Spain-Portugal: river at border becomes a symbol of unity

The river Tajo, traditionally the natural border between Spain and Portugal, will become a symbol of unity between the two countries, thanks to the creation of the international natural reserve of Tajo-Tejo (Pitt), covering a surface of over 51,000 hectares on both river banks. The creation of the protected natural area, allowing the joint management and preservation by both neighbouring countries, was agreed during the most recent bilateral summit between Spain and Portugal, which took place on May 9th in Lisbon. The river Tajo, the longest in the Iberian Peninsula, has its source on the Universal Mounts, in the Sierra de Albarracin (Teruel) and, after having crossed four Spanish regions (Aragon, Castilla-La Mancha, Madrid and Extremadura) enters Lisbon and flows into the Atlantic Ocean. The Spanish part stretches over approximately 25,000 hectares, while the Portuguese part covers approximately 26,480 hectares, in the Castelo Branco district. The Spanish portion of the river basin is currently managed by the Council of Extremadura, which will retain its management role even after the creation of the protected natural reserve. According to what the head of the Protection and Development Department of the Iberian National Park Network, Francisco Cantos told the media, the joint management will allow to cut on double expenses and eliminate current inconsistencies. For example, navigation for pleasure crafts near storks' nests is banned in some areas of the river on one bank and still allowed on the other. Rules and regulations concerning hunting, tourism, surveillance, monitoring of the water level and all biodiversity preservation activities will be unified, in order to foster more effective management practices. The Park will be very valuable from the ecological point of view: it will be a bird special protection area within the Natura 2000 network. The woods on the bank and those on the Mediterranean mountains are the two ecosystems that host several currently threatened species, including 23 couples of black storks, golden eagles, griffon vultures or four couples of Iberian Imperial eagles and 31 black vultures counted in the Spanish part. (ANSAmed).