Albufera De Valencia Natural Park Research Articles

Alternative use of rice straw ash as natural fertilizer to reduce phosphorus pollution in protected wetland ecosystems

Purpose The uncontrolled discharge of phosphorus into aquatic environment leads to the deterioration of the water bodies. Additionally, the agricultural crops present inside the La Albufera de Valencia Natural Park, rice fields mainly, have a high social and environmental value. However, there is a conflict between private interests (farmers) and public interest in the management of agro-waste produced by them. Nowadays, the option used by the farmers is the uncontrolled burning in the own field. The ashes generated during the combustion process could be used to remove phosphorus loading in water bodies of the Natural Park, contributing to its recovery. Methods Adsorption experiments were carried out in batch mode by using different concentrations (5-100 mgP L-1) of sodium phosphate dibasic (Na2HPO4) placed in 100 mL stoppered conical flask with 50 mL of synthetic wastewater and different amounts of adsorbent, during the selected time (5 days). Adsorption studies were performed with doses varying from 5 to 24 g L-1. After finishing the adsorption experiments, the solution was filtered through glass microfiber filter (1.2 µm). Results The adsorption capacity varies for rice straw ash from 31.91% up to 97.48% and rice straw ash with HCl from 17.49% up to 89.04%. An increase in temperature or dosage had a positive effect in the removal capacity, increasing its adsorption. Removal process of phosphorus was endothermic. Conclusion The use of rice straw ash could be a solution to reduce the phosphate in water bodies, providing an advantage to the proposed alternative of agro-waste management.

Germination capability of four charophyte populations (Characeae) from Mediterranean brackish ponds under warm experimental conditions

ABSTRACTThe diaspore banks from two brackish ponds within the Albufera de Valencia Natural Park (Spain) containing oospores of Chara hispida, C. aspera, C. canescens and Nitella hyalina were analys...

Looking for consensual protection categories to reduce conservation conflicts in protected áreas

ABSTRACT: Decision-making in protected areas is often difficult due to an unclear definition of management objectives and indicators for their monitoring. This is frequently related to the coexistence of systems of protected areas at national and regional levels for which management objectives are ambiguous or that are not directly related to protected areas classification standards. In this study, we proposed a participative model based on PROMETHEE II to find consensual protected areas categories based on IUCN framework. This model involved the stakeholder’s assessments of management objectives in a protected area and their aggregation based on distance comparisons with objectives of international protected areas standards. The model was tested in the Albufera de Valencia Natural Park, a strongly human-modified wetland located in Eastern Spain and it allowed the identification of consensual management priorities and the IUCN category V as the equivalent international protected area category for this regional protected area.

Performance of surface and subsurface flow constructed wetlands treating eutrophic waters

Three medium size constructed wetlands (CWs) with a total surface of 90ha are working since 2009 in the Albufera de Valencia Natural Park (Spain). Two of them are fed with eutrophic waters from l'Albufera Lake. Their objectives are both reduce the phytoplankton biomass and increase the biodiversity; consequently, improved water quality is returned to the lake. A “science based governance” of these CWs is ongoing inside the LIFE+12 Albufera Project to demonstrate the environmental benefits of these features. In this paper, results and relationships among hydraulic operation, physicochemical variables and plankton in two different CWs typologies, five free water surface CW (FWSCW) and one horizontal subsurface flow CW (HSSFCW), were analysed showing that CWs were capable of improving the water quality and biodiversity but showing clear differences depending on the CW type. The CWs worked under different hydraulic load rates (HLR) from <0.12 to 54.75myr−1. Inflow water quality was typical from eutrophic waters with mean values of chlorophyll a (Chl a) about 22–90μgChlal−1 and mean total phosphorus (TP) between 0.122 and 0.337mgl−1. The main conclusion is that HSSFCW was much more efficient than FWSCW in the removal of organic matter, suspended solids and nutrients. The biological role of several shallow lagoons located at the end of the CWs has also been evaluated, showing that they contribute to increase the zooplankton biomass, a key factor to control the phytoplankton blooms.

Analysis of movement patterns and macrohabitat use in Hermann’s tortoises (Testudo hermanni hermanni, Gmelin 1789) reintroduced in a coastal area dominated by pinewood in eastern Spain

The Hermann’s tortoise is a strictly European species found mostly in areas with Mediterranean and sub-Mediterranean climes and, especially the subspecies T. hermanni hermanni, has to deal with various threats which reduced its geographic distribution to only a few isolated populations. Thus, with the objective of recovering natural populations of the species, numerous reintroduction projects are being carried out throughout its historical and prehistorical geographic distribution. The aim of our study is to evaluate the success of the T. hermanni reintroduction project carried out in the Albufera de Valencia Natural Park since 2011, through the analysis of movements, home range sizes and habitat use in a new environment. The recorded activity pattern presents two peaks, one in spring and another in August, and the hibernation period (from December to February) is the same as observed in other populations. We did not find significant differences in home range sizes between sexes, but a tight relation between home range sizes and body sizes with larger individuals having larger home ranges. This relation was not observed for core areas (Kernel at 50%). Considering the habitat use, we did not find differences between the groups of individuals we defined, but different types of habitats were used differently. “Scrub” was the most frequented (∼50%), followed by “dunes” (∼20%), “mallaes” (∼20%) and “forest” (&lt;20%). Our results can be used to improve the success of future reintroduction projects by directing ideal habitat, timing and carapace size of released Hermann’s tortoises.