486
of extensive land reclamation work performed
periodically. The tribe of the Volsci began with
minor draining projects in the vicinity of
Terracina in connection with their occupation
of it in the pre- Roman period. The Via Appia, a
Roman military road constructed in 312 BC,
crosses the inland side of the former marsh in a
long, straight stretch fl anked by trees. The centre of the marsh (earlier the lagoon), although
currently urban, does not provide any ancient
evidence of habitation. The land (or the lake)
was undoubtedly uninhabited except by some
fi shers.
The author is on the shore of Lake Santa
Clausa in Italy. It is a signifi cant lentic body in
Italy.
22.10.1 Mediterranean Sea Deltas
The Mediterranean Sea is said to be mostly a
tideless sea. The saline deltaic marshes of this sea
are some of the most biologically rich biotopes in
Europe.
22.11 Wetlands of Spain
In Spain, there are quite a large number of wetlands. An account is briefl y given below.
22.11.1 Ebro Delta in Spain
It is one of the principal deltas on the Spanish
Mediterranean coast. It is located halfway
between Barcelona and Valencia. It is fed by the
Ebro River (as inlet) which fl ows hundreds of
kilometres through arid landscape to the sea.
The delta itself is extensively covered with
ancient rice paddies. The delta also has salt
marshes dominated by several species of
Salicornia and other halophytes. The lagoons
are populated by a wide variety of avian species.
Further, some restoration of rice paddies to
Phragmites mashes has been attempted in the
delta (Comin et al . 1997 ).
22.11.2 Fuente de Piedra Lagoon
It is a wetland situated in the Málaga Province
of Spain. It is a habitat for the pink fl amingos
for their annual reproduction cycle. It constitutes the largest colony of this bird on the Iberian
Peninsula. The lagoon is fed by underwater
springs that pass through mineral salt deposits.
So, the lagoon is saline. Indeed, salt was harvested until recently. The lagoon covers an area
of c 13 km
2 (1,300 ha). It is elliptical in shape, its
major axis is 6.8 km and the minor one is
2.5 km. However, it is very shallow. In a
good year, it is <1 m deep at its deepest point.
Evaporation is a major threat for the lagoon.
The fl amingos need a certain amount of water to
breed and will desert the eggs if the lagoon dries
out too soon.
22.12 Wetlands of Yugoslavia
In the north of Serbia, the Pannonian plain is a
lowland landscape with large rivers (Danube,
Sava and Tisa), while to the south, hilly landscapes are intersected by river valleys. In the
south of Montenegro, there is one of the largest
freshwater lakes in Europe, Lake Skadar (Heath
and Evans 2000). The best estimate of wetland
coverage in Yugoslavia is, perhaps, 677,200 ha.
The total of Ramsar sites is c 39,861 ha. Further,
in 1998, the preparation of a preliminary National
Wetland Inventory was planned by the National
Ramsar Committee. The objective was to identify both wetlands meeting the Ramsar criteria of
international importance and wetlands of national
importance. Subsequently, a preliminary list of
58 wetland sites of international importance had
been prepared. In addition, Hecker and Tomàs
Vives (1995) provided a list of 13 important wetland sites. This list was compiled by the Director
Zavoda, Zavod za Zastitu Prirode Srbije of
Beograd, and is based on a list of major Reserves
and National Parks (with or without protection).
Those wetland sites are mostly complex wetlands
covering large areas of fl ooded forest. Further, at
least 23 Important Bird Areas (IBA) have more
22 Wetlands of Europe
of extensive land reclamation work performed
periodically. The tribe of the Volsci began with
minor draining projects in the vicinity of
Terracina in connection with their occupation
of it in the pre- Roman period. The Via Appia, a
Roman military road constructed in 312 BC,
crosses the inland side of the former marsh in a
long, straight stretch fl anked by trees. The centre of the marsh (earlier the lagoon), although
currently urban, does not provide any ancient
evidence of habitation. The land (or the lake)
was undoubtedly uninhabited except by some
fi shers.
The author is on the shore of Lake Santa
Clausa in Italy. It is a signifi cant lentic body in
Italy.
22.10.1 Mediterranean Sea Deltas
The Mediterranean Sea is said to be mostly a
tideless sea. The saline deltaic marshes of this sea
are some of the most biologically rich biotopes in
Europe.
22.11 Wetlands of Spain
In Spain, there are quite a large number of wetlands. An account is briefl y given below.
22.11.1 Ebro Delta in Spain
It is one of the principal deltas on the Spanish
Mediterranean coast. It is located halfway
between Barcelona and Valencia. It is fed by the
Ebro River (as inlet) which fl ows hundreds of
kilometres through arid landscape to the sea.
The delta itself is extensively covered with
ancient rice paddies. The delta also has salt
marshes dominated by several species of
Salicornia and other halophytes. The lagoons
are populated by a wide variety of avian species.
Further, some restoration of rice paddies to
Phragmites mashes has been attempted in the
delta (Comin et al . 1997 ).
22.11.2 Fuente de Piedra Lagoon
It is a wetland situated in the Málaga Province
of Spain. It is a habitat for the pink fl amingos
for their annual reproduction cycle. It constitutes the largest colony of this bird on the Iberian
Peninsula. The lagoon is fed by underwater
springs that pass through mineral salt deposits.
So, the lagoon is saline. Indeed, salt was harvested until recently. The lagoon covers an area
of c 13 km
2 (1,300 ha). It is elliptical in shape, its
major axis is 6.8 km and the minor one is
2.5 km. However, it is very shallow. In a
good year, it is <1 m deep at its deepest point.
Evaporation is a major threat for the lagoon.
The fl amingos need a certain amount of water to
breed and will desert the eggs if the lagoon dries
out too soon.
22.12 Wetlands of Yugoslavia
In the north of Serbia, the Pannonian plain is a
lowland landscape with large rivers (Danube,
Sava and Tisa), while to the south, hilly landscapes are intersected by river valleys. In the
south of Montenegro, there is one of the largest
freshwater lakes in Europe, Lake Skadar (Heath
and Evans 2000). The best estimate of wetland
coverage in Yugoslavia is, perhaps, 677,200 ha.
The total of Ramsar sites is c 39,861 ha. Further,
in 1998, the preparation of a preliminary National
Wetland Inventory was planned by the National
Ramsar Committee. The objective was to identify both wetlands meeting the Ramsar criteria of
international importance and wetlands of national
importance. Subsequently, a preliminary list of
58 wetland sites of international importance had
been prepared. In addition, Hecker and Tomàs
Vives (1995) provided a list of 13 important wetland sites. This list was compiled by the Director
Zavoda, Zavod za Zastitu Prirode Srbije of
Beograd, and is based on a list of major Reserves
and National Parks (with or without protection).
Those wetland sites are mostly complex wetlands
covering large areas of fl ooded forest. Further, at
least 23 Important Bird Areas (IBA) have more
22 Wetlands of Europe