El Parc Natural dels Aiguamolls de l'Empordà is building an Archimedes' screw in the western sector of the Matà ponds to ensure the presence of water in one of the most sensitive areas for the reproduction of aquatic birds. The action seeks to guarantee minimum flows and maintain a continuous supply in a key area of the wetland.
The new system will allow pumping water both from the water table and from the Cap de Terme canal. With this, the park wants to prevent drops in level from compromising the breeding of several species, a situation that has been repeated in recent drought episodes, when many birds have not been able to complete the reproductive process in the Matà ponds.
A work to sustain breeding in spring and summer
The park director, Ponç Feliu, maintains that this infrastructure will facilitate a "more careful" management of the space. The need is especially important during the breeding season, when it is not enough for there to be water at the beginning of spring, but rather it must be maintained until June or July so that the nests remain protected.
"If there is not enough water, they have to abandon the nests and predators can access" - Ponç Feliu, park director
Feliu points out that in winter more water may be needed for wintering and diving birds like ducks, but that during breeding the objective changes. The decisive factor is that the water is maintained throughout the entire cycle. If it disappears due to evaporation and the usual lower rainfall in June and July, the birds that had started nesting with water around lose that natural barrier against predators.
Among the species that breed in this area are herons like the purple heron, waders like the little ringed plover, the black-winged stilt, in addition to coots and ducks. All depend on a stable sheet of water to bring forward the clutch.
A season with more water and more birds
The intervention comes after an especially favorable campaign in the Aiguamolls de l'Empordà. The good rainy season and the latest easterly storms have left more water in the park and that has contributed to a very high bird presence, to the point of placing this season among the best of recent years.
"In general, it has been a good time, a good wintering season, we have had higher levels than previous years. It has also been colder in the north of the continent and all of this has resulted in a good population of wintering ducks and of the set of aquatic species. And we have to guarantee this" - Ponç Feliu, park director
This season, around 5,500 ducks have been counted, more than double that of other seasons. This increase reinforces the need to consolidate water management tools in an environment where water availability marks both wintering and reproduction.
Investment in the ponds of Matà
The work has a budget of 148,371.65 euros plus VAT. The final objective is for the species to begin the breeding season with sufficient water and end it with the nests still surrounded by water, a basic condition to reduce predator access and provide stability to one of the most valuable areas of the park.
With this system, the park aims to have a fixed tool to better respond to dry periods and maintain the balance in the Matà ponds, where the difference between a viable reproductive campaign and a failed one often depends on the water lasting a few more weeks.