The Gallocanta Lake ( es, Laguna de Gallocanta) is an
endorheic
An endorheic basin (; also spelled endoreic basin or endorreic basin) is a drainage basin that normally retains water and allows no outflow to other external bodies of water, such as rivers or oceans, but drainage converges instead into lakes ...
lake in
Aragon
Aragon ( , ; Spanish and an, Aragón ; ca, Aragó ) is an autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces (from north to so ...
, Spain. Falling within the boundaries of two provinces, Teruel and
Zaragoza
Zaragoza, also known in English as Saragossa,''Encyclopædia Britannica'"Zaragoza (conventional Saragossa)" is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributar ...
, the lake is located just to the south of Gallocanta village, between the Aragonese comarcas of Campo de Daroca and Comarca del Jiloca. This lake is situated on a high continental plain at an altitude of almost 1,000 m.
It lies in a 53,600 ha natural basin known as ''El Campo de Bello'', encircled by the Iberian System mountain ranges of Sierra de Santa Cruz and Sierra de Pardos in the north, Sierra Menera in the south and Sierra del Caldereros in the east. It is an intermittent rain-fed lake, largely dependent on abundant autumnal and spring rains if it is to maintain a sizeable amount of water into the hot summer months. During the summer of 1969 drought the lake dried completely, leaving a crust of
salt
Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantiti ...
and remaining dry for a long spell.
Ecology
The migration
phenology
Phenology is the study of periodic events in biological life cycles and how these are influenced by seasonal and interannual variations in climate, as well as habitat factors (such as elevation).
Examples include the date of emergence of leaves ...
of
common crane
The common crane (''Grus grus''), also known as the Eurasian crane, is a bird of the family Gruidae, the cranes. A medium-sized species, it is the only crane commonly found in Europe besides the demoiselle crane (''Grus virgo'') and the Siberi ...
s in southwestern Europe is changing due to
climate change
In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...
. The Laguna de Gallocanta remains one of the most important stopover sites for this species in Europe, being able to give shelter to an average population of 30,000 birds at one time between December and February.
The lake holds a wide array of wetland birds when its water level permits, while its shores are visited by steppeland birds and raptors.
Protected areas
In the 1970s Gallocanta Lake was designated a National Hunting Reserve (''Refugio Nacional de Caza de la Laguna de Gallocanta'').
In 1994 Gallocanta Lake was declared a
Ramsar site
A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O)
*** Permanent 8 ha (P)
*** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts)
**
ha as a wetland of international importance.
The lake has also received designations specifically for its importance to birdlife:
* it has been declared a
Special Protection Area
A Special Protection Area (SPA) is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union (EU) have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and cer ...
by the European Union.
* it is an
Important Bird Area
An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations.
IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Inte ...
(IBA). Following an assessment in 2016, the lake was one of a number of sites classed as an IBA in danger in 2017.
Tourism
There is an interpretation centre with displays on the lake's geology and wildlife. There are also private initiatives promoting bird tourism.Allucant (tourism website) /ref>
List of Ramsar wetlands of international importance
This is the list of Wetlands of International Importance as defined by the Ramsar Convention for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands, recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural, scientif ...