Antela Lagoon, located in the A Limia region of the province of Ourense (Galicia, Spain), was once one of the largest wetlands on the Iberian Peninsula. This ecosystem supported a wealth of biodiversity, especially aquatic birds, and also regulated the area’s microclimate, recharged aquifers, and acted as a natural water filter. Its ecological value was incalculable, both due to its natural richness and its role in the environmental balance of the area.
However, in the 1950s, the Franco regime launched an ambitious drainage project with the aim of converting the land into agricultural land. This project, completed in the 1960s, resulted in the disappearance of the lagoon, profoundly altering the local ecosystem. Although land was created for cultivation, a unique natural space was lost, which is now considered a serious environmental mistake.
Decades later, nature is once again making its way to A Limia thanks to scientific and environmental initiatives. The important work of the Galician Society of Natural History (SGHN) in this area is particularly noteworthy.
The Life Global project promotes the restoration of the Antela wetland as a key area for biodiversity, in collaboration with the SGHN. Life Global, together with the CSIC and the Gomareite livestock community, will restore and maintain 30 hectares of floodplains and grasslands, with supervision and assistance from the SGHN.
If you’d like to know more, you can check out the following press release:
