endorheic
An endorheic basin ( ; also endoreic basin and endorreic basin) is a drainage basin that normally retains water and allows no outflow to other external bodies of water (e.g. rivers and oceans); instead, the water drainage flows into permanent ...
lake in
Aragon
Aragon ( , ; Spanish and ; ) is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces of Spain, ...
, Spain. It is located between the
Teruel
Teruel () is a city in Aragon, located in eastern Spain, and is also the capital of Teruel (province), Teruel Province. It had a population of 35,900 as of 2022, making it the least populated provincial capital in Spain. It is noted for its har ...
and
Zaragoza
Zaragoza (), traditionally known in English as Saragossa ( ), is the capital city of the province of Zaragoza and of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributaries, the ...
provinces. The lake is located just to the south of Gallocanta village, between the Aragonese comarcas of Campo de Daroca and Comarca del Jiloca. This lake is situated on a high continental plain at an altitude of almost 1,000 m.
It lies in a 53,600 ha natural basin known as ''El Campo de Bello'', encircled by the
Iberian System
Iberian refers to Iberia. Most commonly Iberian refers to:
*Someone or something originating in the Iberian Peninsula, namely from Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar and Andorra.
The term ''Iberian'' is also used to refer to anything pertaining to the fo ...
mountain ranges of Sierra de Santa Cruz and Sierra de Pardos in the north, Sierra Menera in the south and Sierra del Caldereros in the east. It is an intermittent rain-fed lake, largely dependent on abundant autumnal and spring rains if it is to maintain a sizeable amount of water into the hot summer months. During the summer of 1969 drought the lake dried completely, leaving a crust of
salt
In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...
.
Ecology
The migration
phenology
Phenology is the study of periodic events in biological life cycles and how these are influenced by seasonal and interannual variations in climate, as well as habitat factors (such as elevation).
Examples include the date of emergence of leav ...
of
common crane
The common crane (''Grus grus''), also known as the Eurasian crane, is a bird of the family Gruidae, the crane (bird), cranes. A medium-sized species, it is the only crane commonly found in Europe besides the demoiselle crane (''Grus virgo'') an ...
s in southwestern Europe is changing due to
climate change
Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...
. The Laguna de Gallocanta remains one of the most important stopover sites for this species in Europe, being able to give shelter to an average population of 30,000 birds at one time between December and February.
The lake holds a wide array of wetland birds when its water level permits, while its shores are visited by steppeland birds and raptors.
Protected areas
In the 1970s Gallocanta Lake was designated a National Hunting Reserve (''Refugio Nacional de Caza de la Laguna de Gallocanta'').
In 1994 Gallocanta Lake was declared a
Ramsar site
A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O)
*** Permanent 8 ha (P)
*** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts)
**
ha as a wetland of international importance.
The lake has also received designations specifically for its importance to birdlife:
* it has been declared a
Special Protection Area
A special protection area (SPA) is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union (EU) have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and cer ...
by the European Union.
* it is an
Important Bird Area
An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations.
IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...
(IBA). Following an assessment in 2016, the lake was one of a number of sites classed as an IBA in danger in 2017.
Tourism
There is an interpretation centre with displays on the lake's geology and wildlife. There are also private initiatives promoting bird tourism.Allucant (tourism website) /ref>
List of Ramsar wetlands of international importance
Ramsar sites are protected under by the Ramsar Convention, an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands, recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural, scientific, and r ...