Lluis
Posted: Fri Oct 15, 2010 10:45 amEndangered animals.
What are the Aigüamolls of the Empordà?
The Aigüamolls are nature reserves that protect areas of important coastal marshland in the Empordà. The one in the Alt Empordà is based on the rivers Muga and Fluvià and lies between Roses and Sant Pere Pescador, while the smaller one in the Baix Empordà includes the mouths of the river Ter just south of l'Estartit and the Basses d'en Coll on the Platja de Pals. These days, the name "Aigüamolls" is most commonly used to refer to the reserve in the Alt Empordà.
More than two millennia ago the swamp and dunes extended inland from the the Gulf of Roses and the Platja de Pals to completely surround the Montgrí massif, the lonely mountains that stand beside Torroella de Montgrí. The waters of the Ter, Fluvià and Muga were fused in a complex mosaic of lagoons, meanders and ponds that were flanked by dunes, mudflats, reedbeds and woodland. Together they formed a heterogeneous environment that was home to a multitude of birds, fish, mammals, reptiles and amphibians, as well as invertebrates in great numbers, to say nothing of the botany. The quantity and diversity would have dwarfed anything seen in any of today's great protected parks of Europe. In more recent centuries, much of the area was given over to rice growing, but that has now largely ceased.
Nowadays, because of land drainage for cereal and livestock farming, the marsh area is considerably smaller and is divided into several parts, most of which are in the Alt Empordà. Nevertheless, the whole region is still one of the most important staging points in Europe for the spring and autumn migration by millions of birds crossing the Mediterranean to and from Africa.
What are the Aigüamolls of the Empordà?
The Aigüamolls are nature reserves that protect areas of important coastal marshland in the Empordà. The one in the Alt Empordà is based on the rivers Muga and Fluvià and lies between Roses and Sant Pere Pescador, while the smaller one in the Baix Empordà includes the mouths of the river Ter just south of l'Estartit and the Basses d'en Coll on the Platja de Pals. These days, the name "Aigüamolls" is most commonly used to refer to the reserve in the Alt Empordà.
More than two millennia ago the swamp and dunes extended inland from the the Gulf of Roses and the Platja de Pals to completely surround the Montgrí massif, the lonely mountains that stand beside Torroella de Montgrí. The waters of the Ter, Fluvià and Muga were fused in a complex mosaic of lagoons, meanders and ponds that were flanked by dunes, mudflats, reedbeds and woodland. Together they formed a heterogeneous environment that was home to a multitude of birds, fish, mammals, reptiles and amphibians, as well as invertebrates in great numbers, to say nothing of the botany. The quantity and diversity would have dwarfed anything seen in any of today's great protected parks of Europe. In more recent centuries, much of the area was given over to rice growing, but that has now largely ceased.
Nowadays, because of land drainage for cereal and livestock farming, the marsh area is considerably smaller and is divided into several parts, most of which are in the Alt Empordà. Nevertheless, the whole region is still one of the most important staging points in Europe for the spring and autumn migration by millions of birds crossing the Mediterranean to and from Africa.