Doñana National Park
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Doñana National Park* | |
|---|---|
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
| State Party |  Spain |
| Type | Natural |
| Criteria | vii, ix, x |
| Reference | 685 |
| Region† | Europe and North America |
| Inscription history | |
| Inscription | 1994 (18th Session) |
| Extensions | 2005 |
| * Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. † Region as classified by UNESCO. |
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| Doñana National Park | |
|---|---|
| IUCN Category II (National Park) | |
 |
|
| Location | Huelva & Sevillista |
| Coordinates | |
| Area | 543 km² |
| Established | 1969 |
Doñana National Park (Spanish: Parque Nacional de Doñana), also called Coto de Doñana, is a national park and wildlife refuge in southwestern Spain.
It 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, whose biodiversity is unique in Europe, 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.
it is an area of marsh, shallow streams and sand dunes.
Contents |
[edit] A quotation about Doñana
"Its proximity to Africa is one of the principal reasons for the wealth and variety of the Doñana's birdlife. Birds with large wingspans, such as the eagles and kites that abound here, cannot fly across water for long distances because they require thermal updrafts for the long glides that allow them to rest their wings during migrations. Hence they cross the Mediterranean at the three points — the Dardanelles, Gibraltar, and Tarifa — where the intervening straits are at their narrowest. For those making the journey from West Africa, the marismas of Doñana are a logical, indeed essential, resting place and hunting ground."
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- Frederic V. Grunfeld, "Wild Spain: A Traveler's and Naturalist's Guide", Sheldrake Publishing Ltd., 1988
[edit] See also
[edit] Further reading
- Doñana, Spain's Wildlife Wilderness, Juan Antonio Fernández, Taplinger Publishing Company, New York, 1974, hardcover, 253 pages, ISBN 0-8008-8324-1
- Where to watch birds in Doñana, Jorge Garzón, Francisco Chiclana, Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, 165 pages, 84-96553-35-3
- Where to watch birds in Spain. The 100 best sites, José Antonio Montero & SEO/BirdLife, Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, 978-84-96553-04-0
[edit] External links
- http://www.andalucia.com/environment/protect/donana.htm
- (Spanish) Parque Nacional de Doñana (Spanish Environment Ministry)
- Map of the park
- CNN report on the 1998 spill
- Official UNESCO website entry
- report by BBC
- report by ABC
- report by National Geographic
- report by Time magazine
- report by Scientific American
- report by (Daily) Telegraph
