The Albufera Natural Park (in Valencian Parc Natural de l'Albufera) or simply La Albufera (from the Arabic البحيرة al-Buḥayra, "the lake") is a Spanish protected natural area located in the province of Valencia, Valencian Community. It was referred to by the Romans as Nacarum Stagnum, and in some Arabic poems, it is referred to as "Mirror of the Sun".
The park covers an area of 21,120 hectares, including the Albufera wetlands and the coastal zone adjacent to both, and it is located approximately 10 kilometers to the south of Valencia. On July 8, 1986, the Generalitat Valenciana designated the area a natural park.
On October 23, 1990, the Special Protection Plan document for the Natural Park was approved (subsequently overturned by the Supreme Court of Spain). Additionally, on May 16, 1995, Decree 96/1995 was approved, which in turn approved the Natural Resources Management Plan (PORN, Plan de Ordenación de los Recursos Naturales) of the Albufera Hydrographic Basin. On November 19, 2004, the Council of the Generalitat Valenciana approved Decree 259/2004, which established the Albufera Master Plan for Use and Management (PRUG, Plan Rector de Uso y Gestión).
In 1902, the Valencian writer Vicente Blasco Ibáñez published the novel Cañas y barro, which is set in the Albufera region at the beginning of the 20th century.
The Albufera of Valencia is a shallow coastal lagoon with an average depth of 1 m and situated on the Mediterranean coast to the south of the city of Valencia. It occupies an area of 23.94 km2 and is surrounded by 223 km2 of rice fields. The Albufera's hydrographic basin encompasses an area of 917.1 km2, spanning from sea level to an altitude of approximately 1,000 meters above mean sea level. It is separated from the sea by a narrow sandy coastal bar, known as a restinga, which is stabilized by a pine forest, specifically the Dehesa de Saler. It serves as a migratory corridor for numerous avian species.
The Albufera is an important ecological area that supports endangered species like the fartet and the samaruc. It is also one of the few lagoons in the Valencian Community that has been preserved. The region's coastline used to have many lagoons and marshes. Some of these can still be seen, including the Marsh of Pego-Oliva, the Marsh of Jaraco, the Marsh of Rafalell and Vistabella, the Marjal del Moro in Puzol-Sagunto, and the Marsh of Almenara.From the book Sedimentation rates in L'Albufera de València, 1992.
Geography Municipalities The Albufera natural park is subdivided into four regions or comarcas: Ribera Alta, Ribera Baixa, Horta Sud, and the City of Valencia. These four comarcas encompass 13 municipalities, many of which contain districts within the park.
ComarcaMunicipalityDistrictValenciaValenciaCastellar-Oliveral, El Palmar, El Perellonet, Pinedo and El SalerHorta SudAlbalAlfafarEl TremolarBeniparrellCatarrojaPuerto de CatarrojaMassanassaSedavíSillaRibera AltaAlgemesíRibera BaixaAlbalat de la RiberaCulleraMareny de Sant Llorenç and MarenyetSollanaEl RomaníSuecaMareny Blau, Mareny de Barraquetes, Mareny de Vilches, Les Palmeres, El Perelló, El Pouet and Vega de Mar
Communication routes
The main access road to the park is the El Saler highway (V-15), which starts in Valencia and runs north-south through the park to the Valencian town of El Saler, where it continues as a conventional road to Sueca (CV-500) and connects in Les Palmeres to the CV-502, which leads to Cullera. Another access road to the northern part of the park is the CV-401, which runs from the Alfafar industrial estate to El Saler.
The N-332 road runs southwest of the park, from Sollana to Sueca, although it is currently being converted into the Valencia-Almería motorway along the coast. Other important roads are the urban roads of Silla (V-31) and the southern ring road of Valencia (V-30), which form the artificial border of the park.
In addition to these roads, the Albufera Natural Park is also crossed by numerous rural and drovers' roads that connect the different areas of the park and the different towns in the region. There are also several river ports, such as those of Catarroja, El Tremolar, Silla and Sollana, as well as piers in El Palmar and El Saler.
Climate
The climate is Mediterranean, with mild temperatures and an average annual humidity of 65%. The average temperature is 17.8 °C, with a range from 11.5 °C in January to 25.5 °C in August, as illustrated in the table below.
The annual precipitation is 454 mm. Such precipitation events are typically of significant intensity and concentrated during the autumn season, a phenomenon known as the "cold drop".
The data set encompasses measurements taken between the years 1971 and 2000. These are relative values for the city of Valencia, derived from measurements taken at the city's measurement center, which is subject to the effects of the urban heat island phenomenon. The values represented here are obtained from monthly and annual averages. Some data may have been exceeded, both in terms of maximum and minimum values.The data presented here are exclusive to the aforementioned observatory. The values were derived from the mean monthly/annual number of days with precipitation exceeding or equal to 1 mm, calculated as a full day. However, the sum of the total annual number of days (365) does not correspond to the expected value, as it does not reach the minimum required for computation.JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecemberYearAverage temperature11.512.613.915.518.422.124.925.523.119.114.912.417.8Maximum temperature16.117.218.720.222.826.229.129.627.623.619.516.822.3Minimum temperature7.07.99.010.814.117.920.821.418.614.510.48.113.4Rainfall36323537342391951745152454Humidity63616160656566686766656565 JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecemberYearRainy days43455312454544Snowy days0000000000000Stormy days00112223321018Foggy days12111101101110Frosty days0000000000000Sunny days9675581310767791Sunshine hours1691692122292562713142852372011671502660 Hydrography
The basin discharges into the Albufera through a network of ravines or wadis. The most significant ones are: The Rambla del Poyo (also known as the Torrente ravine, the Massanassa ravine, or the Chiva ravine), with a basin area of 367.6 km2, constitutes approximately 40% of the total basin area; the Barranco de Picasent (also known as the Beniparrell ravine) has a basin area of 23 km2; and the Barranc dels Algadins has a basin area of 23 km2, with the majority of its basin located in the municipality of Alginet, although it also traverses the municipality of Algemesí. In the municipality of Algemesí, the course of the ravine becomes indistinct, and it assumes the characteristics of an acequia, which drains into the Albufera.
The Albufera has its own hydrological basin, but it provides only a small amount of water. Most of the water comes from the Júcar and Turia rivers. In this sense, the Albufera is an integral part of the Júcar river's hydrological scheme. It also gets water from irrigation through a network of sixty-three acequias. The acequias also collect wastewater from surrounding municipalities, including El Romaní. The acequia of the Vega de Valencia receives the Turia river after Acequia Real de Moncada, using the residual flows and runoff, which is then sent to the acequia del Oro and the irrigated lands of Francos and Marjales of the Albufera of Valencia.
The network of acequias that run through the rice fields also collect water from the springs that emerge from the bottom and the surrounding areas of the lagoon. These waters are augmented by wastewater from the Pinedo, Quart-Benager, and Albufera Sur treatment plants.
Acequias The area has had an important network of acequias and canals since Roman and Muslim times. The Acequia Real del Júcar provides water to most of the orchards and rice fields around the Albufera. Its average flow during irrigation is 15 m3/s. It drains into the Albufera through different channels, including l'Alqueresia, Barranquet, La Foia, and Nova de Silla, ending in the Albal acequia.In contrast, the Sueca mother acequia provides irrigation water to rice fields in the southern Albufera region. Its average flow during irrigation periods is 13 m3/s, reaching the Albufera through the Nova acequia, which ends in the Dreta acequia.
The Acequia de Favara is one of eight acequias in the Vega de Valencia (under the jurisdiction of the Water Tribunal of the plain of Valencia). It irrigates the fields on the right bank of the old Turia River. This acequia ends at the Port of Catarroja, where it joins the Acequia de Rovella and the rice fields of the northwest of the Albufera of Valencia. The Acequia del Oro is the last acequia in the Horta of Valencia. It irrigates the lands on the right bank of the Turia river between the river bed and the Mediterranean Sea. These lands are primarily rice fields in the northern part of the Albufera Natural Park. The Acequia del Oro ends its waters in the Albufera through the El Saler Port's canal and the Rabisanxo acequia.
History
Formation The formation of Albufera dates back to the beginning of the Pleistocene. It can be attributed to the closure of an ancient bay caused by the subsidence of the Valencian plain. The closure was caused by the formation of a wide headland between the rivers Júcar and Turia, between Valencia and Cullera (about 30 km). The definitive separation of the Albufera from the sea occurred during the Roman period, when the surface of the lake was approximately 30,000 hectares. However, over the years it has undergone significant clogging and shrunk to 2,800 hectares due to human activities, especially rice cultivation.
Antiquity The city of Cicana (Sueca) was named by the Iberians after the Sicano river, which is also known as the Júcar. The Turia river, which is located in close proximity to the confluence of the Sicano and Júcar rivers, encircles the city of Valencia. The land slopes away from the sea for a considerable distance, presenting a vista of uncultivated terrain. (....). The Capasia mountain range runs behind it, featuring a considerable elevation. The beaches devoid of vegetation extend to the ruins of Chersoneso. Next to them is the lake of the mother-of-pearl (the Albufera), and in the middle of it rises a small island (the Montaña de los Santos) that produces olive trees. This island is consecrated to Minerva due to the presence of olive trees.
Middle and Modern Age During the Islamic period in the Peninsula, the Emir of Zaragoza, Mostahim, was granted the Albufera as a reward for his alliance with El Cid in the capture of Valencia.
The practice of fishing was formally recognized by the governing authorities in the year 1250, when a group of individuals from the town of Ruzafa (present-day Valencia) relocated to the island of El Palmar and established a permanent settlement there. The fishermen sought a more convenient and comfortable method of fishing. Over time, this practice was acknowledged and permitted in the towns of Silla and Catarroja. King Jaime I was so impressed by this development that he decreed that, "despite being considered external to the kingdom and beyond the city of Valencia's boundaries, they would be permitted to remain attached to the prince's estate".
In 1250, following the inclusion of Morella in the Crown's assets, a privilege was issued on January 21. This granted any individual the right to fish in the lake, provided that a fifth part was paid.
Edicts on the Albufera can be found with concessions or ratifications from virtually all the kings, including Peter I, John II, Alfonso II, Martin I, Ferdinand I, Charles I, Philip II and Philip IV, among others.