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EspañolThe Delta del Ebro natural park
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Cataluña - Delta del Ebro The Delta del Ebro is the most important wetland in Catalonia and it takes the form of an immense triangle - almost like an island - surrounded by water and connected to the mainland by part of the former coastline. Its landscape is a mixture of earth and water, fresh water, salt fields and vegetation.
Wetlands, like the Delta del Ebro, are highly productive environments which countless species of plants and animals depend on for survival. The marshes develop many vital functions such as water storage, protection against storms, coastal stabilization and recycling nutrients and pollutants. In turn, they also provide economic benefits to local communities through traditional exploitation of natural resources (i.e. through fishing, hunting, agriculture, livestocking rearing and, more recently, tourism).
In the case of the Delta, the confluence of land and sea has lead to a high diversity of fish species (around 50 different varieties). More than 360 species of birds have been observed in the Delta, including some of the breeding colonies of seabirds on the Mediterranean. The park has been declared a Special Protection Area for birds (SPAs) and was included on the List of Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar) on March 26, 1993.
The coastal area of the Delta is one of the most attractive landscapes in the Mediterranean. It is made up of large lakes surrounded by reeds and rushes. In the peripheral, there are large areas of saline soils, long, deserted beaches, dunes and other plants that have adapted successfully to the environment. On both ends of the coastline there are two arrows of fine sand: El Fangar and Els Alfacs, respectively.
In the Delta, the altitude above sea level never exceeds 5 meters. In spite of this, there is a rich community of plantlife, including reeds, dunes and a riparian forest (the only forest formation in the area). The Ebro river runs through the entire plain until it reaches the Mediterranean Sea.
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