The wetland, known as "Charca de Suárez", is located in the municipality of Motril, near the westerly beach of said municipality, in the area called "Pago de Suárez", from which it receives its name. This surface occupies an area of 14.65 hectares, limited by coastal developments and the Alboran industrial estate.

These wetlands are part of an area located between Nerja (Málaga) and Adra (Almería), where the union of a series of factors of a tectonic, lithological, climatic and anthropic nature has favoured the appearance of humid areas very close to the coast exclusively linked to the deltas of the main rivers.

The "Charca Suárez" is a pool of perennial free waters, although levels fluctuate. It is fed both by the groundwater coming from the Motril-Salobreña aquifer, as well as by the return water contributions from the irrigation systems of la Vega. This pool comes from the transformation of the Delta of the Guadalfeo river, which due to the increase in sedimentation in the area, caused the coastline to draw back giving rise to the Vega Motril-Salobreña. Here, due to the dominance of the fluvial sedimentation caused by the erosive action of the coastal waters, a fluvial system of intertwined channels was created, where frequent changes in the position of the channel caused the appearance of flooded areas.

The "Charca Suárez" wetlands are located at the southern limit of the Motril-Salobreña detrital aquifer. This hydrogeological unit covers an area of 42 km2 and has reserves of 181 hm3 and annual resources of 47.3 hm3. The ecological importance of wetlands in the preservation of many species of birds is remarkable, since their vegetation (beds of reeds and rushes etc), constitute an ideal refuge for many species and are strategic resting points during migration. In Andalusia, eight of the nine species of birds listed in danger of extinction depend on these means for their survival.