Parque Nacional Donana in Seville

The growth in national parks in Spain is in large part due to the reforms of the socialist government of Spain introducing new conservation minded legislation in the 1980’s. Today approximately 40,000 square kilometers of land in Spain is under conservation protection and much of this land is composed of national parks all around Spain. The good news is that most of this wildlife and national park is open to the public to enjoy. Parque Nacional Donana in Seville is a national park and wildlife refuge in southwestern Spain. The park’s biodiversity is unique in Europe.

Features of Parque Nacional Donana in Seville

  -  Parque Nacional Donana in Seville is located in Andalusia, in the provinces of Huelva and Sevilla, and covers 543 km², of which 135 km² are a protected area. The park is one of Europe's most important wetland reserves and a major site for migrating birds. The features of Parque Nacional Donana in Seville include:

  -  It contains a great variety of ecosystems and shelters wildlife including thousands of European and African migratory birds, fallow deer, Spanish red deer, wild boar, European badger, Egyptian mongoose, and endangered species such as the Spanish Imperial Eagle and Iberian Lynx.

  -  The park and its highly sensitive ecology were threatened in 1998 by a massive spill of metallic waste from a mine reservoir into the Guadiamar River, which flows through the park; however, the spill was diverted into the Guadalquivir River, reprieving the park.

  -  The parque itself and surrounding parque natural or Entorno de Doñana (a protected buffer zone) amount to over 1,300 sq km in the provinces of Huelva, Sevilla and Cádiz.

  -  You can also take half-day trips with official guides or explore the environs of the visitors' centers on foot.

  -  The centre has an exhibition about the park, a café and a shop selling maps and books.

  -  Next to the centre is the El Acebuche lagoon, with bird hides, where you can see purple gallinules, among other birds.

  -  November, December and January constitute the off-season for visitors.

  -  The park is ideal for waterfowl since the autumn rains bring life back to the marismas and filled the lagunas.

  -  There are freshwater marshes, incidentally, although there are traces of sea salt in the underlying silt.

  -  Here and there small islands (vetas) rise above the water. These remain dry throughout the year, creating an ideal breeding ground for waders and terns.

  -  The Park is noted for its extreme flatness.