The mayor of Ciempozuelos, Raquel Jimeno, and part of her team have met with the new owner of the land where the Soto Gutierrez wetland was located to discuss its restoration.

This is the goal of Fundación Global Nature after acquiring the eleven hectares of land that housed the artificial lagoon formed within an old quarry, which was once known as ‘the small Doñana of Madrid‘.

The City Council has offered to expedite the necessary permits to carry out the recovery work, as well as to implement the measures needed to rescue these wetlands integrated into the Regional Park of the Southeast and part of the Natura 2000 Network.

DRAINAGE

In 2021, several environmental organizations raised concerns about drainage works that began to drain the main lagoon of the wetland, resulting in the loss of refuge and habitat for various animal and plant species, including more than two hundred species of birds that have been spotted in the area.

Following the drainage of the lagoon, the aquatic vegetation died and has accumulated in large quantities in what used to be the lagoon basin. All this plant material must be removed to restore the ecological functionality of the wetland.