Los humedales del sur de Córdoba: conflictos y fricciones entre espacios protegidos y medio rural circundante

Abstract

In the countryside of Cordoba, secular and intense agricultural space, certain endorheic wetlands of varied physical characteristics are located. In any case, several common features can be emphasized: landscape quality, ecological relevance (primarily aquatic birds) and the continuous interaction between ecosystems and the surrounding rural lands. This has justified the protection of the most outstanding wetlands, being declared as Nature Reserves. This paper sets out the main keys of the transition from agricultural area to protected area, and the grounds of the protection applied in order to achieve the desirable -and not always easy-compatibility between conservation and the proper deve/opment of traditional agricultural uses.