Spain’s Ebro Delta: A WETLAND

It’s a strange paradox that Spain, probably the driest country in Europe, (getting drier due to climate change), contains some of the finest wetlands in the continent. These include the Tablas Daimiel marshes south of Madrid, Albufera on the Mediterranean and the finest of all, the enormous wetland of the Coto Doñana, north of Cadiz. Touring the north of the country over the winter holiday, the extent of the dryness in the empty watercourses was alarming; only the Ebro River, fed by precipitation from the Pyrenees, contained flowing water and even there the much reduced levels showed clearly on the banks. This great river, running from the Cantabrian mountains near the Bay of Biscay east/ southeast to the Mediterranean, is more than four times the length of the Shannon. It is the life-blood to innumerable farms occupying the river’s vast alluvial plain, irrigated for agriculture since Roman times. The route following the river’s course passes through crops of olives, vines, almonds, oranges, a plethora of vegetables, cereals and occasional herds of sheep, goats and cattle.

As throughout most of Spain, hedges are non-existent, so there is an obvious dearth of small birds. Occasional dammed reservoirs (embalses) and salt pans (saladas), harbour unexpected gatherings of attractive water birds such as egrets and avocets. Birds of prey are here too: red kites, marsh harriers and the odd shrike, while overhead, soaring griffon vultures appear, apparently from nowhere. The final reaches of the Ebro pass through a remarkable landscape more typical of eastern Asia than Europe. Hundreds of hectares, irrigated from the river, have been converted into rice paddies. No wonder paella is on the menu of every restaurant in Catalonia! Fields, shallowly watered by an extraordinary complex of drains and weirs extend as far as the eye can see towards the Mediterranean. These artificial wetlands represent the wintering habitat of thousands of wetland birds. Several species of herons and egrets, glossy ibis, even storks (which have elected not to join the majority of their tribe in North Africa) consort here. They are joined by clouds of waders such as shanks and sandpipers many of which (lapwings, dunlins, redshanks etc.) are familiar Irish birds.

HUNDREDS OF HECTARES, IRRIGATED FROM THE RIVER, HAVE BEEN CONVERTED INTO RICE PADDIES. NO WONDER PAELLA IS ON THE MENU OF EVERY RESTAURANT IN CATALONIA!

The jewel on the crown of the Ebro, however, is at the outfall to the Mediterranean. This, the famous Ebro Delta with its marshes, lagoons and reed beds is something to behold. Thousands of surface-feeding ducks, gulls and terns, and innumerable egrets and herons feed in the nutrient-rich waters. Kingfishers dart here and there among the shallows. More than a thousand flamingos form a pink and white phalanx on the open water.

On being disturbed, they take to the air like exotic winged crosses. Every glance through the binoculars reveals marsh harriers drifting menacingly above the reeds, startling ducks and scattering snipe. A pair of scarce booted eagles ghost into view then casually disappear high above the river without pouncing. Birds, birds, birds. The tally for the day amounts to more than fifty species.

Local fishermen using traditional flatbottomed punts harvest the shoals of the wetland and do so unobtrusively in tandem with the conservation importance of the Delta. The complete absence of spent cartridges indicated that the wetlands constitute a no-go area for hunting –a refreshing fact in a country so given to the activity.

The Spanish authorities are clearly proud of their wetlands. The state-of-the art facilities to accommodate bird-watchers are impressive. A network of wooden walkways extending for more than a kilometre in one instance, are punctuated by commodious, well-constructed, cleverly situated hides and observation posts. One of these, a lookout ten metres high and appropriately clad with timber provides a superb overview of the entire outfall wetland. Inside the hides abundant posters offer pictorial information not only of the birds but also of the habitats and the broader natural history of the Delta.

Drought-free Ireland has wetlands on a par with the Ebro Delta. However, repeated episodes of drainage down the years show that we do not cherish them as do the Spanish. How often have we heard ‘people are more important than ducks’? Some of these wetlands such as the Shannon Callows, Rahasane Turlough, Lough Beg, and some tidal estuaries and saltmarshes with large populations of wintering water birds are worthy of comprehensive measures to inspire and educate.

Unfortunately, the cooperation necessary to achieve this is often in short supply.

Climate change with the ongoing threat of extreme weather events, particularly flooding, may hopefully engender a more thoughtful approach, inclining our authorities towards a greater understanding of the significance of wetlands. People may indeed be more important than ducks but does it have to be one at the expense of the other?

By BILLY FLYNN and CHRISTOPHER DOYLE

Ecolabels

While doing the ‘big shop’ recently, I found myself comparing two blocks of parmesan cheese. In one hand, the supermarket’s own brand, and in the other, a slightly smaller block with a bright red and yellow stamp that cost two euro more. Perhaps you’ve found yourself in a similar situation.

Said stamp is the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and indicates that a product was made in a speci ed region, with ingredients also sourced from that region. Its sister, the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) certi cation, however, only indicates that a part of the process occurred in the region. e label associates quality with a region and justi es a premium price for a foodstu , protecting the livelihoods of the o en rural communities that produce it.