The Albufera de València (, meaning "lagoon of Valencia" in Catalan, from

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

''al-buhayra'', "small sea"), is a freshwater

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'') an ...

and

estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime enviro ...

on the

Gulf of Valencia The Gulf of Valencia (, ), is a gulf or inlet of the western Mediterranean Sea, on the eastern coast of Spain. Its limits are the Cap de la Nau headland in the south, while the northern limit is diffuse: for some it is the Cape of Vinaròs; and ...

coast of the

Valencian Community The Valencian Community is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populous Spanish Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community after Andalusia, Catalonia and the Community of Madrid wit ...

in eastern

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. It is the main portion of the ''

Parc Natural de l'Albufera The Albufera Natural Park (in Valencian language, Valencian ''Parc Natural de l'Albufera'') or simply La Albufera (from the Arabic البحيرة ''al-Buḥayra'', "the lake") is a Spanish Protected area, protected natural area located in the pr ...

de València'' ("Valencian Albufera Natural Park"), with a surface area of . The natural

biodiversity Biodiversity is the variability of life, life on Earth. It can be measured on various levels. There is for example genetic variability, species diversity, ecosystem diversity and Phylogenetics, phylogenetic diversity. Diversity is not distribut ...

of the

nature reserve 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, funga, or features of geologic ...

allows a great variety of

flora Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. The corresponding term for animals is ''fauna'', and for f ...

and

fauna Fauna (: faunae or faunas) is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding terms for plants and fungi are ''flora'' and '' funga'', respectively. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively ...

to thrive and be observed year-round. Though once a saltwater lagoon, dilution due to irrigation and canals draining into the estuary and the sand bars increasing in size had converted it to freshwater by the seventeenth century.

Geography

The Valencian Albufera Nature Park and lagoon lies just south of

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

, in the municipal areas of 13 towns and four ' (former towns) adjoined to the capital city, these in turn lying within four

comarques The comarques of Catalonia (singular ''comarca'', , ), often referred to in English as counties, are an administrative division of Catalonia. Each comarca comprises a number of municipalities, roughly equivalent to a county in the United States. ...

or counties, namely, in

Horta Sud Horta Sud (, ; ) is a ''comarca'' in the province of Valencia, Valencian Community, Spain, to the south of the city. Geography It borders, to the north with the city of Valencia and the Horta Nord, to the northwest with Camp de Túria, to th ...

: Albal,

Alfafar Alfafar () is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Horta Sud in the Valencian Community The Valencian Community is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populous Spanish Autonomous communiti ...

Beniparrell Beniparrell is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Horta Sud in the Valencian Community The Valencian Community is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populous Spanish Autonomous communiti ...

Catarroja Catarroja (, ; ) is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in the Comarques of the Valencian Community, ''comarca'' of Horta Sud in the Valencia (autonomous community), Valencian Community, Spain. In October 2024 it was devastated by the overfl ...

Massanassa Massanassa is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Horta Sud in the Valencian Community The Valencian Community is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populous Spanish Autonomous communitie ...

Sedaví Sedaví is a municipality in the province of Valencia in the Valencian Community The Valencian Community is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populous Spanish Autonomous communities of Sp ...

and

Silla Silla (; Old Korean: wikt:徐羅伐#Old Korean, 徐羅伐, Yale romanization of Korean, Yale: Syerapel, Revised Romanization of Korean, RR: ''Seorabeol''; International Phonetic Alphabet, IPA: ) was a Korean kingdom that existed between ...

; in

Ribera Baixa Ribera Baixa (; ) is a Comarques of the Valencian Community, ''comarca'' in the Provinces of Spain, province of Valencia (province), Valencia, Valencian Community, Spain. Municipalities Ribera Baixa contains the following 12 municipalities: * ...

Albalat de la Ribera Albalat de la Ribera is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Ribera Baixa in the Valencian Community, Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Fe ...

Cullera Cullera (Spanish and Valencian: ) is a city and municipality of Spain located in the Valencian Community. It is part of the province of Valencia and the Ribera Baixa ''comarca''. The city is situated near the discharge of the river Júcar in the ...

Sollana Sollana is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Ribera Baixa in the Valencian Community, Spain. The municipality includes a second village: El Romaní. Situated on the floodplain of the Júcar River, the Sollana region is where rice was first ...

, Sueca and El Mareny de Barraquetes; in Ribera Alta:

Algemesí Algemesí () is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in the Comarques of the Valencian Community, ''comarca'' of Ribera Alta (comarca), Ribera Alta in the Valencia (autonomous community), Valencian Community, Spain. The town of Algemesí is on ...

; and in the County of Valencia and greater metropolitan area of

València Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

, in the ' of Pinedo, El Palmar,

El Saler El Saler is a village in Valencia, Spain. It is part of the municipality of Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of ...

and El Perellonet. Its proximity to the capital city of the Valencian Land and easy access facilitate nature experiences and

birdwatching Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device such as binoculars or a telescop ...

. Since 1990, the Valencian Albufera Nature Reserve has been included as 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) **

wetlands A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...

of international importance for birds, established in the

Ramsar Convention The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of Ramsar site, Ramsar sites (wetlands). It is also known as the Convention on We ...

of 1971. Since 1991 the ''Parc Natural de l'Albufera de València'' has also been included in the

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 ...

s (''Zepa'' in Spanish).

Fishing

The most important human use of the lagoon has traditionally been and continues to be fishing.

History

From prehistoric times the rich fishing has attracted people specializing in this activity there. Fishing was legally recognised in year 1250, when regulations were laid down for the El Palmar Fishing Association (residents of the Valencia extramural parish of Russafa who settled permanently on the island of El Palmar to work more conveniently) and which would then be applied to the fisheries of Silla and Catarroja.

Present day

Until the lagoon's catchment area started to become industrialised, fishing generated substantial profits, as the clean waters of the lake provided a great diversity and abundance of fish ("gambeta", "petxinot",

eels Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order (biology), order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 20 Family (biology), families, 164 genus, genera, and about 1000 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the earl ...

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

, etc.). At present, catches of

and

have dropped considerably, while those of mullet and American blue crab (a species introduced in the 1980s) have increased. Flooded areas around Valencia captured by Sentinel-1 ESA503180 - Flooded areas around Valencia captured by Sentinel-1

Flooded areas around Valencia captured by Sentinel-1 ESA503180 - Flooded areas around Valencia captured by Sentinel-1

During the 2024 October floods in the province of Valencia, the lagoon received water both from the

Rambla del Poyo The Rambla del Poyo is a 43.5 km Arroyo (creek), Rambla (gorge) in the Province of Valencia, Spain. Hydrology It lies between the Turia (river), Turia and Júcar rivers, with its source in the mountains of the ''Parque Natural del Turia' ...

on the north and the paddies flooded by the Magro on the south. This water carried canes, mud, the upper layer of crop fields and garbage, including industrial material, plastic, fuel, and sewage.

Agriculture

Rice growing is another traditional use, though more recent (since the 18th century); it has big economic and environmental importance because plant and animal species that have disappeared from the lake itself still live in the rice fields (where the water of the lagoon is purified). These rice paddies also provide food and shelter for many birds. Nevertheless, nowadays the amount of water that arrives to the lagoon is less than some years ago, and the quality of the water is worse. It needs a better management of its water, so it can be a good environment for the fish and plants that used to live there.

Microbes of the Albufera

L'Albufera is heavily dominated by

Cyanobacteria Cyanobacteria ( ) are a group of autotrophic gram-negative bacteria that can obtain biological energy via oxygenic photosynthesis. The name "cyanobacteria" () refers to their bluish green (cyan) color, which forms the basis of cyanobacteri ...

, particularly

Synechococcus ''Synechococcus'' (from the Greek ''synechos'', in succession, and the Greek ''kokkos'', granule) is a unicellular cyanobacterium that is very widespread in the marine environment. Its size varies from 0.8 to 1.5 μm. The photosynthetic ...

. The natural microbial population of Albufera has been recently described.

References

External links

Parc Natural de L'Albufera de ValènciaEnglish audio guide
(40 Chapters, about two minutes each) {{Authority control Coastal lagoons Lagoons of Europe Wetlands of Spain Natural parks of Spain Natural parks of the Valencian Community Protected areas of the Valencian Community Ramsar sites in Spain Special Protection Areas of Spain Geography of the Province of Valencia Landforms of the Valencian Community Estuaries of Europe Geography of Valencia