Salburua 3.2

Salburua is a wetland habitat on the eastern outskirts of the city of Vitoria-Gasteiz in the Basque Country in Spain. The area, which is part of the city green belt, contains lakes, meadows and oak groves. It was drained in the 19th century to transform the area into farmland. Restoration work started in 1994 and has reversed this situation and now Salburua is a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance. The Salburua marshes are considered to be "the Basque country's most valuable area of wetland", according to a Fedenatur report for the European Commission in 2004.HistoryBefore 1857, the Salburua wetlands had at least three lakes: Betoño, Larregana, and Arcaute. The grazing, hunting and fishing were well known throughout Basque Country. Around Arcaute lake was an oak forest landscape characteristic of the Plains of Alava. In 1857, a process of draining the lakes and forest clearance was initiated with the aim of producing valuable agricultural land. This process continued into the 20th century when the last lake, Betoño, was drained.Work began in 1994 on the recovery of the ancient landscape. At that time there was only a remnant of forest, north of Elorriaga, and a small wet patch near Betoño, in which the last animals and plants characteristic of these environments barely survived. Negative impacts on the area were included poaching, slums, and waste disposal. Ecological restoration work began with the reversal of the drainage of Lake Betoño. In 1998 a dam was built in the Canal de la Balsa to help this process. Through these activities it has been possible to recover an area of more than 180ha, of which, at times of maximum flooding, 60ha are covered by water.