The Lagunas de Ruidera are a group of small lakes in the Campo de Montiel

Campo de Montiel

Campo de Montiel is a comarca in Castile-La Mancha, Spain....

, between Albacete Province, and Ciudad Real Province, 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...

. Most of the lakes are interconnected and their total water amount may reach 23,06 Hm³, which is considerable by the standards of other lakes in 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...

.

The largest lakes are Laguna Colgada and Laguna del Rey. The area near the lakes is a tourist site, with small hotels, restaurants, camping sites and private villas, located mostly in or around Ruidera

Ruidera

Ruidera is a municipality in Ciudad Real, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. It has a population of 596.It is located close to the Lagunas de Ruidera natural lakes....

 town. The area can be reached from Ossa de Montiel

Ossa de Montiel

Ossa de Montiel is a municipality in Albacete, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. It has a population of 2,836 .The Lagunas de Ruidera are located within this town's municipal term....

 or Villahermosa

Villahermosa, Ciudad Real

Villahermosa, Ciudad Real is a municipality in Ciudad Real, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. It has a population of 2,559.The Lagunas de Ruidera are located within this town's municipal term....

.

Albacete Province

• Laguna Colgada or Gran Colgada
• Laguna Batana
• Laguna de Santos Morcillo
• Laguna Salvadora
• La Lengua
• Laguna Redondilla
• Laguna de San Pedro
• Laguna Tinaja
• Laguna Tomilla
• Laguna Conceja
• Laguna Taza. This lake was drained in order to build a camping site

Ciudad Real Province

• Laguna Cenagosa
• Laguna Coladilla
• Cueva de la Morenilla
• Laguna del Rey
• Laguna Blanca

Ecology

There are a variety of birds in the lake shores: duck

Duck

Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...

s, like the Red-crested Pochard

Red-crested Pochard

The Red-crested Pochard is a large diving duck.Their breeding habitat is lowland marshes and lakes in southern Europe and southern and central Asia. They are somewhat migratory, and northern birds winter further south and into north Africa.The adult male is unmistakable. It has a rounded orange...

, Common Pochard, Mallard

Mallard

The Mallard , or Wild Duck , is a dabbling duck which breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand and Australia....

 and Tufted Duck

Tufted Duck

The Tufted Duck, Aythya fuligula, is a medium-sized diving duck with a population of close to one million birds.- Description :The adult male is all black except for white flanks and a blue-grey bill. It has an obvious head tuft that gives the species its name.The adult female is brown with paler...

, as well as the Eurasian Coot

Eurasian Coot

The Eurasian Coot, Fulica atra, also known as Coot, is a member of the rail and crake bird family, the Rallidae. The Australian subspecies is known as the Australian Coot.-Distribution:...

, Common Moorhen

Common Moorhen

The Common Moorhen is a bird in the Rallidae family with an almost worldwide distribution. The North and South American Committees of the AOU and the IOC have voted on or before July 2011 to split the American forms into a new species Common Gallinule, however, no other committee has voted to...

, Great Reed Warbler

Great Reed Warbler

The Great Reed Warbler, Acrocephalus arundinaceus, is an Eurasiaan songbird in the genus Acrocephalus. It used to be placed in the "Old World warbler" assemblage, but nowadays is recognized to be part of the marsh- and tree-warbler family .-Description:This is a large thrush-sized warbler,...

, Bearded Reedling, 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...

, Little Bittern

Little Bittern

The Little Bittern is a wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, native to the Old World, breeding in Africa, central and southern Europe, western and southern Asia, and Madagascar. Birds from temperate regions in Europe and western Asia are migratory, wintering in Africa and further south in...

 and egret

Egret

An egret is any of several herons, most of which are white or buff, and several of which develop fine plumes during the breeding season. Many egrets are members of the genera Egretta or Ardea which contain other species named as herons rather than egrets...

s.
In the waters of the lakes there are also endemic Iberian fishes like the Rutilus lemmingii

Rutilus lemmingii

Iberochondrostoma lemmingii is a species of ray-finned fish in the Cyprinidae family.It is found in Portugal and Spain.-References:* World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1996. . Downloaded on 19 July 2007....

, Luciobarbus guiraonis, Iberian Barbel

Iberian Barbel

The Iberian Barbel is a ray-finned fish species in the family Cyprinidae. It is here placed in Luciobarbus following the IUCN, but that genus is very closely related to the other typical barbels and perhaps better considered a mere subgenus of Barbus...

, Luciobarbus microcephalus, Squalius pyrenaicus

Squalius pyrenaicus

Squalius pyrenaicus is a species of freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae. It is found in Portugal and Spain.Its natural habitats are rivers, intermittent rivers, and water storage areas. It is becoming rare due to habitat loss....

, as well as introduced species, like the Common carp

Common carp

The Common carp is a widespread freshwater fish of eutrophic waters in lakes and large rivers in Europe and Asia. The wild populations are considered vulnerable to extinction, but the species has also been domesticated and introduced into environments worldwide, and is often considered an invasive...

, Northern pike

Northern Pike

The northern pike , is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus Esox...

, Largemouth bass

Largemouth bass

The largemouth bass is a species of black bass in the sunfish family native to North America . It is also known as widemouth bass, bigmouth, black bass, bucketmouth, Potter's fish, Florida bass, Florida largemouth, green bass, green trout, linesides, Oswego bass, southern largemouth...

 and Gambusia holbrooki. The Procambarus clarkii

Procambarus clarkii

Procambarus clarkii is a freshwater crayfish species, native to the Southeastern United States, but found also on other continents, where it is often an invasive pest. It is known variously as the red swamp crawfish, red swamp crayfish, Louisiana crawfish, Louisiana crayfish or mudbug.-Range and...

is an introduced species of crayfish

Crayfish

Crayfish, crawfish, or crawdads – members of the superfamilies Astacoidea and Parastacoidea – are freshwater crustaceans resembling small lobsters, to which they are related...

 that has caused great damage to the local aquatic fauna.
Among the amphibians, the European tree frog

European tree frog

The European tree frog is the common name of Hyla arborea. The original name of this frog was Rana arborea. Some of the other common names include:*Rainette verte *Laubfrosch *Ranita de San Antonio...

, Mediterranean Tree Frog and the Southern Marbled Newt

Southern Marbled Newt

The Southern Marbled Newt or Pygmy Marbled Newt is a species of salamander in the Salamandridae family.It is found in Portugal and Spain....

 are present in the shores of the lakes.

The protected area of the Lagunas de Ruidera Natural Park

Lagunas de Ruidera Natural Park

Lagunas de Ruidera Natural Park is a natural park in Spain, containing 15 small lakes, the Lagunas de Ruidera that are located in the La Mancha plain. Its area is more than...

 includes not only the lakes but also the tributary valley of San Pedro.
UNESCO

UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...

 has included the natural park within the biosphere reserve

Biosphere reserve

The Man and the Biosphere Programme of UNESCO was established in 1971 to promote interdisciplinary approaches to management, research and education in ecosystem conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.-Development:...

 Mancha Húmeda

Mancha Húmeda

Mancha Húmeda is a Spanish wetland area which was designated a Biosphere reserve in 1980."Húmeda" means damp in Spanish and "Mancha Húmeda" refers to the wetlands of La Mancha, a predominantly arid part of central Spain. The core area of the reserve is the Tablas de Daimiel National Park, which...

. The natural park acts as a buffer zone to the core area of the biosphere reserve, the Tablas de Daimiel wetlands.

External links

• Lagunas de Ruidera - Tourism
• Lagunas de Ruidera :: Blog