This February 2 we celebrate World Wetlands Day, a date that commemorates the Ramsar Convention of 1971. However, this year we want to invite you to see these ecosystems from a different perspective: they are not just landscapes to protect, but intelligent tools and “natural technology” that allow us to coexist with the dynamics of our rivers.
Within the framework of the Ebro Resilience Strategy and the LIFE Ebro Resilience P1 project, wetlands have become benchmarks for Nature-based Solutions (NBS).
Three milestones in the middle stretch of the Ebro River
Through these interventions, spaces have been created and recovered that act as authentic “shields” against floods:
La Nava Wetland (Alfaro, La Rioja): created in 2020, this area is an example of how river restoration can generate specific habitats, such as those designed for the European mink. Its construction included a design of “beaches” with very steep slopes to facilitate access for wildlife and vertical sections for nesting of the sapper flycatcher.
2. La Roza Wetland (Alfaro, La Rioja): integrated in 2023 within a morphological adaptation that recovered 22 hectares of river space, this wetland communicates directly with the water table of the river. This guarantees a constant sheet of water that favors biodiversity in an area protected by the Natura 2000 Network.
3. Wetland in the Meandro de Aguilar (Osera de Ebro – Fuentes de Ebro, Zaragoza): this is the most recent part of the project, completed at the end of 2025. With an area of 1.4 hectares, this wetland not only improves biodiversity, but also reinforces the natural capacity of the land to store water and sediments. Its surroundings will be renaturalized by planting 12,500 native trees, including poplar and elm trees resistant to graphiosis.
The innovation of the “Lobes”: wetlands against flood
One of the most original and pioneering solutions are the Lobes, wetlands against flood , hydraulic defenses that take advantage of the river’s own erosion on the banks. Instead of repairing a broken defense with the classic method, a cell is created that functions as a wetland on the edge, in some cases, temporary, in others, permanent.
- How do they work? During floods, water is confined in these cells and generates a rotary motion that reduces the energy of the main current and prevents further erosion.
- Green filters: In addition to their hydraulic function, these spaces accumulate infiltrated irrigation water and become edge wetlands that clean the excess water of nitrates before it returns to the river.
Benefits of wetlands
Wetlands are much more than standing water. They are vital ecosystem services:
- Sponge effect: They absorb excess water during floods and release it slowly during droughts.
- Carbon sinks: Globally, peatlands and wetlands store 30% of terrestrial carbon, helping to mitigate climate change.
- Natural filters: They act as “green filters” that trap sediments and remove pollutants, improving water quality.
- Life systems: 40% of the planet’s species depend on them for survival.
馃尶 Wetlands: questions and answers.
- Why are wetlands said to be “sponges”? Because they absorb excess water during floods and release it slowly in times of drought, reducing damage naturally.
- What makes the wetland of La Nava (Alfaro) special? Its unique design: it has “beaches” for wildlife to enter easily and vertical walls for the nest of the sapper plane, all designed for the European mink.
- And the new wetland of La Roza? It has recovered 22 hectares of protected space (Red Natura 2000) and maintains water at all times thanks to its direct connection with the river aquifer.
- What is the latest development in the Meandro de Aguilar? A 1.4 hectare wetland that helps to slow down sediments. In its surroundings and in the Mejana del Conde, environmental restoration will be carried out with 12,500 new trees such as hardy elms and native poplars.
- What are “lobes” and why are they revolutionary? They are “water mattresses” that take advantage of the river’s own erosion to slow down its force. In addition, they function as filters that clean nitrates from the water.
- How do wetlands help against climate change? They are environmental superheroes: they store 30% of the earth’s carbon and are home to 40% of the planet’ s species.
Project and Strategy
Ebro Resilience is a general strategy for the adaptation and mitigation of flood risk in the entire middle stretch of the Ebro, from Logro帽o to La Zaida, in Zaragoza.
The LIFE Ebro Resilience P1 Project, which has the financial support of the LIFE Program of the European Commission, is part of the Strategy and is an innovative proposal to deal with the phenomenon of flooding in the middle stretch of the Ebro, with a clear objective for the future: that the population and economic activities coexist with an Ebro in a good state of conservation without the inevitable floods causing significant damage.
Its partners are the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO), through the Ebro Hydrographic Confederation (CHE) and the public companies TRAGSA and TRAGSATEC; the governments of La Rioja, Navarra, through Orekan- Environmental Management of Navarra and Aragon and the Aragonese Water Institute.