Ivars and Vila-sana lake

"Water is life" is an affirmation that makes singular sense in the case of the Ivars and Vila-sana lake. Located in the heart of the Pla d'Urgell region, in the land of the dry land, the lake energised social, cultural and economic life, until it was dried up in 1951 to turn the land into arable land. Known everywhere for the abundance of water birds, in recent years the lake has become one of the most emblematic wetlands in Catalonia, thanks to an ambitious recovery project requested from the population itself and encouraged by the lasting memory of the landscape it used to be.

ALL THE SPACES IN THE NETWORK

Wildlife

Little grebe

(Tachybaptus ruficollis)
The little grebe and other diving birds have been favoured by improved water quality and the arrival of other species, such as the American river crab, on which they feed.

Harrier

(Circus aeruginosus)
In just a few years, the recovery of the lake has been evidenced by the presence of more than 220 species of birds, mainly aquatic. Noteworthy is the western marsh harrier, a marsh bird of prey with few couples in Catalonia, that reproduce at the lake.

Common coot

(Fulica atra)
Ducks and coots find their main wintering area of inland Catalonia in the lake, which houses about 75% of these birds in the total wetlands of the plain of Lleida.

Cattle egret

(Bubulcus ibis)
Species hibernating in Catalonia since the 1970s, it is typical of humid environments but also of the meadows and pastures that surround them.

Flora and vegetation

Common reed

(Phragmites australis)
The common reed plays a fundamental role in the ecological balance and the conservation of the space. Distributed throughout the periphery of the lake, and especially at the point of entry of water, the common reed forms a natural system of purification, which prevents the eutrophication of the water.