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Doñana Wetlands (Spain)

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Abstract

The Doñana wetlands in SW Spain constitute what remains of the original 180,000 ha of marshland in the Guadalquivir delta. The natural wetlands are protected in the National Park and World Heritage Site (54,252 ha), and include more than 3,000 temporary dune ponds fed mainly from groundwater and 30,000 ha of seasonal marshes dependent on surface flows. They are particularly famous for their avifauna, and hold more wintering waterfowl than any other European wetland. Wading birds exploit surrounding ricefields and fishfarms, and their breeding numbers are increasing. Doñana holds a high diversity of herpetofauna, mammals, invertebrates and plants, with several endemic species. The wetlands have high value for ecotourism and are the setting for the El Rocío pilgrimage. Alien fish and crayfish have had a significant impact. The quantity and quality of water entering the wetlands is under threat from groundwater extraction and other effects of agricultural and urban development.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Wetland Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), C/Americo Vespucio, s/n. Isla de la Cartuja, 41092, Seville, Spain

    A J Green, J Bustamante, G F E Janss, R Fernández-Zamudio & C. Díaz-Paniagua

Authors
  1. A J Green
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  2. J Bustamante
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  3. G F E Janss
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  4. R Fernández-Zamudio
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  5. C. Díaz-Paniagua
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to A J Green , J Bustamante , G F E Janss , R Fernández-Zamudio or C. Díaz-Paniagua .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. of Ecology and Biodiversity, Charles Sturt University Inst. for Land, Water and Society, Albury, New South Wales, Australia

    C. Max Finlayson

  2. Dept. of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources, Kentville, Nova Scotia, Canada

    G. Randy Milton

  3. Nature Management Services, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia

    R. Crawford Prentice

  4. Charles Sturt University, Albury, New South Wales, Australia

    Nick C. Davidson

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© 2016 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Green, A.J., Bustamante, J., Janss, G.F.E., Fernández-Zamudio, R., Díaz-Paniagua, C. (2016). Doñana Wetlands (Spain). In: Finlayson, C., Milton, G., Prentice, R., Davidson, N. (eds) The Wetland Book. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6173-5_139-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6173-5_139-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-007-6173-5

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