S'Albufera de Mallorca is a

nature preserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geolog ...

on the Balearic island of

Mallorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest of the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, seventh largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. The capital of the island, Palma, Majorca, Palma, i ...

.CES Illes Balears: ''MEMÒRIA 2004 – ANNEX ESTADÍSTIC DE QUADRES'', Quadre A I-39, S.43: ''Espais naturals protegits (ha) (2004)''
/ref> The preserve contains the largest and most important

wetland A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...

of the Balearic islands. The wetland was formed out of an ancient

lagoon A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') an ...

, separated from the sea by a series of

dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, flat ...

s, which most of all due to human influence has been filled by sediments by now. The natural preserve comprises now 1708 hectares.

Gallery

Albufera Parc Natural R19.jpg, S'Albufera close to Platja de Muro S'Albufera de Mallorca 13 (HS).jpg, Egretta garzetta

References

External links

La Albufera de Mallorca
Protected areas of the Balearic Islands Geography of Mallorca Wetlands of Spain Nature reserves in Spain {{Balearics-geo-stub