the
ownership of both lagoons to go back to the State.
A few years later the first tests for salt extraction
were made in la Mata lagoon.
La Mata and Torrevieja lagoons were used as early as
1321, when they were given by the Crown to the
city of Orihuela on condition that they were not disposed of. Later on, in 1389, the Crown itself gave
the same city the possibility of transforming
Torrevieja lagoon into an albufera pool in order to
make a living on the fishing, but the building of “el
Acequión” which communicated it with the sea was
delayed for almost a century, and Orihuela gave up
the real donation in 1482, when this project was
finally seen not to be feasible through no fish entering the lagoon due to the high salinity of its waters.
The organised saltworks business started after the
good quality of the product obtained was observed.
The first extractions of salt were made in the
natural port of La Mata, but after finding out that
the conditions for carrying out this task were better
in Torrevieja, the works were moved.
In 1950, after a period of intermittent renting out to
private people and extraction companies, the
industry was taken over by the Nueva Compañía
Arrendataria de las Salinas de Torrevieja y la Mata S.A.
G. G.
Vineyards near the lagoon
The cultive of the grapevine forms a part of the
landscape of the park, being the unique redoubt of
vineyard of the whole Vega Lowers that it managed
to survive the plague of phylloxera that asolo Spain.
Nowadays there are cultivated two varieties of
grape the Moscatel, as grape of table and the
Merseguera, with which the famous wine of The
Bush is elaborated. "
al
Can
de
las
nas
Sali
1
Salinas de la Mata
o
2
Urb. Maravillas
4
Cementerio nuevo
de La Mata
N-33
2
Casa le los
Albentosa
La Albentosa
Urb.
Torre Blanca
B. Albiach Galán
Cañada de
Alarcon
3
Viewing-point in the zone of the pinada
4
Route 1: on foot
The route on foot has an itinerary including most of
the reserve's ecosystems. The route allows the
visitor to see an extensive panorama of the whole
park, the fauna and flora, the typical plant formations
and the birds, the real celebrities in any wetland. The
above mentioned itinerary has a gangplank adapted
with talanquera a length of 384m and 1.60m of
width, which allows the crossing of two wheelchairs
.El end of the gangplank gives step to a platform of
136m2 in the one that has installed five tables of
wood to himself of iroco adapted to the procedure
of accessibility.
El Acequión is an artificially opened channel to allow
sea water in, which constitutes a small representation of the sea habitat. You can see species of sea
fauna and flora such as crabs, algae, actinia, possidonia, worms, polychaetes, fish, etc. The water
goes into la Mata through gravity, due to the fact
that the lagoon is lower than sea level.
From here you can see the salt marsh vegetation,
located on the edges of the lagoon. These plants
have internal juices with high concentrations of salt
to be able to support the high salt concentration in
the soil and the high temperatures, without becoming dehydrated. Some of them eliminate the surplus salt through the leaves, which gives them a
whitish colour.
From the observatory you can see the different
water fowl in the lagoon. Depending on the time
the visitor comes to the Reserve, you can see diffe-
B. Albiach Galán
rent types of birds, as some of these stop in this
place to rest and feed on their long trip to Africa,
while the others spend the winter because where
they live, the Artic tundra, is normally inhabitable at
that time. In spring they go back to their customary
home. Other birds on the other hand live in the
Reserve all year long. These are sedentary.
From the observatory you can see all kinds of birds,
from seagulls, snowy plovers, black-winged stilts,
avocets and common terns, to flamingos and eared
grebes. Silence must be absolute here to prevent
the birds from being scared away.
The third stop on the way is in the Pine wood. From
a distance you can already see the reed, a typical
plant in this type of zones whose presence indicates
the existence of fresh water. At this last stop there
is a large group of Aleppo pines and stone pines
apart from eucalyptus trees, the latter being the
result of artificial repopulation.
In the Pine wood you can also see a large salt marsh
zone. The visitor can look for the tracks left by animals on their way through, attempting to differentiate the different types of pines or just rest in the
shade. Whatever way you choose you can enjoy
your stay in the Reserve.
B. Albiach Galán
The fourth stop is the Eared Grebe observatory.
Concentrations of thousands of eared grebes have
been seen in the Nature Reserve, becoming the
main wintering spot in the Iberian Peninsula. La
Mata is a resting and feeding area for the birds as
they migrate.
Adapted gangplank
road
90
CV
-8
95
CV-
administrative boundary
railway
N-332
path
Urbanización
Pinomar
Platja del
Eixidor
CV
-94
5
buildings
Ruta 1: on foot
Les Palmeres
Ruta 2: by bicycle
information centre
Salinas de la Mata
rest area
Anti
gu
oF
observatory
camping
Los Blanc
La Loma
Torrelamata
rr e
To
ril
ar
hermitage
er
ro
c
ja
vie
El Ventorrillo
Redonda del
Saladar
Urbanización
San Luis
lb
-A
Los Montesinos
at
a
er
Urbanización
Maravillas
Urbanización
Maravillas
Urbanización
La Siesta
Las Palmeras
La Albentosa
Urbanización
El Chaparral
Urbanización
Torre Blanca
Urbanización
La Torreta III
Urbanización
Aguas Nuevas
Cala del Mojón
8
Urbanización
La Torreta
CV
-89
3
-94
CV
Salinas de Torrevieja
897
CV-
La Hoya
Lo Reche
Urbanización
Doña Inés
Urb. Torrejón Alto
Urbanización
Torreta
Urb. La Rosaleda
Urb. Roca Mar
Cala de la Zorra
Cala Redonda
Urb. Nueva Torrevieja
Urbanización
Torreta Florida
Urb. Los Angeles
Cala Cornuda
Torrevieja
Cala del Palangre
El Saladar
La Coronela
Playa del Cura
La Isleta
CV-
95
0
500
1.000
2.000
Mediterranean Sea
La Ceñuela
Urbanización
Balcones
E: 1/55.000
Playa del Acequión
Playa de los Náufragos
4.000 m
Urbanización La
Veleta
Salinas de la Mata
o
Urb. Maravillas
Cementerio nuevo
de La Mata
N-33
2
Casa le los
Albentosa
Cañada de
Alarcon
La Albentosa
Urb.
Torre Blanca
Route 2 (red): by bicycle
The non-technical route is 5.200 metres in length. It
has a rather steep rising section, but it is worth the
effort to complete the itinerary to be able to get a full
view. The route goes through a zone relatively far
from the lagoon to prevent disturbance to water
fowl. We recommend not leaving the route marked
out and respecting the whole environment.
Starting from the Information Centre along the earth
road heading towards the cemetery, you will soon
reach the asphalted road, and by continuing straight
along until leaving this you will connect up with the
earth track which goes up to the dovecots.
Lagoon
Antonio Sáez
.
B. Albiach GalanGalán
General view from “el Altillo” and path that
leads to the Information Centre
On the way up you will see the pine wood on the
right hand, as well as a good view of la Mata
lagoon.
When you go past the seventh dovecot, turn 180
degrees and take a narrow path between pine
trees. At roughly 50 metres following the path you
come to the highest point in the Reserve. You can
enjoy the view of the two lagoons, the Pine wood,
the Mediterranean and on fine days, even see as far
as the island of Tabarca. From this point the route
starts again, downhill this time, and remembering
to take the first turnoff on the right. The fast way
down makes up for the uphill stretch!
When you reach the end of this path, a way turns
off to the left between grapevine terraces. A wonderful view of a mass of reeds close by denotes the
presence of fresh water. In the background you can
see the lagoon.
You finally come to the welcome shade offered by
the Pine wood. This is an ideal stop to rest and get
your breath back. This repopulated part of the
forest is formed of eucalyptus and pines (stone pine
and Aleppo). To get back to the starting point you
just have to take the path back up to the
Information Centre.
B. Albiach Galan
E E A Parc Natural de la Serra d’Irta
“La Cigueñuela” Observatory
“El Chorlitejo” Observatory
Visits of interest
You can visit the following points of interest at la
Mata-Torrevieja Nature Reserve:
· Information Centre: there is well thought-out and
detailed information available for the visitor, making
use of the latest technology for this purpose. We
can see for example the representative Artemia
salina (a small crustacean abounding in the lagoons
and which gives them their particular reddish
colouring) through a microscope from a video
monitor in real time.
Apart from the explanatory panels which inform
about the characteristic flora and fauna, it is pos-
sible to observe the lagoons and the fauna which
live in them through the remotely controlled
cameras from the interior of the centre.
· El Acequión (canal)
· El Altillo (vantage point)
· Pine wood (rest area)
· Remains of old watchtower
· Eared grebe Observatory
· Black-winged stilt Observatory
- Sooty tern Observatory
· Avocet Observatory
· Snowy Plover Observatory
- New island and viewing-point
Torrevieja. The origins of the city date back to the
early 18th century, in the form of a watchtower,
with its keepers, and a castle-fortress on the inlet
now occupied by the city. Around 1759 a small
village of fishermen from nearby areas gradually
grew up around the tower. In 1830 the first
Torrevieja council was set up.
Places to visit in Torrevieja: the Saltworks, the Sea
and Salt Museum, the promenade, the leisure port,
the ancient watchtower and its jetty in La Mata, the
Torre del Moro, the Casino, Center of
Interpretation salinero and Green Route.
Information center
E E A Parc Natural de la Serra d’Irta
Information center
(the former forestry house)
E E A Parc Natural de la Serra d’Irta
The present economic driving force in Torrevieja is
tourism, though salt and fishing have traditionally
been the most important trades here. But without
a doubt, Torrevieja is also internationally wellknown for its Habanera song competitions.
Guardamar del Segura. Its great archaeological
wealth makes this a place of reference for scientists and researchers. One of its most important
pieces is the bust of the Lady of Guardamar, a
limestone sculpture even more ancient than the
also famous Lady of Elche, dating back to the 4th
century B.C.
Accommodation
There is a wide range of hotel accommodation available in Guardamar del Segura and Torrevieja. There
are also a large number of camping sites located in the
main tourist centres
G. B.
Cuisine
Flamingo
The municipality has numerous nature areas and
beaches of great quality, which is what leads to the
great development of the tourist sector.
You can visit the Iberian age village-necropolis
(Cabezo Lucero), Guardamar Castle, the dunes and
mouth of the river Segura, the Reina Sofía park, the
Archaeological and Ethnological Museum (Casa de la
Cultura) and others.
You can also have a look around the municipalities
of La Mata (Roman jetty and ancient watchtowers),
Los Montesinos, Rojales, Miguel de Salinas, and in
general.
In Torrevieja y Santa Pola, the visitor can enjoy a wide
range of rice dishes, some of which are the arroz a
banda or the paella marinera. Other typical dishes of
local cooking are also of interest, such as stew and
meatballs. Nevertheless, the great fishing fleet and the
richness of its waters make Santa Pola a city with excellent fish. We advise you to try plain and simple fish and
seafood, with no need to opt for elaborate dishes.
Accesses
La Mata-Torrevieja lagoons are in the province of
Alicante in the county known as Vega Baja del Segura,
occupying part of the municipal areas of Guardamar
del Segura, Torrevieja, Los Montesinos and Rojales.
The Nature 's Information Centre, located in the
former forestry house close to Torrelamata, is 200
metres from road N-332 as it leads through this
Alicante town. The Costa Azul bus which links
Alicante with Cartagena has a stop 200 metres from
the Information Centre.
The access to the Center of Information also can be
realized by the A-7
E E A Parc Natural de la Serra d’Irta
Salicornia marina
Rules
Do not approach the
shores of the Lagoons,
they are areas of reproduction and nest building
The dogs must go
tied, can cause inconveniences(troubles)
to the avifauna
It is possible neither to
hunt, go fishing nor
gather plants and grape
Prohibited to leave of
the marked path and
to take a short cut
If you do noise or speak
fort, you will get lost the
sounds of the forest
Deposits the garbage
in the most near
container
Do not ignite bonfires, breathes pure air
In the event of any emergency, call 112.