Ecology and Marshes around Oliva
The Natural Park and the dune: a unique environment
Mountains constitute an unexpected presence to the visitor in such a coastal
resort. Nevertheless the Gallinera and Mustalla Mountain range from a perfect
hairpin bend which constitutes the natural border of Oliva and the neighbour
villages.
South from the coastal plain, the Oliva-Pego's Marjal Natural Park extends: a
humid area, populated by an abundant fauna and autochthon vegetation. The Park
is also visited by migratory birds looking for drinking water and its special
and mild microclimate.
The natural dune surrounding the coast is of important ecologic value for being
one of the best conserved among the few left in this part of the Mediterranean.
It constitutes an added attractiveness to the beach sojourn, sensibly encreasing
the landscape's quality showing the great beauty of its original aspect.
The Marjal
The Marjal is an extensive wetland, almost flat, with an underground water table
that leads to changes in the water level throughout the seasons. Besides the
sediment left by the rivers, the waves and currents have formed a coastal
deposit known as La Restinga, which has gradually transformed gulfs and bays
into marshes. Once these marshes filled with sediment, the Marjal was born. The
natural drainage of its waters reaches the sea by way of canals, rivers and
underground waterways. The Pego-Oliva wetland takes water from the Gallinera and
Mustalla mountain ranges via ditches and water pockets known as ullals, or via
rivers such as the Racons, Molinell and the Vedat. The latter is considered the
most efficient at storing water in Europe, given the number of natural
reservoirs along its stretch.
The Marjal is, therefore, a flat area that floods seasonally as a result of
rainwater and subterranean water pockets, or aquifers, amongst the mountains
inland from the coast. These environmental features create unique vegetation and
wildlife comprising mainly migratory birds that need these ecological islands to
be able to complete their vital cycle. Rich flora provides a thick carpet of
vegetation that gives shelter and food to birds as well as an ideal place for
them to rest and build nests.
The Spanish government included the Pego-Oliva Marjal in the Ramsar Agreement
list in 1994, a list in which the world’s major wetlands figure. A year later,
the Marjal and the rivers and mountains surrounding it were declared an
officially-protected nature reserve.
The Font Salada
Those who wish to bathe in a quiet place can go to the water source known as the
Font Salada, during both the winter and the summer, since the waters remain at
the same temperature during the entire year. Its waters have been known
traditionally as being beneficial for dermatological illnesses.
Access:
From Oliva, take the N-332 national road towards Alicante, and afterwards the
Kilometre Point 210, on the right side, one finds the path to La font Salada.
