There are two wetlands in the province of Granada that stick out for their health and they are the Laguna de Padul and La Charca de Suárez in Motril.

All told, the province has 26 wetlands including the lagunas de Sierra Nevada, the Charco del Negro de la Sierra de Loja, the Laguna Seca de la Sierra de Castril and the pantaneta de Alhama, amongst them but the aforementioned have very little water left in them. Not so, however, with Padul and Motril, despite the recent heatwaves.

So why is there this difference between the Padul and Motril wetlands and the rest? The former has a constant supply of water draining off the Sierra Nevada and the later has freshwater springs feeding it, as well as water from irrigation ditches.

Professor Antonio Castillo is a hyddrogeologist who works in the Instituto del Agua, belonging to Granada University. He explained that the Humedal (wetland) of Padul was in danger of disappearing once upon a time because it was being over exploited for peat around the mid-20th Century, but since this was forbidden, it has come back to life.

The Padul wetlands are well worth a visit (as is the Charca de Suárez) because there are wooden walkways through the ponds, under leafy boughs. The amount of wildlife, both above and below water is astounding. It is a pity, however, that the Centro de Interpretation lies practically abandoned with overgrown weeds around it.

(News: Padul, Valle de Lecrin, Granada, Andalucia)