Donana Park

Doñana National Park in Andalusia occupies the right bank of the Guadalquivir river at its estuary on the Atlantic Ocean. It is notable for the great diversity of its biotopes, especially lagoons, marshlands, fixed and mobile dunes, scrub woodland and maquis. It is home to five threatened bird species. It is one of the largest heronries in the Mediterranean region and is the wintering site for more than 500,000 water fowl each year.

In the park, Palacio del Acebron is a 20th-century palace, home to the national park visitor center. Nearby, El Rocío Hermitage is a religious sanctuary dating from the 13th century. On the coast, Playa de Matalascañas has a seafront promenade lined with bars and eateries

It has a biodiversity that is unique in Europe, although there are some similarities to the Parc Naturel Régional de Camargue of the Camargue river delta in France, with which Doñana Park is twinned. The park features a great variety of ecosystems and shelters wildlife including thousands of European and African migratory birds, fallow deer, Spanish red deer, wild boars, European badgers, Egyptian mongooses, and endangered species such as the Spanish imperial eagle and the Iberian lynx.

Doñana Natural Space is composed of two different protected areas including in total some 128.386 hectares and it is managed and funded by the Environment Agency of the Junta de Andalucía (the regional government):

The National Park, created on October 28, 1969. With an extension of 54,251.65 hectares, it is a territory under a very high level of protection; public access is restricted only to the visitor centres, trails associated to them and 4WD tours organized by various licensed companies. The main objective here is the conservation of species and ecosystems, prioritizing research activities ahead of the use of the natural resources and public uses. The majority of the land is public and hunting and agriculture are not allowed.

The Natural Park, created on July 28, 1989. With an actual extension of 68,236 hectares, it is a less strictly protected territory with a more open public access. It works as buffer area protecting the National Park and also contains good examples of well preserved patches of forests, marshes and dunes. Here the idea is to reconcile the conservation of ecosystems with the use of resources. It houses an extensive network of visitor centres and walking trails. A good part of the land is private and agriculture and hunting are allowed in some areas but carefully regulated.