Charca de Suárez

The Charca de Suárez is a wetland in Motril, Spain. It is maintained as a nature reserve. Despite being small in area (13.78 ha),[1] it is the most important wetland on the coast of the province of Granada.

The wetland is part of the delta of the River Guadalfeo. Most of the delta has been drained, initially for agricultural use,[2] including the cultivation of sugar cane (Saccharum officinarum). Although sugar cane is no longer grown commercially in Spain, there is some on the reserve. It is not an indigenous species, but it provides cover for wildlife.

Ecology

Birdlife

The Charca attracts a number of bird species both for breeding and as a stop-off point for migratory birds.

Among the reserve's "top species" as listed at "birdingplaces" are Fulica cristata (the Red-knobbed coot), the Purple swamphen, Little bittern and the Eurasian stone-curlew.[3]

In 2013 the reserve was one of the sites used by a rescue plan for the Red-knobbed coot. Birds from a captive breeding programme were released and in 2025 an exhibition was mounted at the reserve to celebrate its role in the conservation of the species .[4] The opportunity to see this species of coot is often mentioned as a reason for visiting the reserve.[1]

Fish

Specimens of Spanish toothcarp have been released in the reserve.

Conservation and access

The reserve was granted the status of Concerted Nature Reserve (a type of protection unique to Andalusia) in 1999.[5] It has been proposed that the reserve be designated a Special Protection Area.[1]

The reserve is open to the public on a limited basis. There are a number of bird hides.

Threats to the reserve

Some land near the reserve is used for urban development, including a strip along the coast.

There is potentially a threat to the reserve from coastal erosion. Since the construction of the Rules dam, the river has not brought sediment down to the delta. However, there was a large investment in 2025 to restore Motril´s beaches and protect them with a breakwater.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b c "La Junta inicia la tramitación de la Charca de Suárez como Zona de Protección para las Aves". Motril@digital (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 January 2025.
  2. ^ "Groundwater-Surface Water Interactions in "La Charca de Suárez" Wetlands, Spain" (PDF). Water. 2020.
  3. ^ "Charca Suarez". www.birdingplaces.eu. Retrieved 30 January 2025.
  4. ^ Un hogar para la focha moruna. Diez años de cuidados en la Charca de Suárez
  5. ^ "A practical toolkit for wetland management and conservation: Lessons from reclassifying urban land into a protected area". Ecological Solutions and Evidence (6, e70119). 2025.
  6. ^ "Motril's coastal transformation: A €1.6 million project". 2024.

36°43′27″N 3°32′32″W / 36.72417°N 3.54222°W / 36.72417; -3.54222

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