The estuary in Avilés, Spain has a history of contamination from mud and heavy metals, though efforts have been made to decontaminate it. However, pollution problems still exist, especially within the mud. Future construction projects in the estuary, including the futuristic Niemeyer buildings, could disrupt the local wildlife as they will be built in the middle of the estuary. Dredging operations to extract mud can also stir up past pollution and threaten protected areas near the estuary that are home to various bird species, though otters are currently extinct there.

1. Port expansion in Avilés estuary Environment problems

2. The estuary is contaminated by mud and heavy metals However, it was decontaminated years ago but it still has a lot of pollution problems (especially inside the mud)

3. This is the landscape from Zeluán, a cosy village near Avilés It is a wonderful place to go for a walk or for bird-watching. The landscape isn’t very pleasant because there are lots of cranes in the background.

4. The future Niemeyer will be the next attraction of Avilés The futuristic and fantastic buildings will be built in the middle of the estuary so it might be problematic for the wildlife.

5. The environment problems are connected to the extraction of the mud This process is called dredging and it moves the pollution from the past.

6. On the other hand, they want to dredge near Pachico and it will destroy some protected places In this situation we can find the Lloreo inlet and the Zeluán pond.

7. There are lots of birds in the estuary, mainly seagulls There are at least four different species of seagulls but we can watch other birds in the estuary like herons, common terns or plovers.

8. We should preserve wildlife because they need us. In the future this footprint can be made by an otter (nowadays, they are extinct in our estuary)