Project

What LIFE El Hito is?

The main objectives of El Hito LIFE project are to recover the natural values of the El Hito Lagoon Nature Reserve and to halt the loss of biodiversity in this unique conservation area in Europe.  

El Hito Lagoon is a natural area of 996 hectares included in the Natura 2000 Network (SPA-SAC ES0000161) and considered a Wetland of International Importance by the Unesco Ramsar Convention. It is an excellent representation of the Mediterranean saline steppe landscapes and has priority habitats and unique endangered species.   

The lagoon is also the second most important wintering area for cranes in Spain, and both the wetland and the surrounding saline areas and crops are of vital importance for numerous bird species, with special relevance for steppe birds.  

Grazing, rain-fed crops, uncontrolled dumping and pollution have destroyed or partly reduced its priority habitats.  

The project aims to recover El Hito Lagoon natural area, including 100% of its priority habitats. This objetictive will be carried out in collaboration with the main actors involved in local development (administrations, farmers, tourism agents and the people in general) to ensure sustainable management of the territory. 

Objectives

The steppe zones and saline wetlands of El Hito Lagoon nature preserve are not only a traditional landscape of La Mancha, but also an oasis of extraordinary biodiversity. In order to halt the decline suffered in recent years and ensure the restoration and conservation of its habitats and species in the long term, the project has the following objectives:  

– To increase the conservation area of the SPA-SAC El Hito Lagoon through the purchase of 500.54 ha (50.25% of the entire Natura 2000 Network area), which guarantees the restoration and expansion of habitats of european interest.  

– To restore the pre-disturbed state of the lagoon and the natural flood cycle through the restoration of 40 ha of cropland and pasture, as well as the removal of debris, fences, buildings, vicious roads and artificial drainage in priority habitats.  

– To increase aquatic and halophilic vegetation in the lagoon. These habitats are home to characteristic species such as albardine (Lygeum spartum) or Limonium (Limonium soboliferum), which is only found in El Hito and some lake areas located in Mongolia and North Africa. The Regional Catalog of Threatened Species includes other plants of special interest such as Microcnemum coralloides, Gypsophila bemejoi, Limonium longebracteatum (endemic to La Mancha), Limonium costae, Limonium supinum, Tolypella salina, Chara galioides or Chara canescens.  

– The recovery of habitats for the steppe bird community is another of the main objectives of the project. In collaboration with farmers and sheperds in the area, sustainable practices for the commercialization of quality products linked to biodiversity conservation and the recovery of La Mancha steppes will be implemented.  

-Public land use. The project aims to improve the paths and access routes to the lagoon, articulating a tourist walk through the wetland and to one observatory for bird watching.  

– Flora and fauna monitoring. The purpose of the scientific monitoring is to make an inventory of plants, insects and birds in El Hito Lagoon Natural Reserve in order to measure the effectiveness of the conservation and restoration actions implemented in this El Hito LIFE project.  

– Environmental awareness and tourism promotion program. Communication and awareness-raising is a strategic activity of the project, because it is an essential tool for disseminating the importance of this Natura 2000 Network site and encouraging the participation of all stakeholders involved in the conservation of the lagoon. The LIFE project contemplates the creation of divulgative materials, information panels and the elaboration of specific contents for dissemination in the media. 

Location

El Hito is a saline, seasonal and endorheic wetland located in the province of Cuenca, between the municipalities of El Hito and Montalbo. The flooded area is formed by the accumulation of rainwater and groundwater, on sediments rich in organic matter and a salt content that can reach 50 g/l. The climate is Mediterranean with a strong continental influence, strong thermal oscillations between day and night, intense winter frosts and long summer droughts, which causes the wetland to dry out for long periods of the year.  

In line with other Spanish inland wetlands, El Hito Lagoon has a large area (more than 257 ha), surrounded by salt marshes with a dense cover of halophilic vegetation, followed by a basin of extensive grasslands and an agricultural area of high natural interest for cranes and steppe birds.  

The project is developed in the Natura 2000 Network zones of this  SPA-SAC ES0000161 El Hito Lagoon area (SPA= Special Protection Area for Birds, SAC= Special Area of Conservation). 

Entities involved

Fundación Global Nature: 

Project coordinator, Fundación Global Nature has long experience in the restoration and protection of wetlands, as well as in the management of habitats and steppe species in the Natura 2000 Network.  

Since its creation in 1993, it has coordinated or participated in more than 20 LIFE Projects. Some of them, directly related to La Mancha wetlands and steppe areas: LIFE Villacañas Wetlands (1999), LIFE Canal de Castilla (1999), LIFE Sustainable Management of Wetlands and shallow lakes (2000), LIFE Aquatic warbler (2002), LIFE La Mancha Wetlands (2010), LIFE La Mancha Steppes (2015) and LIFE Paludicola (2016).  

The Foundation has worked in more than 100 wetlands in Spain over an area of more than 14,000 hectares. It has also implemented international cooperation projects to ensure water availability and its sustainable management (SDG 6) in Colombia, Philippines, Guatemala, Mozambique, Paraguay, Dominican Republic, Senegal and Sri Lanka. 

 

Provincial Council of Cuenca: 

It is the entity in charge of guaranteeing the provision of public services of municipal competence throughout the province. The Provincial Council of Cuenca has been the driving force behind this project and assumes the co-financing of the project’s actions, supporting its continuity once the LIFE project is finished 

Funding

Regional Government of Castilla-La Mancha 

This Regional Administration is the competent entity for the management of the Natura 2000 Network and the direct execution of agri-environmental measures in the territory. FGN collaborates directly with the Agriculture, Water and Rural Development Department and the Sustainable Development Department of Castilla-La Mancha, as well as directly with the managers of the El Hito Lagoon Nature Reserve in the restoration measures of the natural area, the land stewardship program and the project’s agri-environmental actions. All these departments work in coordination to improve the conservation of the SPA-SAC El Hito Lagoon, sharing information, know-how and best practices. 

 

Municipalities of El Hito and Montalbo: 

Montalbo and El Hito are the two towns that share this La Mancha wetland. These small towns have less than 1,000 inhabitants (181 El Hito and 760 Montalbo). Both municipalities signed an agreement with Fundación Global Nature to collaborate in all the actions of the project because of its clear benefits for the future of the region from a social, environmental and economic perspectives.  

In addition, the Regional Institute for Agrifood and Forestry Research and Development of Castilla-La Mancha is collaborating in training and innovation activities of the project, while the Royal Botanical Garden and the National Museum of Natural Sciences are collaborating in scientific monitoring activities.