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Previously, the lake of Ivars, located in the heart of the Pla d'Urgell district, was widely known for its abundant water birds, such as the mallard, pochard, coot, ardeids and waders, fish and its eel fishing. Refilling of the lake began in the spring of 2005 |
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Thanks to a project to recover the area, the lake of Ivars, with a surface area of 126 hectares, will become one of the country's largest wetlands and recover the ecological and scenic conditions that once characterised it: a reed bed border around the perimeter of the lake, rushes, riparian forest, banks with oak groves and kermes-oak maquis, dry meadows and abundant, diverse fauna. There is no doubt that the area will become a strategic point along the migratory routes of many bird species and provide the ideal space for feeding, rest, shelter and nesting.
The ecological and scenic recovery project will be carried out by the Consorci de l'Estany d'Ivars i Vila-sana- set up with this specific aim - and has been made possible with the participation of Caixa Catalunya Social Work, among others.
An ideal location for environmental education
The lake area, with islands of various kinds, the perimeter fencing, the bulrushes, the riverside forest, the buckthorn, dry grasslands and outer-lying areas with olive and almond trees all guarantee the presence of associated fauna, especially aquatic birds such as ducks, herons, broad-billed sandpipers, etc. The space is ideal for hibernating, feeding, resting while making migratory journeys and as a reproduction area for many species of bird.
Due to these ecological and scenic qualities, as well as the surroundings, the renovation has made plans for the public to use the lagoon as a leisure spot. For this purpose, walking routes have been created, hides have been built to observe the fauna, as have viewing platforms to view and study the countryside, wooden walkways, jetties ¿ the special plan allows non-engine navigation in some parts of the lagoon ¿ leisure areas for picnics and spaces for controlled fishing. Consequently, Caixa Catalunya's Social Work fulfils some of its main objectives: to make the conservation of nature compatible with environmental education and the sustainable development of the whole society.
Caixa Catalunya, through its Social Work, has also published various graphic materials, aiming to raise awareness of the space within society, to explain its ecological value and to let people know about its possibilities of public use.
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The recovery of the lake of Ivars and Vila-sana will be a unique experience for Europe because of the sheer size of the wetland to be restored, the importance of its natural features and the unique possibility of monitoring and evaluating the evolution of diverse ecological variables from the very beginning, particularly in the years after backfill. The recovery of the lake of Ivars and Vila-sana will be one of the most important recoveries of a wetland region in terms of the explosion of life that it will create. |
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At present there are two access areas (one next to Ivars d'Urgell and one next to Vila-sana) which have car parking facilities and information panels, and which are connected by a strolling path. There are two recreation areas provided with tables |
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How to get there? |
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| Access to the lake is signposted from both Vila-sana and from Ivars and Vallverd with two indicated parking areas, the first on the road from Vila-sana to Vallverd and the second on the road from Ivars to Vila-sana: the main route leading to the viewing points starts from these car parks. |
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