Welcome
Welcome to the Virtual Tour of the Laguna de Zóñar Visitor Centre, located in the Nature Preserve of the same name, in the south of the province of Cordoba just 4 kilometres from Aguilar de la Frontera. Here you’ll be able to discover the treasures of the wetlands to the south of Cordoba, which form part of the Network of Protected Natural Areas of Andalusia (RENPA).
At the centre you’ll find a reception area where visitors are welcomed, a gift shop where you have the opportunity to purchase products connected with the surrounding area, and a zone with information about the Network of Protected Natural Areas of Andalusia (RENPA), all together in a central space. The building also has a room for meetings, exhibitions and events, which is also where a video on the treasures of the Natural Area is screened.
It has several outdoor rest areas, and a viewpoint overlooking the Zóñar lagoon.
The wetlands of the south
Among the vineyards and olive groves in the south of the province of Cordoba are six lagoons, all of them Nature Preserves, plus two reservoirs that have been declared Areas of Natural Beauty. All have been included in the RAMSAR List of Wetlands of International Importance for their ecological value, and for their conservation of biodiversity.
The Zóñar, Rincón and Amarga lagoons hold water all year round, thanks to underground aquifers. They all have excellent areas where aquatic birds can shelter, breed and spend the winter. On the other hand the seasonal lagoons of Tíscar, Jarales y del Conde (or Salobral) receive only the rainwater from their catchment areas, and because they are shallow, they provide a habitat for wading birds such as pink flamingos.
In the Areas of Natural Beauty of the Cordobilla and Malpasillo reservoirs, energy generation and irrigation activities in the area are in harmony with the environment.
In these links you can find more information about this Protected Natural Area with downloadable material such as trails, opening hours, how to get there, map with all the facilities for public use, etc.
Laguna de Zóñar Visitor Center: https://lajunta.es/3p09l
Lagoons of Southern Córdoba: https://lajunta.es/3sq8z
Complete your visit with ecotourism experiences with local companies. You can consult the offer in the following link: ecoturismoandaluz.com
For activities aimed at the educational community, associations of people with functional diversity and local population, you can access through the link: reservatuvisita.ecoturismoandaluz.com
You’re standing just a few metres away from the only lake in Andalusia
Although it’s known as a lagoon, Zóñar behaves like a lake. Of the many lagoons spread across Andalusia, this one is substantially different from all the others. The Zóñar lagoon lies in the heart of the Cordoba countryside, and is the deepest natural body of water in Andalusia. Its depth, and the particular dynamic of its waters effectively classify it as a lake, making it unique, and a place of great ecological interest, one that is home to a community of sedentary birds, as well as others who spend the winters here. In this lake, endangered species such as the white-headed duck, the coot and the marbled teal find a good place to nest and breed.
A protected area since 1984 due to its singularity, biodiversity and ecological significance, the Zóñar lagoon is also a paradise for countless birds, and is of vital importance to many of them as a place to breed and to spend the winter. On its banks you can see a tight reed belt, behind which stand white poplars and willows interspersed with tamarisks and bulrushes, overtaken by Mediterranean scrub.
For all these reasons, Zóñar is included on the List of Wetlands of International Importance established by the Ramsar Convention. It has also been declared a Special Protection Area for Birds (SPA) and a Site of Community Importance (SCI), in line with European standards.
The lagoons of the Andalusian countryside share a number of common features
These lagoons have a shared set of characteristics: they tend to have relatively flat basins, are small in size, of a seasonal nature, and their waters contain an abundance of salts. They extend from the middle of the province of Jaén to near the Cadiz coast, and are also oases of major importance for migratory birds.
The waters of the lagoon are also alive: The waters behave differently at different times of the year
The great depth and the large volume of water that Zóñar holds mean that its waters behave differently to those of other lagoons in Andalusia. During spring and summer, the surface waters are warmer than those at the bottom. At the same time, more oxygen and fewer nutrients are present on the surface, with the opposite being the case the closer you get to the bottom.
In autumn and winter, temperatures fall, and the wind ruffles the surface waters. This causes them to cool and sink down towards the bottom, favouring mixing. As a result, there is hardly any difference in the temperature of the water at different depths, and oxygen and nutrients are evenly distributed.
Zóñar is home to a wide diversity of plant life
Microscopic flora finds a welcoming home here. The waters of the Zóñar lagoon boast an enviable abundance and variety of life. The diversity of living things in this great body of water ranges from large birds to microscopic organisms.
The transition between water and land results in the existence of a wide variety of plant life. Between the olive groves and the lagoon itself, the environmental conditions vary considerably; there is a transition from areas that are permanently flooded, to areas that are influenced by nearby crops. The result is the existence of a variety environments in a very small space, which leads to the formation of a number of vegetation belts around the water.
Everything that lives in the lagoon is part of a complex web of life
The relationships between different forms of life are fundamental to the equilibrium of the lagoon. All the living beings that dwell here are directly dependent on each other for their survival, and although it may not be immediately apparent, there are links between them all, forming what is known as a food web. It’s no coincidence that such relationships are referred to in this way. Each group, each individual animal or plant, is a key element in this finely woven web. Any change could break it, directly or indirectly impacting the whole.
The presence of human beings has not always been beneficial to this environment. The introduction of carp put the equilibrium of the lagoon in jeopardy.
Carp were introduced into the Zóñar lagoon in the mid-1980s. The idea behind this was to use the lagoon for sport fishing. However, the consequences due consideration had not been given to the possible consequences. The carp, a fish that is not native to the Iberian Peninsula, had a negative effect on the usual inhabitants of the lagoon, and even on the way it functioned. Carp are bottom-feeders, and so stir up silt, which clouds the water and leads to a deterioration in water quality. They also feed on the plants and insect larvae that make up the diet of many aquatic birds, eventually exhausting these resources.
The white-headed duck
This duck is an excellent diver, and builds its nest in emergent vegetation, preferring areas where reeds and bulrushes grow in the water. It’s a good way of avoiding land predators, and is a practice shared by many other birds. It feeds on insect larvae, the seeds of aquatic plants and small invertebrates found in the waters of the lagoon. To find them, it needs to dive; these ducks can plunge to a depth of up to five metres, and stay underwater for as long as a minute and a half. They are able to do this because their legs are placed rearward, although makes walking on dry land somewhat difficult.
In 1977 there were only 22 white-headed duck in Western Europe, and all were found in these waters. Thanks to the ban on hunting in the lagoon, and the acquisition and restoration of the main breeding sites, an almost inevitable extinction was prevented. The measures taken were so successful that by the year 2000 the population on the Iberian Peninsula had grown to 4,500 birds.
There are two large populations: an eastern, migratory one, and a western, more sedentary one.