S'Albufera de Mallorca is a

nature preserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or o ...

on the Balearic island of

Mallorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest island in the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain and located in the Mediterranean. The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Bal ...

.CES Illes Balears: ''MEMÒRIA 2004 – ANNEX ESTADÍSTIC DE QUADRES'', Quadre A I-39, S.43: ''Espais naturals protegits (ha) (2004)''
/ref> The preserve contains the largest and most important

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

of the Balearic islands. The wetland was formed out of an ancient

lagoon A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') a ...

, separated from the sea by a series of

dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, f ...

s, which most of all due to human influence has been filled by sediments by now. The natural preserve comprises now 1708 hectares.

Gallery

Albufera Parc Natural R19.jpg, S'Albufera close to Platja de Muro S'Albufera de Mallorca 13 (HS).jpg, Egretta garzetta

References

External links

La Albufera de Mallorca
Protected areas of the Balearic Islands Geography of Mallorca Wetlands of Spain Nature reserves in Spain {{Balearics-geo-stub