ZEC Caicedo Yuso eta Arreoko lakua / Lago de Caicedo Yuso e Arreo – ES2110007

OVERVIEW

The Arreo-Caicedo Yuso lake covers an area of 148 ha, which includes the lake ecosystem (together with the saline spring), the surrounding agricultural lands, and various tree masses that cover the small elevations surrounding the wetland.

Located at an altitude of 650 meters above sea level, it has a small watershed fed by a saline spring. The surrounding landscape features an irregular topography, influenced by the presence of the Añana Diapir and shaped by external influences. Agricultural lands surround the lake except in its northern area, where they give way, on the slopes of the small elevations, to dense deciduous forests dominated by oaks and holm oaks.

Area (ha): 148,31 ha

Natura 2000 Code: ES2110007

Other protection statuses according to national or regional legislation:

CURRENT SITUATION AND CONSERVATION ACTIONS OF THE PROJECT

The lakebed belongs to the public hydraulic domain (Royal Legislative Decree 1/2001). The agricultural land bordering it is publicly owned, and the forest land is majority-owned by the public (a minority local authority).

The lake and its immediate surroundings have been declared a hunting refuge. Fishing is also prohibited, as established in the annual orders of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of the Provincial Council of Álava, which implement inland fishing regulations.

A large portion of the ZEC’s surface area corresponds to public assets, both public utility forests owned by municipalities and plots acquired by the Provincial Council of Álava as part of the Life “Tremedal” project. The percentage of private property is 30.24% (45.1224 ha).

The uniqueness of the Lago de Caicedo Yuso e Arreo SAC within the Natura 2000 Network of the Basque Country, and even at the state level, is largely due to the presence of certain Habitats of Community Interest, highlighting those of type 1510* (Mediterranean saline steppes [Limonietalia]) and 7210* (calcareous peatlands of Cladium mariscus and Caricion davallianae species), on which the project will act, to improve their structure and their future prospects.