Delta de l'Ebre Natural Park

1. Ebro Delta Natural Park
•The Ebro Delta : Delta de l'Ebre: in the Province
of Tarragona, Catalonia, in northeastern Spain. It
is on the Mediteranes Sea, and is the
northernmost point, by some designations, of
the Gulf of Valencia. Its location per Ramsar site
designation.

3. Geography
• The Ebro Delta is one of the largest wetland areas 320 square
kilometres (79,000 acres) in the western Mediterranean
region. The Ebro delta has expanded rapidly on soils washed
downriver. The town of Amposta, a seaport in the 4th
century, demonstrates the historical rate of growth of the
delta as it is now located well inland from the current river
mouth. The rounded form of the delta attests to the balance
between sediment deposition by the Ebro and removal of this
material by wave erosion.

5. Agriculture
• Some delta areas have been drained for agricultural use over
the centuries. The modern delta is in intensive agricultural
use for rice, fruit (in particular citrus), and vegetables.

6. Wildlife
In 1983 Spain designated a large part of the delta as a natural
park. Ebro Delta Natural Park has a total surface area of 7,802
hectares(19,280 acres). The natural park has
protected wetlands, beaches, marshes, salt, pans
and estuaries that provide extensive habitats.

7. The problems
• The intense use of its water throughout the Ebro Basin puts
the river under strong pressure and affects its ecological
functionality. The Delta is the most vulnerable part of the
river, altered by the drastic reduction of water and sediment
flows. This accelerates the deterioration of its water quality,
with important pollution episodes, anoxia and salinization
which cause strong imbalances in its natural ecosystems. This
loss of biodiversity enhances the development of alien
species, as well as the deterioration and disappearance of all
kinds of life in the wetland, the coastal waters and the sea.