Albufera de València

Satellite image

Albufera is a lake on the coast of Spain, 7 miles (11 km) south of Valencia. It is part of the Albufera Nature Reserve, with a surface area of 21,120 hectares. Its proximity and easy access from the city of Valencia, allow doing some nature-watching. The whole year long, the great bio-diversity of this protected natural space means a great variety of fauna and flora can be observed.

It covers the municipal areas of Valencia, Alfafar, Sedaví, Massanassa, Catarroja, Albal, Beniparrell, Silla, Sollana, Sueca, Cullera, Albalat de la Ribera and Algemesí.

Since 1990 the Albufera Nature Reserve has been included in the list of wetlands of international importance for birds established in virtue of the Ramsar agreement dated 2nd February 1971 and since 1991 it has been included in the ZEPA Areas (Zone of Special Protection for Birds).

The most important traditional use made of the zone has always been and today continues to be fishing. From prehistoric times the rich fishing in the lagoon attracted men there, specialising in this activity.

Fishing was legally recognised in year 1250, when the fishing conditions were laid down for El Palmar Fishing Association (residents of Russafa who settled definitively on the island of El Palmar to work more conveniently) and which would then be applied to those of Silla and Catarroja.

Until the lagoon's area of influence started to become industrialised, fishing gave great profits, as the clean waters of the lake provided a great diversity and abundance of fish ("gambeta", "petxinot", eels, bass, etc.).

At present, catches of bass and eels have considerably dropped and those of the mullet and the American crab (a species introduced in the 1980s) have increased.

Rice is another traditional use, though much more recent (18th century) and it has great economic and naturalistic importance as in the rice fields (where the water in the lake is purified) there are plant and animal species that have disappeared from the lake and furthermore give food and shelter to many birds of the Albufera.