Doñana. 04/05/82; Andalucía; 111,646 ha; 37°01'N 006°25'W. Added to the Montreux Record, 4 July 1990. World Heritage site, UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, Special Protection Area EC Directive, Council of Europe Diploma; National Park. A vast coastal marshland complex, separated from the ocean by an extensive dune system and subject to seasonal variations in water level and salinity. Vegetation includes aquatic species, salt-tolerant plants, Pinus pinea forest, and grassland. The area is of international importance for numerous species of breeding, staging and wintering waterbirds, and supports several rare or endanered species. Human activities include nature conservation, charcoal production, bee keeping, wood gathering, fishing, and livestock grazing. The impact of mass tourism and intensive irrigated agriculture in the surrounding area are concerning. Development of tourism, agriculture, and transport are factors influencing management of this vast complex. Fears that these activities are causing over-exploitation of regional aquifers, leading to a drop in groundwater levels and a reduction in the extent and duration of seasonal flooding in the marshes, resulted in the site's designation to the Montreux Record in 1990. Subject of a Ramsar Advisory Mission in 2002. Area extended from 50,720 to 111,646 hectares, April 2007. Ramsar site no. 234. Most recent RIS information: 2007.

Last publication date: 01-01-2007