El Hondo
Encyclopedia
The Natural Park of El Fondo is located within the municipal boundaries of Elx/Elche and Crevillent
both of which are within the comarca (district) of Baix Vinalopó
in the south of the Valencian Community
in the east of Spain
. Both the rivers Vinalopó
and Segura
discharge into the lagoons that form this park.
The park is included in the Ramsar convention
list of protected wetlands
and as a Special Protection Area
under the European Union
Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds
. It has an area of 2,495 hectare
s and was declared a Natural Park by the Valencian government (Generalitat Valenciana
) on 12 December 1988.
as well as the surrounding area formed part of the Albufera of Elx/Elche known to the Romans as ″Senus Illicitanus″. The area of the park was infilled in the 17th century due to natural sedimentation and the placing of silt in order to create new areas for cultivation. At the same time the two largest lagoons were damned to supply water for irrigation.
The natural park has a semi-arid mediterranean climate
due to its location in the south east of the Iberian peninsula
.
of the water. The reservoirs contain fresher, less saline water with a high degree of eutrophication
and therefore there is hardly any submerged vegetation although rushes and reeds are present in the deepest waters. The peripheral pools, are more saline and contain better quality water than the reservoirs and various species typical of salt marsh
are present, such as sea lavender, shrubby seablight and glasswort.
which is endemic to the Spanish mediterranean region. But without any doubt the parks best know feature is the bird life. The most notable of the many species present in the park are the Marbled duck
and the White-headed duck
with the park containing two of the largest worldwide populations. A large number of herons are present during the breeding season particularly the Purple Heron
, the Night Heron
and the Squacco Heron
. It is also possible to find other species such as the Avocet
, the Black-winged Stilt
, the Collared Pratincole
, the Crested Coot, the European Penduline Tit
and the Moustached Warbler
. Birds of prey include the Osprey
and the Marsh Harrier
. An Estonia
-born Greater Spotted Eagle
wearing a transmitter has been hibernating in the park and its surroundings each winter since 2008/2009.
-Murcia
motorway, with an exit at the Crevillent Station leading to the village of San Felipe Neri.
Crevillent
Crevillent is a town and municipality located in the Alicante province, part of the Valencian Community, Spain. It is situated in the comarca of Baix Vinalopó, and lies at the foot of the hill range known locally as Serra de Crevillent...
both of which are within the comarca (district) of Baix Vinalopó
Baix Vinalopó
The Baix Vinalopó is a comarca in the province of Alicante . It is bordered by the comarques of Vinalopó Mitjà and Alacantí on the north and Vega Baja del Segura on the south. Its capital is the city of Elx/Elche, with a population of some 230,000 people live...
in the south of the Valencian Community
Valencian Community
The Valencian Community is an autonomous community of Spain located in central and south-eastern Iberian Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Valencia...
in the east of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. Both the rivers Vinalopó
Vinalopó
The Vinalopó is a small river flowing through the Alicante province, of Spain. It flows from north to south and, with a length of 81 km., it is the longest of the rivers which flows for its entire length within the limits of this province...
and Segura
Segura
Segura is a medium-sized river in southeastern Spain.It starts at Santiago Pontones , passes Calasparra, Cieza, Murcia, Beniaján, Orihuela, Rojales and ends in the Mediterranean Sea near Guardamar del Segura in the province of Alicante...
discharge into the lagoons that form this park.
The park is included in the Ramsar convention
Ramsar Convention
The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands, i.e., to stem the progressive encroachment on and loss of wetlands now and in the future, recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural,...
list of protected wetlands
Ramsar list of wetlands of international importance
This is the list of wetlands of international importance as defined by the Ramsar Convention for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands, recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural, scientific, and recreational value.The Convention...
and as a Special Protection Area
Special Protection Area
A Special Protection Area or SPA is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds.Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and certain particularly threatened birds.Together with Special...
under the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds
Birds Directive
The Birds Directive is a European Union directive adopted in 2009. It replaces Council Directive 79/409/EEC of 2 April 1979 on the conservation of wild birds which was modified several times and had become very unclear...
. It has an area of 2,495 hectare
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
s and was declared a Natural Park by the Valencian government (Generalitat Valenciana
Generalitat Valenciana
The Generalitat Valenciana is the generic name covering the different self government institutions under which the Spanish autonomous community of Valencia is politically organised....
) on 12 December 1988.
Topography and climat
This natural park is formed by a number of lagoons, of which the two largest are manmade and are called Levante, which has a surface area of 450 hectares and Poniente, with an area of 650 hectares. These two lagoons are fed by the waters of the river Segura. El Fondo and the Salinas of Santa PolaSanta Pola
Santa Pola is a coastal town located in the comarca of Baix Vinalopó in the Valencian Community, Spain, by the Mediterranean Sea...
as well as the surrounding area formed part of the Albufera of Elx/Elche known to the Romans as ″Senus Illicitanus″. The area of the park was infilled in the 17th century due to natural sedimentation and the placing of silt in order to create new areas for cultivation. At the same time the two largest lagoons were damned to supply water for irrigation.
The natural park has a semi-arid mediterranean climate
Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate is the climate typical of most of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin, and is a particular variety of subtropical climate...
due to its location in the south east of the Iberian peninsula
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
.
Flora
Although the parks habitats are fairly homogenous it is possible to distinguish two different types of environment relating to the depth and salinitySalinity
Salinity is the saltiness or dissolved salt content of a body of water. It is a general term used to describe the levels of different salts such as sodium chloride, magnesium and calcium sulfates, and bicarbonates...
of the water. The reservoirs contain fresher, less saline water with a high degree of eutrophication
Eutrophication
Eutrophication or more precisely hypertrophication, is the movement of a body of water′s trophic status in the direction of increasing plant biomass, by the addition of artificial or natural substances, such as nitrates and phosphates, through fertilizers or sewage, to an aquatic system...
and therefore there is hardly any submerged vegetation although rushes and reeds are present in the deepest waters. The peripheral pools, are more saline and contain better quality water than the reservoirs and various species typical of salt marsh
Salt marsh
A salt marsh is an environment in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and salt water or brackish water, it is dominated by dense stands of halophytic plants such as herbs, grasses, or low shrubs. These plants are terrestrial in origin and are essential to the stability of the salt marsh...
are present, such as sea lavender, shrubby seablight and glasswort.
Fauna
Various aquatic species exist in the lagoons such as eels, grey mullet, fresh water shrimp and above all the Spanish ToothcarpSpanish toothcarp
The Spanish toothcarp or Iberian killifish, Aphanius iberus, is a small, endemic species of fish in the family Cyprinodontidae. Its risk of extinction is one of the greatest of any Iberian vertebrate...
which is endemic to the Spanish mediterranean region. But without any doubt the parks best know feature is the bird life. The most notable of the many species present in the park are the Marbled duck
Marbled Duck
The Marbled Duck, or Marbled Teal , is a medium-sized duck. It used to be included among the dabbling ducks, but is now classed as a diving duck....
and the White-headed duck
White-headed Duck
The White-headed Duck is a small stiff-tailed duck.Adult males have a grey and reddish body, a blue bill and a largely white head with a black cap and neck. Adult females have a grey-brown body with a white face and a darker bill, cap and a cheek stripe.This duck breeds in Spain and North Africa,...
with the park containing two of the largest worldwide populations. A large number of herons are present during the breeding season particularly the Purple Heron
Purple Heron
The Purple Heron is a wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, breeding in Africa, central and southern Europe, and southern and eastern Asia. The European populations are migratory, wintering in tropical Africa; the more northerly Asian populations also migrate further south within Asia...
, the Night Heron
Night heron
The night herons are medium-sized herons in the genera Nycticorax, Nyctanassa and Gorsachius. The genus name Nycticorax derives from the Greek for “night raven” and refers to the largely nocturnal feeding habits of this group of birds, and the croaking crow-like call of the best known species, the...
and the Squacco Heron
Squacco Heron
The Squacco Heron, Ardeola ralloides, is a small heron, long, of which the body is , with wingspan. It is of Old World origins, breeding in southern Europe and the Greater Middle East.-Behaviour:...
. It is also possible to find other species such as the Avocet
Avocet
The four species of Avocets are a genus, Recurvirostra, of waders in the same avian family as the stilts.Avocets have long legs and long, thin, upcurved bills which they sweep from side to side when feeding in the brackish or saline wetlands they prefer...
, the Black-winged Stilt
Black-winged Stilt
The Black-winged Stilt or Common Stilt is a widely distributed very long-legged wader in the avocet and stilt family . Opinions differ as to whether the birds treated under the scientific name H. himantopus ought to be treated as a single species and if not, how many species to recognize...
, the Collared Pratincole
Collared Pratincole
The Collared Pratincole or Common Pratincole, Glareola pratincola, is a wader in the pratincole family, Glareolidae.Pratincoles are unusual among waders in that they typically hunt their insect prey on the wing like swallows, although they can also feed on the ground.The Collared Pratincole is a...
, the Crested Coot, the European Penduline Tit
European Penduline Tit
The European Penduline Tit is a passerine of the genus Remiz. It is relatively widespread throughout Eurasia.The Asian species include the Black-headed Penduline Tit, Remiz macronyx, the White-crowned Penduline Tit, Remiz coronatus, and the Chinese Penduline Tit, Remiz consobrinus.It builds an...
and the Moustached Warbler
Moustached Warbler
The Moustached Warbler, Acrocephalus melanopogon, is an Old World warbler in the genus Acrocephalus. It breeds in southern Europe and southern temperate Asia with a few in north-west Africa. It is partially migratory...
. Birds of prey include the Osprey
Osprey
The Osprey , sometimes known as the sea hawk or fish eagle, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey. It is a large raptor, reaching more than in length and across the wings...
and the Marsh Harrier
Marsh harrier
The marsh harriers are birds of prey of the harrier subfamily. They are medium-sized raptors and the largest and broadest-winged harriers. Most of them are associated with marshland and dense reedbeds...
. An Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
-born Greater Spotted Eagle
Greater Spotted Eagle
The Greater Spotted Eagle , occasionally just called the spotted eagle, is a large bird of prey. Like all typical eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae...
wearing a transmitter has been hibernating in the park and its surroundings each winter since 2008/2009.
Access
The park is served by the AlicanteAlicante
Alicante or Alacant is a city in Spain, the capital of the province of Alicante and of the comarca of Alacantí, in the south of the Valencian Community. It is also a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city of Alicante proper was 334,418, estimated , ranking as the second-largest...
-Murcia
Murcia
-History:It is widely believed that Murcia's name is derived from the Latin words of Myrtea or Murtea, meaning land of Myrtle , although it may also be a derivation of the word Murtia, which would mean Murtius Village...
motorway, with an exit at the Crevillent Station leading to the village of San Felipe Neri.