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112-680: The park is an area of marshes, shallow streams, and sand dunes in Las Marismas , the delta where the Guadalquivir River flows into the Atlantic Ocean . It was established as a nature reserve in 1969 when the World Wildlife Fund joined with the Spanish government and purchased a section of marshes to protect it. The eco-system has been under constant threat by the draining of the marshes,

224-595: A Reserva Biológica (Biological Reserve) and in 1964 built the Estación Biológica de Doñana . WWF bought another section of Doñana in 1968 totaling 3,214 hectares and later called the Reserva Biológica de Guadiamar (Guadiamar Biological Reserve). Another important activity of longstanding association with the park is La Saca de las Yeguas ("The Gathering of the Mares"), a livestock event from Almonte pertaining to

336-595: A Tartessian language . In the historical records, Tartessos ( Ancient Greek : Ταρτησσός ) appears as a semi-mythical or legendary harbor city and the surrounding culture on the south coast of the Iberian Peninsula (in modern Andalusia , Spain), at the mouth of the Guadalquivir . It appears in sources from Greece and the Near East starting during the first millennium BC. Herodotus , for example, describes it as beyond

448-470: A buffer zone between the human settlements of the Guadalquivir region and Doñana National Park , a protected area of marshland , streams , and sand dunes . The National Park was established in 1969 as a nature reserve when the World Wildlife Fund joined forces with the Spanish Government to purchase a substantial part of the local wetlands in order to preserve them. The Las Marismas area

560-525: A forest engineer. In 1934 it passed to the sister of the Duchess of Tarifa, Blanca Medina and Garvey, who was married to the Marquis of Borghetto. In 1942, the Marquis sold it to a company formed by Salvador Noguera, Manuel Gonzalez and the Marquis of Mérito. Fifty years later the park was consolidated as a natural area. The Spanish businessman Mauricio González-Gordon y Díez , Marquis of Bonanza, whose family owned

672-613: A silver standard in Assyria increased its attractiveness (the tribute from Phoenician cities was assessed in silver). The invention of coinage in the seventh century BC spurred the search for bronze and silver as well. Henceforth trade connections, formerly largely in elite goods, assumed an increasingly broad economic role. By the Late Bronze Age, silver extraction in Huelva Province reached industrial proportions. Pre-Roman silver slag

784-554: A buffer zone of protection under the management of the regional government. The two parks, national and natural, have since been classified as a single natural landscape . Due to its strategic location between the continents of Europe and Africa and its proximity to the Strait of Gibraltar , Doñana's large expanse of salt marsh is a breeding ground as well as a transit point for thousands of European and African birds (aquatic and terrestrial), and hosts many species of migratory waterfowl during

896-668: A capital for what was conceived as a complicated culture in the nature of a centrally controlled kingdom ancestral to Spain were inconclusively debated. Subsequent discoveries were widely reported: in September 1923 archaeologists discovered a Phoenician necropolis in which human remains were unearthed and stones found with illegible characters. It may have been colonized by the Phoenicians for trade because of its richness in metals. A later generation turned instead to identifying and localizing "orientalizing" (eastern Mediterranean) features of

1008-666: 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 . The Doñana nature reserve includes both the Doñana National Park, established in 1969, and the Natural Park, created in 1989 and expanded in 1997, creating

1120-514: A large estate in Doñana, became interested in its ecosystems and their birdlife, and invited ornithologists from all over Europe to visit. In 1952, the Spanish ornithologists José Antonio Valverde and Francisco Bernis visited the property, with González-Gordon serving as their guide. Valverde and the González-Gordon family saw that the wetlands, with their richly diverse wildlife, were threatened by

1232-500: A large part of the province of Huelva , province of Seville and province of Cádiz in Andalucia , Spain . The area includes parts of the municipalities of Isla Mayor , Los Palacios y Villafranca , La Puebla del Río , Utrera , Las Cabezas de San Juan and Lebrija . Rice farming in this area produces 40% of Spain's national crop. Some areas are protected for wildlife and habitat, including dunes. Approximately two millennia ago

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1344-533: A late Bronze Age pattern of circular or oval huts scattered on a village site to rectangular houses with dry-stone foundations and plastered wattle and daub walls took place during the seventh and sixth centuries BC, in settlements with planned layouts that succeeded one another on the same site. At Cástulo ( Jaén ), a mosaic of river pebbles from the end of the sixth century BC is the earliest mosaic in Western Europe. Most sites were inexplicably abandoned in

1456-679: A research centre in Seville, the Doñana Biological Reserve in Almonte, and a Field Station in the Natural Park of Sierras de Cazorla, Segura and Las Villas in the province of Jaén. After the World Wildlife Fund was created in 1961, one of its first actions was to acquire 6,794 hectares of the Doñana estate 'Las Nuevas' in 1963, which it then turned over to the CSIC. The CSIC declared the area to be

1568-617: A single territory divided into areas with different levels of environmental protection. In 2008 this park was twinned with the Regional Natural Park Camargue in France, with which it shares anthropological and ethnographic aspects. During his tenure, the Spanish Prime Minister Felipe González began using Doñana as a vacation retreat, setting a precedent for his successors. In 2010, 9200 hectares of land on

1680-591: A site in the Iberian Peninsula during that period. Calibrated carbon-14 dating carried out by University of Groningen on associated cattle bones as well as dating based on ceramic samples permit a chronology of several centuries through the state of the art of craft and industry since the tenth century BC, as follows: pottery (bowls, plates, craters, vases, amphorae, etc.), melting pots, casting nozzles, weights, finely worked pieces of wood, ship parts, bovid skulls, pendants, fibulae, anklebones, agate, ivory –with

1792-546: A small basilica here, now defunct, but it was mainly after the reconquest of the area in 1262 that the Marian devotions were institutionalized. About 1270–1284, Alfonso X reconstructed the Chapel of St. Mary of Rocinas, and in 1337 Alfonso XI made the first recorded mention of the Marian cult in the area: ...e señaladamente son los mejores sotos de correr cabo de una Iglesia que dicen de Santa María de las Rocinas.(... and in particular it

1904-558: A treasury, which was called the treasury of the Sicyonians, to commemorate a victory in the chariot race at the Olympic games . In the treasury, he made two chambers with two different styles, one Doric and one Ionic , with bronze. The Eleans said that the bronze was Tartessian. The people from Tartessos became important trading partners of the Phoenicians, whose presence in Iberia dates from

2016-493: A type identification. This pottery, dated from the tenth to the early eighth centuries BC predates finds from other Phoenician colonies; together with remnants of numerous activities, the Huelva discoveries reveal a substantial industrial and commercial emporion on this site lasting several centuries. Similar finds in other parts of the city make it possible to estimate the protohistoric habitat of Huelva at some 20 hectares, large for

2128-555: A view of Tartessos that made it the Western, and wholly European source of the legend of Atlantis . A more serious review, by W. A. Oldfather , appeared in American Journal of Philology . Both Atlantis and Tartessos were believed to have been advanced societies that collapsed when their cities were lost beneath the waves; supposed further similarities with the legendary society make a connection seem feasible, although virtually nothing

2240-585: Is a Spanish noble title named after the area; this noble title was created by Royal Decree of King Ferdinand VII in 1829 for Alejandro María Aguado y Ramírez de Estenoz . In the early 21st century, the Guadalquivir wetland region's main economic activity is agriculture , specialising in the cultivation of rice . An area of about 400 km is devoted to rice farming . It has an annual output of about 310,000 metric tonnes, equating to approximately 40% of Spain's rice production. The wetland zone acts as

2352-401: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Tartessians Tartessos ( Spanish : Tartesos ) is, as defined by archaeological discoveries, a historical civilization settled in the southern Iberian Peninsula characterized by its mixture of local Paleohispanic and Phoenician traits. It had a writing system , identified as Tartessian, that includes some 97 inscriptions in

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2464-644: Is a centre dedicated to the study of terrestrial ecology. It was created jointly in 1964 by the Spanish government and the World Wildlife Federation to support scientific research on local ecosystems; in the course of this research the status of other national and international ecosystems is also investigated. The EBD, as an administrative and scientific management agency under the aegis of the Spanish National Research Council (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas – CSIC), operates

2576-650: Is an extinct pre- Roman language once spoken in southern Iberia . The oldest known indigenous texts of Iberia, dated from the seventh to sixth centuries BC, are written in Tartessian. The inscriptions are written in a semi- syllabic writing system called the Southwest script ; they were found in the general area in which Tartessos was located and in surrounding areas of influence. Tartessian language texts were found in Southwestern Spain and Southern Portugal (namely in

2688-610: Is assumed that as with other Mediterranean peoples, the religion was polytheistic. It is believed that Tartessians worshiped the goddess Astarte or Potnia and the masculine divinity Baal or Melkart , as a result of the Phoenician acculturation. Sanctuaries inspired by Phoenician architecture have been found in the deposit of Castulo ( Linares, Jaén ) and in the vicinity of Carmona . Several images of Phoenician deities have been found in Cádiz , Huelva , and Sevilla . The Tartessian language

2800-413: Is attributed to a warrior because part of his helmet is preserved. In this region of southern Spain, the Tartessian culture was born around the 9th century B.C. as a result of hybridization between the Phoenician settlers and the local inhabitants. Scholars refer to the Tartessian culture as "a hybrid archaeological culture". Alluvial tin was panned in Tartessian streams from an early date. The spread of

2912-464: Is found in the Tartessian cities of Huelva Province. Cypriot and Phoenician metalworkers produced 15 million tons of pyrometallurgical residues at the vast dumps of Riotinto. Mining and smelting preceded the arrival, from the eighth century BC onward, of Phoenicians and then Greeks, who provided a stimulating wider market and whose influence sparked an "orientalizing" phase in Tartessian material culture ( c.  750–550 BC) before Tartessian culture

3024-530: Is home to a large number of wildlife species. Commonly seen terrestrial animals include deer , lynx , and wild boars . Notable avian species include vultures , flamingos , herons , spoonbills , and ducks . The rare Spanish imperial eagle lives here, whose population is considered vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature . This article about a location in Andalusia, Spain,

3136-481: Is known of Tartessos, not even its precise site. Other Tartessian enthusiasts imagine it as a contemporary of Atlantis, with which it might have traded. In 2011, a team led by Richard Freund claimed to have found strong evidence for the location in Doñana National Park based on underground and underwater surveys and the interpretation of the archaeological site Cancho Roano as "memorial cities" rebuilt in

3248-574: Is restricted to the Iberian Peninsula, is the most endangered of the big cats. Precipitous drops in population counts led to its being declared a protected species in 1966. The only extant colonies of the Iberian lynx are in the Natural Parks of Sierra de Andujar and Cardena, Montoro, and Doñana with its surroundings; the other mainland colonies of former times are considered extinct. In Portugal recovery efforts to preserve its remaining habitat have resulted in

3360-599: Is said that the best groves proceed from the church of St. Mary of Rocinas.) ~Alfonso XI, 1337 The image of the Virgin at the Hermitage of El Rocío dates probably from the 13th century, although the current iconography representing the Virgin as a lady of the royal court was adopted in the late 16th century, according to the fashion of the time. The popularity of the cult of the Virgen del Rocío in modern times has raised concerns about

3472-548: The Arroyo de la Rocina . In 1297, his son Sancho IV granted Guzmán el Bueno the Lordship of Sanlúcar, consisting of the territory located behind Arenas Gordas on the left bank of the Guadalquivir estuary, and which remained in the hands of the House of Medina-Sidonia for over six centuries. The noble house was established in 1369, when Henry II of Castile granted the fourth Lord of Sanlúcar

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3584-684: The Conii , Cempsi , Sefes , and Celtici areas of the Algarve and southern Alentejo ). Since the classicists of the early twentieth century, biblical archaeologists often identify the place-name Tarshish in the Hebrew Bible with Tartessos, although others connect Tarshish to Tarsus in Anatolia or other places as far as India. Tarshish, like Tartessos, is associated with extensive mineral wealth ( Iberian Pyrite Belt ). In 1922, Adolf Schulten gave currency to

3696-531: The Iberian Peninsula . According to the fourth century BC Greek geographer and explorer Pytheas , quoted by Strabo in the first century AD, the ancestral homeland of the Turduli was located north of Turdetania , the region where the kingdom of Tartessos was located in the Baetis River valley (the present-day Guadalquivir valley) in southern Spain. Pausanias , writing in the second century AD, identified

3808-644: The Iberians . The river known in his day as the Baetis is now the Guadalquivir . Thus, Tartessos may be buried, Schulten thought, under the shifting wetlands. The river delta has gradually been blocked by a sandbar that stretches from the mouth of the Rio Tinto , near Palos de la Frontera to Almonte , the riverbank that is opposite Sanlúcar de Barrameda . The area is now protected as the Parque Nacional de Doñana . In

3920-607: The Lacus Ligustinus in Latin. The lake slowly infilled with deposited sediment, gradually giving way to the current marshes. In 1262, after conquering the vassal kingdom of Niebla , King Alfonso X established a Real Cazadero (royal hunting preserve) in the Las Rocinas forest, between the Rio Tinto and the Guadalquivir, partly due to the abundance of deer there, as well as the small sanctuary of Santa Olalla , since disappeared, on

4032-612: The Pillars of Hercules . Roman authors tend to echo the earlier Greek sources, but from around the end of the millennium there are indications that the name Tartessos had fallen out of use and the city may have been lost to flooding, although several authors attempt to identify it with cities of other names in the area. The Tartessians were rich in metals. In the fourth century BC the historian Ephorus describes "a very prosperous market called Tartessos, with much tin carried by river, as well as gold and copper from Celtic lands". Trade in tin

4144-409: The World Wildlife Fund warned that strawberry farms surrounding the park, where 95% of Spanish strawberries were produced, threatened to cause catastrophic damage to the park by depleting the surrounding groundwater, notably where illegal boreholes were involved, as well as creating considerable pesticide pollution and plastic waste which was accumulating in local creeks; AFP further reported that WWF

4256-642: The geological time scale , remains of Neolithic tools have been found in the area. Various ancient civilizations may have had a presence there as long as 2,800 years ago, including the Phoenicians , the Phocaean Greeks and the Tartessians , but archaeological remains attesting to such have not been found. In 1923, the German archaeologist Adolf Schulten , accompanied by Adolf Lammerer and George Bonsor , searched for

4368-796: The necropolis at La Joya, Huelva , archaeological surveys have been integrated with philological and literary surveys and the broader picture of the Iron Age in the Mediterranean basin to provide a more informed view of the supposed Tartessian culture on the ground, concentrated in western Andalusia , Extremadura , and in southern Portugal from the Algarve to the Vinalopó River in Alicante . Significant discoveries were made at Turuñuelo archeological site in Guareña , where excavation began in 2015. The site

4480-399: The polar front and the subtropical ridge of high pressure. The rainy seasons are intermediate, occurring in spring and in autumn; autumn especially can produce torrential rains caused by the accumulation during the summer of heat in nearby large bodies of water, and the arrival of polar air masses. In winter, however, thermal anticyclones may occur locally. Temperatures are mild throughout

4592-579: The wetlands comprised a large lagoon and estuary , known as Lacus Ligustinus in Latin, leading to the Guadalquivir River mouth with some sand bars to the South. Over time the lake silted up, gradually transforming into marshland . This silt has formed into a barrier of dunes extending approximately 70 kilometres (43 mi) along the coast, known as Arenas Gordas (English: "the fat sands"). The marquessate de las Marismas del Guadalquivir

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4704-623: The "Doñana 2005" program, aimed at regenerating the marshes. In 2006 the responsibilities of maintaining the park were transferred to the Government of Andalusia by the Royal Decree of 9 June; the functions and services of the Nature Conservation administration thus transferred to the Andalusian state were widened, and Doñana National Park and the Natural Park became the "Natural area of Doñana",

4816-820: The Bible, in the Assyrian stele of Esarhaddon , and perhaps in the Phoenician inscription of the Nora Stone , but also with the Tartessos of Greek sources –interpreting the Tartessus river as equivalent to the present-day Tinto River and the Ligustine Lake to the joint estuary of the Odiel and Tinto rivers flowing west and east of the Huelva Peninsula. There is very little data but it

4928-400: The British Nature Conservancy, formed an association that organised an international drive for funds to expand the park. The campaign raised two million Swiss Francs to buy 7,000 hectares of land for annexation to that already donated by González-Gordon. Finally, in 1963 the Spanish government and WWF bought part of the territory and created the first Doñana preserve, and in 1964 they established

5040-400: The Coto de Doñana, which he sold for 750,000 pesetas, finally detaching it from the noble house. When the sherry baron William Garvey bought Doñana from the Duke in 1901, the estate was abandoned and in a state of ruin. Garvey restored the palace to its former splendor, and upon his death it passed to his brother Joseph and his niece Maria Medina y Garvey, who was married to the Duke of Tarifa,

5152-425: The County of Niebla. In 1493 the Catholic Monarchs donated part of the land of the present village of El Rocío to the royal secretary, whose son later sold it to the town of Almonte . Previously, new breeding stock had been introduced among the local populations of wild boar and deer, while wolf hunting was encouraged for the benefit of cattle and horse ranching. In the region of Niebla, specifically at Las Rocinas,

5264-410: The Doñana 21 Foundation, created in 1997 as a partnership between the Governing Council of the Andalusian Regional Government and the El Monte, San Fernando and Unicaja savings banks. The plan established among its objectives the promotion of actions beneficial to the natural environment, seeking the cooperation of national and European governmental bodies, and the various organizations with an interest in

5376-405: The Doñana Biological Station and the Spanish National Research Council (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas - CSIC) to study the biodiversity of Doñana and other Spanish ecosystems. In 1969, the WWF again joined forces with the Spanish government to purchase another section of the Guadalquivir Delta marshes and establish the Doñana National Park. That same year the Doñana National Park

5488-417: The Doñana Operational Programme and funded by the regional government of Andalusia and the Spanish State, as well as the Feder Funds, ESF and EAGGF, to revitalise both the regional infrastructure and social fabric through a new economic model of development compatible with preserving the biodiversity of such an extraordinarily important natural heritage as Doñana. This effectively became the mission statement of

5600-457: The Guadiana River, revealed an important necropolis. Elements specific to Tartessian culture are the Late Bronze Age fully evolved pattern-burnished wares and geometrically banded and patterns "Carambolo" wares, from the ninth to the sixth centuries BC; an "Early Orientalizing" phase with the first eastern Mediterranean imports, beginning circa 750 BC; a "Late Orientalizing" phase with the finest bronze casting and goldsmith work; gray ware turned on

5712-424: The National Park of Doñana. The buffer zone is 54,250 hectares in the Natural Park of Doñana. The altitude ranges from sea level to 40 meters above sea level. Unesco considers Doñana of world significance, based on the variety of its ecosystems and the wide number of species they harbor. In 1982 it was included in the list of wetlands of the Ramsar Convention, and in 1989 the Regional Government of Andalusia converted

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5824-443: The Preparque into the Doñana Natural Park. In 1994 it was listed by Unesco as a World Heritage Site, enabling the establishment of programs to preserve and manage the area. Historically, these vital wetlands have been constantly threatened by schemes to increase local agricultural output and tourism. WWF still supports the Doñana, and is fighting proposals to drain the marshes and syphon off water for irrigation of agricultural land along

5936-468: The Spanish Armada, bought back part of the land. His wife, Ana de Silva y Mendoza, daughter of the Princess of Eboli, moved to a country retreat there called "Coto de Doña Ana" (Doña Ana Game Preserve), which was the origin of the current name "Doñana"; the house was renovated years later as a palace. Reference to the use of Coto Donana as a hunting lodge is made in the first verses of the La Fábula de Polifemo y Galatea (Fable of Polyphemus and Galatea), which

6048-418: The Spanish government's proposals to drain them for farming and the planting of eucalyptus trees. Mauricio, together with his father, asked Bernis to try and influence Spanish dictator Francisco Franco into abandoning the plans. The trio wrote a memorandum which was presented to Franco himself by Mauricio's father Manuel. By November 1953 Bernis had finished a report on the status of the Doñana which showed that

6160-433: The Tartessian material culture within the broader Mediterranean horizon of an " Orientalizing period " recognizable in the Aegean and Etruria . J. M. Luzón was the first to identify Tartessos with modern Huelva , based on discoveries made in the preceding decades. Since the discovery in September 1958 of the rich gold treasure of El Carambolo in Camas, three kilometres west of Seville , and of hundreds of artefacts in

6272-496: The Tartessian sites. A later generation has been more concerned with the process through which local institutions evolved. The emergence of new archaeological finds in the city of Huelva is prompting the revision of these traditional views. Just in two adjacent lots adding up to 2,150 sq. m. between Las Monjas Square and Mendez Nuñez Street , some 90,000 ceramic fragments of indigenous, Phoenician, and Greek imported wares were exhumed, out of which 8,009 allowed scope for

6384-423: The annual pilgrimage's effect on the natural environment of the park. The park is used by pilgrims on their way to the Romería de El Rocío . As this event attracts a million pilgrims annually, it has a significant negative impact on the park's eco-system. The overcrowding of pilgrims around certain dates is evident not only in the village of El Rocío where the shrine is located, but also in places within and outside

6496-440: The aqueduct, Ginés Morata, a biologist and former president of the Consejo de Participación de Doñana (Participation Council of Doñana), says that the project, which involves the passage of hundreds of oil tankers per year that would unload their cargoes near Doñana, would lead to an increased possibility of oil spills. Another environmental problem is water withdrawals for irrigation, many of them illegal, which have doubled since

6608-547: The area had exceptional ecological value. The group sought and obtained international support for their goals. The efforts of González-Gordon to dissuade Franco exposed him to some danger, but the Franco government conceded and the drainage plans were aborted. Valverde led the first organised scientific expedition to the Donana in 1957, joined by the British naturalists Guy Mountfort, Roger Peterson, and Sir Julian Huxley. A group of European conservation experts – including Guy Monfort, Max Nicholson and Luc Hoffmann –then demonstrated

6720-1215: The area, including range-restricted species such as Spanish imperial eagle , marbled teal , white-headed duck and red-knobbed coot . Wetland species include glossy ibis , western swamphen , ferruginous duck , Eurasian spoonbill , red-crested pochard , little and cattle egret , night and squacco heron and greater flamingo , whilst the surrounding areas can have hoopoe , stone-curlew , Spanish sparrow , Mediterranean short-toed lark and pin-tailed sandgrouse . The site also attracts many summer migrants, which can include purple heron , gull-billed tern , greater short-toed lark , short-toed eagle , European roller , western olivaceous warbler , Savi's warbler , little bittern , booted eagle , whiskered tern and rufous scrub robin . 38 mammal species have been recorded, including twelve species of bat, red deer , European rabbit , European hedgehog , common genet , wildcat , wild boar , Iberian lynx , garden dormouse , Egyptian mongoose , greater white-toothed shrew , Eurasian otter , wood mouse , European polecat , red fox , European badger , Mediterranean pine vole , southwestern water vole and black rat . The Iberian lynx, whose habitat

6832-443: The coast and expansion of tourist facilities. In 1998, the Aznalcóllar Disaster occurred when a holding dam burst at the Los Frailes mine owned by Boliden-Apirsa (formerly Andaluza de Piritas, S.A.), the Spanish subsidiary of Boliden , releasing a flood of toxic sludge that entered the River Guadiamar, the main water source for the park. In 2000, after this major environmental catastrophe, the Spanish Ministry of Environment promoted

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6944-436: The coastline were expropriated by the former Ministry of the Environment for protection. In July 2012, Unesco approved the extension of the Biosphere Reserve of Doñana from 77,260 hectares to over 255,000 hectares and enabled compliance with the guidelines of the Man and Biosphere Program. This created a transition zone where the socio-economic interests of the various municipalities in the Doñana region are represented. In 2019,

7056-438: The creation of new inland marshes and wetlands. The extensive marshes of Doñana National Park now have a flat topography, with some inland depressions occupied by temporary or permanent wetlands, locally called 'lucios'. The whole area is protected by the Doñana spit, a wide sandy littoral barrier with mobile dune systems growing toward the southeast. Although the topography of Doñana is a relatively new land feature as measured on

7168-433: The creation of the Sierra Malcata Natural Reserve. The Acebuche Breeding Centre in Doñana has developed a captive breeding program which has achieved the survival of eleven individuals born in the centre, and of over thirty captured in the park, whose survival was otherwise doubtful. These conservation efforts are threatened by a high mortality rate among the cats and recurring violations of laws prohibiting cars from entering

7280-404: The crucial importance of the area as a stopover for birds migrating between the European and African continents. In 1959, the Gonzalez family sold part of their land in Doñana for development of the Matalascañas resort. This alarmed European conservationists, leading various institutions and anonymous donors to offer to buy part of the property. Valverde, Hoffman, and Nicholson, in partnership with

7392-434: The defence of nature), the Spanish branch of WWF , has linked the passage of these boats with the introduction of new animals to the local ecosystems, which occurs when they discharge ballast water containing exotic species. The Port of Huelva, a few kilometers from the Natural Park, is one of its major environmental threats. Francisco Bella, PSOE senator and former mayor of the town of Almonte Huelva, considers it absurd that

7504-420: The duchess. After 1854, with the publishing of a discussion of the area in a treatise called "Avifauna de Doñana: Catálogo de las aves observadas en algunas provincias andaluzas" ("Avifauna of Doñana: Catalogue of the birds observed in some Andalusian provinces"), by Antonio Machado y Nunez, the public began to appreciate its ecological value for the many different species of wildlife found there. Consequently, it

7616-430: The early 1960s, there were only three, but more were released into the wild after being used in the filming of Lawrence of Arabia in 1962. After the Aznalcóllar Dam disaster of 1998, public awareness of the environmental risks to which the countryside is exposed has increased. Various impact studies and environmental groups have warned repeatedly of problems that threaten the region's flora, fauna, water and soil. While

7728-446: The eighth century BC and who nearby built a harbor of their own, Gadir ( Ancient Greek : Γάδειρα , Latin : Gades , present-day Cádiz ). Several early sources, such as Aristotle , refer to Tartessos as a river. Aristotle claims that it rises from the Pyrene Mountain (generally accepted by modern scholars as the Pyrenees ) and flows out to sea outside the Pillars of Hercules, the modern Strait of Gibraltar . No such river traverses

7840-444: The end of the year. This was the acquisition of 7,000 ha of an estate called Veta la Palma . This property includes lagoons which had been used for a failed fishing farming enterprise within the natural park and which at the time of purchase were seen as a potential extension to the national park. Doñana Park has a mild, typically Mediterranean climate, characterized by dry summers and relatively wet winters resulting from variations in

7952-404: The fast potter's wheel , local imitations of imported Phoenician red-slip wares. Characteristic Tartessian bronzes include pear-shaped jugs, often associated in burials, with shallow dish-shaped braziers having loop handles, incense-burners with floral motifs, fibulas , both elbowed and double-spring types, and belt buckles. No pre-colonial necropolis sites have been identified. The change from

8064-567: The fifth century BC. Tartessic occupation sites of the Late Bronze Age that were not particularly complex: "a domestic mode of production seems to have predominated" is one mainstream assessment. An earlier generation of archaeologists and historians took a normative approach to the primitive Tartessian adoption of Punic styles and techniques, as of a less-developed culture adopting better, more highly evolved cultural traits, and finding Eastern parallels for Early Iron Age material culture in

8176-766: The first century AD, Pliny the Elder incorrectly identified the city of Carteia as the Tartessos mentioned in Greek sources while Strabo just commented. Carteia is identified as El Rocadillo, near S. Roque, Province of Cádiz, some distance away from the Guadalquivir. In the second century AD, Appian thought that Karpessos ( Carpia ) was previously known as Tartessos. The discoveries published by Adolf Schulten in 1922 first drew attention to Tartessos and shifted its study from classical philologists and antiquarians to investigations based on archaeology, although attempts at localizing

8288-527: The first part of the Flandrian interglacial was associated with the melting of the paleoglaciers, and reached its maximum level 6,500–7,000 years ago. At this time, Doñana National Park and the surrounding areas were flooded, and a lagoon, later called Lacus Ligustinus by the Romans, was formed. The pace of infilling of the lagoon has increased over the last 6,000 years, along with accelerated growth of sandspits and

8400-402: The frequent banquets he held in honor of the duke. In 1797 Francisco Goya stayed in the palace as a guest of his patrons, the 15th Duke of Medina-Sidonia and his wife, the 13th Duchess of Alba . Here Goya created his Álbum A , a collection of drawings, and apparently painted his famous portraits, La Maja Vestida ("The Clothed Maja") and La Maja Desnuda ("The Naked Maja"), rumored to portray

8512-871: The gambusia, or pike, which is considered an invasive threat to local ecosystems. Also, you could find the sturgeon in the past because nowadays is extinct. Reptiles found in Doñana Park include the European pond turtle , Spanish pond turtle , spur-thighed tortoise , Iberian worm lizard , Bedriaga's skink , western three-toed skink , common wall gecko , spiny-footed lizard , ocellated lizard , Carbonell's wall lizard , Andalusian wall lizard , Psammodromus manuelae , Spanish psammodromus , horseshoe whip snake , ladder snake , southern smooth snake , Montpellier snake , false smooth snake , viperine snake , grass snake , Lataste's viper , loggerhead turtle and leatherback turtle . Over 300 species of bird have been recorded in

8624-401: The image of Atlantis. Spanish scientists have dismissed Freund's claims claiming that he was sensationalising their work. The anthropologist Juan Villarías-Robles, who works with the Spanish National Research Council , said "Richard Freund was a newcomer to our project and appeared to be involved in his own very controversial issue concerning King Solomon's search for ivory and gold in Tartessos,

8736-542: The indigenous wild horses of the salt marshes of Doñana. On 26 June, after the Feast of St. John the Baptist is celebrated, mares and new foals among the marismeños are gathered in a traditional roundup. Las Marismas The Guadalquivir Marshes (in Spanish : Marismas del Guadalquivir or simply Las Marismas ) are a natural region of marshy lowlands on the lower Guadalquivir River . The Las Marismas zone forms

8848-461: The land is flat, covered by thickets, and wild boars are always to be found there... ...one may not traverse this ground in the winter, which is generally very wet, except during a drought, nor in summer because it is then so dry and miserably uncomfortable. ~Alfonso XI in his Libro de la Montería (The Book of Hunting), written between 1342 and 1348 Nearly a century later, Alonso Pérez de Guzmán y Sotomayor, 7th Duke of Medina Sidonia and commander of

8960-473: The late 1980s to maintain water-intensive crops such as cotton, rice and more recently strawberries. The latter are grown in greenhouses, with an estimated area under plastic of between 4,500 and 6,000 hectares in the Doñana area, producing over 90% of the Spanish strawberry crop. The boring of illegal wells to draw irrigation water from underground aquifers has apparently proliferated, while the water demands of nearby residential complexes and inappropriate usage of

9072-637: The location of the ancient Tartessian capital in Almonte , where the Doñana dunes are, but found nothing of interest. These excavations were carried out at Cerro del Trigo and funded by the Duke of Tarifa and Denia, then owner of Doñana. Nevertheless, in 1978 Schulten found the stele of Villamanrique at the nearby town of Villamanrique de la Condesa . Surveys were made in 2007 in the Hinojos salt marsh, or " Marisma de Hinojos ", of Huelva province, in an effort to discover traces of

9184-460: The lyric poet Luis de Góngora dedicated to the Count of Niebla, and in which he requests that the nobles suspend their hunting exploits to hear his verses. In 1624, King Philip IV stayed at the estate for several days as a guest of the 9th Duke of Medina Sidonia, and joined in some large hunts. He brought with him a great variety of comestibles, which included such luxuries as snow from the mountains for

9296-400: The mobile dunes, also known as transdunes, which are formed by the prevailing south-west wind, is almost nonexistent elsewhere in the Iberian Peninsula. The harshness of this ecosystem is evident in the adaptations made by some plant species to its special conditions: the dunes of sand and soil are inconsistent. The gradual burial of vegetation, especially of trees that emerge then die, killed by

9408-400: The mythical city. Noteworthy finds included the remains of Roman settlements, dating from the 2nd through the 5th centuries AD, which had been primarily engaged in fishing and fish salting or the preparation of garum . The Guadalquivir Marshes ( Las Marismas del Guadalquivir ), an area of marshy lowlands near the left bank of the mouth of the Guadalquivir, was then a large inland lake known as

9520-502: The nearby River Agrio, and then its tributary the River Guadiamar , travelling about 40 kilometres along these waterways before they could be stopped and advancing as far as the prepark. The cleanup operation took three years, at an estimated cost of €240 million. Although the spill was slowed by levees and diverted by way of the Guadalquivir to the sea, the vulnerability of Doñana's ecosystems to such environmental catastrophes

9632-631: The only one living in the wild and isolated from other populations. During the 19th and 20th centuries, a herd of feral dromedaries roamed the area. They may have been introduced during the Moorish Conquest of Spain in the 8th century, or they may have escaped from a herd introduced from the Canary Islands in 1829 by the Marquis de Molina as beasts of burden. By the 1950s, there were only eight individuals left, and these were threatened by poachers. By

9744-603: The only workshop of the period so far proven in the west-, gold, silver, etc. The existence of foreign produce and materials together with local ones suggests that the old Huelva harbor was a major hub for the reception, manufacturing, and shipping of diverse products of different and distant origin. The analysis of written sources and the products exhumed, including inscriptions and thousands of Greek ceramics , some of which are works of excellent quality by known potters and painters, has led some scholars to suggest that this habitat can be identified not only with Tarshish mentioned in

9856-507: The park or driving on its roads, although, as some agencies have reported, the causes of death are not always clear. The precarious survival situation of this animal has become an emblematic symbol of the park for the general public. In Doñana there are two indigenous breeds of horse: the Marismeño and the Retuertas ; the latter is one of the oldest European breeds, dating to perhaps 1000 BC, and

9968-564: The park recorded 376,287 visitors. The geological profile of Doñana National Park reflects the development over several hundred thousand years of a deep aquifer and geomorphological features that have enhanced the biodiversity of the wildlife habitats presently found there. After the end of the last glacial period , the area was covered by freshwater and brackish marshes, ponds and sand dunes, with some marine intrusions caused by high-energy events such as tsunamis and large storms. A period of comparatively rapid rise in global sea level during

10080-491: The park service. Other notable species in the park, of the more than 875 indigenous to the Doñana ecosystems are: oleander, oak, the sea wallflower, sweet saltwort, the prickly tumbleweed, marram grass , heather, camarina, lavender, sea holly, reed, carnation, bulrush, common fern, sage-leaved rock rose , rushes, labiérnago ( Phillyrea angustifolia ), sea spurge, mastic, sedge, palm, pine, Scotch broom, rosemary, juniper, gorse, thyme, spurge and blackberries. The ecosystem of

10192-621: The park such as the Piara del Acebuchal, the Ajolí Bridge, Boca del Lobo and the Moguer road. This has been a publicity windfall for the park, but requires stepped-up park resources for fire prevention and general monitoring, and also has had a significant negative environmental impact (e.g., increased danger of wildfires, off-road SUVs damaging sensitive ground, etc.) denounced by environmentalists. The Estación Biológica de Doñana (Doñana Biological Station)

10304-562: The park, economic or otherwise, for sustainable development of the area (e. g., by encouraging the organic farming of rice). Since then, representatives from Council agencies, businesses, trade unions and conservation organizations such as WWF have joined the foundation and collaborated in meeting its goals. In 2013 the construction of a pipeline in the vicinity of the park was authorized by the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment . The municipality of Almonte, and therefore

10416-418: The park, is situated in an area in which public manifestations of religious fervor have been frequent throughout the centuries. The deities of nature and water were worshiped by the ancient Iberians , as in the goddess cult of Cybele . The cult rituals, similar in many ways to current Rocieras celebrations, were quickly adapted by the early Christians of these lands to be assimilated in their liturgy. They built

10528-412: The pipeline project has been approved while the national government and the regional government of Andalusia invest in renewable energy. As mayor of Almonte, he noted the difficulties of implementing policies that promote employment near the park: (translation) "...we know almost everything about the ant and the lynx, but need to know how employment evolves in Doñana." In line with Bella's position regarding

10640-516: The police closed tens of illegal wells operated largely by fruit farmers around the park which had for many years been draining water away from the park's water table. In the same year, the EU commission decided to take Spain to the European Court of Justice (EJC) for violating EU conservation rules. The court ruled in favor of the EU commission, stating that Spain has not fulfilled its obligations concerning

10752-465: The port of Huelva has been criticized by environmental groups, who allege it would significantly increase tanker traffic in the area with an associated risk of oil spills. Frequent dredging of the Guadalquivir to allow passage of ships to the port of Seville has been observed to cause serious disturbances in the biodynamics of the estuary. Adena, the Associación de defensa de la naturaleza (Association for

10864-489: The pressure of urbanization and its various demands on local ecosystems has been a concern throughout the years, this is not the only associated risk factor. UNESCO has reviewed the nomination of the park for inclusion in its " List of World Heritage in Danger " several times, but has yet to add it. There have been a number of problems related to infrastructure near the park. A project to build an oil pipeline between Extremadura and

10976-509: The prevention of illegal water extraction as well as failed to take necessary measures to stop significant modifications of the park's landscape. In 2023 the Junta de Andalucia sought to regularise illegal strawberry cultivation near the park, but was blocked by the central government. Some agreement on a way forward appeared to have been reached, as a mitigation measure proposed by the Junta went through at

11088-454: The river and gave details of the location of the city: They say that Tartessus is a river in the land of the Iberians, running down into the sea by two mouths and that between these two mouths lies a city of the same name. The river, which is the largest in Iberia and tidal, those of a later day called Baetis and there are some who think that Tartessus was the ancient name of Carpia , a city of

11200-401: The slow movement of sand, is one of the most well-known phenomena in the beach area of the park. Animals recorded within the park include 20 species of freshwater fish, 10 species of amphibians, 13 species of reptiles, 37 species of mammals and 360 non-marine bird species, of which 127 have bred in the park. Native fish such as eel inhabit Doñana as well as introduced species such as carp, and

11312-575: The use of river water to boost agricultural production by irrigating land along the coast, water pollution by upriver mining, and the expansion of tourist facilities. Doñana National Park 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

11424-626: The water resources of nearby rivers may also affect the hydrology of the park. Other potential risks include salinization resulting from climate change; the intrusion of salt water from the Atlantic would endanger several animal species. On the other hand, desertification could also occur; recently a transfer from the Chanza-Piedras water system was approved by the Diputación de Huelva (Provincial Council of Huelva) to alleviate this eventuality. In 2007,

11536-577: The well-documented settlement in the Doñana area established in the first millennium BC" and described his claims as 'fanciful'. Simcha Jacobovici , involved in the production of a documentary on Freund's work for the National Geographic Channel , stated that the biblical Tarshish (which he believes is the same as Tartessos) was Atlantis, and that "Atlantis was hiding in the Tanach ", although this

11648-490: The winter, typically up to 200,000 individuals. Over 300 different species of birds may be sighted there annually. Considered the largest nature reserve in Europe, several different scientific institutions have monitoring stations within its boundaries to ensure appropriate development of adjacent lands and conservation of the threatened species that inhabit it. The area was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1994; in 2006,

11760-735: The year, with maximum temperatures varying about 17 °C from winter to summer. The most significant feature of the climate is the three to five months of dry weather in the summer, when it is dominated by the subtropical anticyclone. There are many species of flora in the park: trees, including pines, flowers such as roses, and shrubs. Of special interest are the species Vulpia fontquerana , Tursica linaria , Juniperus macrocarpa (maritime juniper), Micropyropsis tuberosa , Hydrocharis morsus-ranae or Thorella verticillatinundata , many of them endangered. Non-native species such as eucalyptus, Acacia longifolia , Gomphocarpus fruticosus , Nicotiana glauca or Carpobrotus edulis (cat's claw) are removed by

11872-558: Was calling for a boycott of Spanish strawberries, but this is contradicted by the remarks of a WWF Spain spokesperson, and it is uncharacteristic of WWF to call for blanket boycotts. On 25 April 1998, a holding dam burst at the Los Frailes mine operated by the mining company, Boliden-Apirsa , near Aznalcóllar , Seville Province , releasing 4–5 million cubic metres of mine tailings . The acidic tailings, which contained dangerous levels of several heavy metals , quickly reached

11984-468: Was created by decree, part of whose territory was owned by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad) and part still in private hands. Ten years later the protected area was expanded and the so-called "Preparque Doñana" was created. In 1980, UNESCO recognised the Doñana National Park as a Biosphere Reserve of 77,260 hectares. The Core Zone consists of 50,720 hectares in

12096-593: Was declared bien de interés cultural (National heritage site) in May 2022. Two ornate stone busts, featuring details of jewelry and hairstyles which are thought to be the first facial representations of the Tartessian goddesses were discovered in 2023. These sculptures are somewhat similar to the Lady of Elche sculpture, which was dated between the 5th and 4th centuries BC, but are considerably earlier. Fragments of at least three other busts have also been recovered. One of them

12208-481: Was evident. To ensure sustainable development both in the countryside and in the surrounding provinces, as well as to counteract future environmental threats, an International Commission of Experts met in 1992 to propose solutions, and produced the Plan de Desarrollo Sostenible de Doñana y su Entorno (Plan for Sustainable Development of Doñana and its Surroundings), briefly described as: A plan of action, implemented through

12320-559: Was superseded by the Classic Iberian culture . "Tartessic" artefacts linked with the Tartessos culture have been found, and many archaeologists now associate the "lost" city with Huelva . In excavations on spatially restricted sites in the center of modern Huelva, sherds of elite painted Greek ceramics of the first half of the sixth century BC have been recovered. Huelva contains the largest accumulation of imported elite goods and must have been an important Tartessian center. Medellín , on

12432-518: Was very lucrative in the Bronze Age , since it is an essential component of bronze and is comparatively rare. Herodotus refers to a king of Tartessos, Arganthonios , presumably named for his wealth in silver. Herodotus also says that Arganthonios welcomed the first Greeks to reach Iberia, which was a ship carrying the Phocaeans from Asia Minor. Pausanias wrote that Myron, the tyrant of Sicyon , built

12544-425: Was visited by British naturalists and hunters including Abel Chapman and Walter J. Buck, both of whom wrote books that alerted a wider audience in Europe to the strategic importance of Doñana for migratory birds traveling to Africa. Later, when José Joaquín Álvarez de Toledo y Caro (1865-1915) became the 19th Duke of Medina Sidonia, he inherited large debts and to pay them was forced to sell off various assets, including

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