The ongoing drought across the region has put Turkey’s wetland ecosystems under severe pressure. Wetlands—the planet’s most vital ecosystems—support countless environmental processes and host rich biodiversity. They also act as blue carbon reservoirs, capturing and storing CO2 more efficiently than many other habitats, underscoring why protecting them is essential for climate resilience.
Within the peninsula, safeguarding and restoring wetlands has become the most urgent environmental priority. Despite the fragility of these ecosystems, proactive public-private partnerships are emerging to support restoration efforts. Global Nature Foundation (FGN) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to revitalizing natural areas and promoting sustainable farming. For more than three decades, FGN has driven meaningful on-the-ground work to restore Spain’s wetlands through concrete actions that yield measurable improvements.
Two sites illustrate where results matter most. El Hito lagoon in Cuenca province and Mar de Campos in Palencia demonstrate how targeted investments of resources are delivering visible, hopeful outcomes.
El Hito: 361 hectares secured in Cuenca
This summer, the foundation finalized ownership of a substantial portion of the El Hito lagoon, acquiring 361.6 hectares of the area—roughly two-thirds of the site. The long-term aim is to reach a total of 500 hectares to strengthen habitat protection and restoration.
El Hito is part of the Natura 2000 network and stands as a key biodiversity hotspot. It is one of Castilla-La Mancha’s most iconic salt steppes, hosting valuable endemic plants and highly threatened formations such as albardinals and saline meadows. The site also features notable bird life, including cranes and ducks, signaling its ecological importance.
Work has already begun to repurpose built structures along the northern shore that occupied flood zones. The plan includes demolishing these buildings to restore natural flood dynamics and expand floodplain habitat previously blocked by man-made barriers.
Beyond expanding flood storage, restoration will introduce native, threatened species to the landscape. Amanda del Río, Deputy Director of the foundation, notes that a decade or two from now the lagoon could be reimagined as a landscape of high-value meadows and saline steppes, reflecting the area’s original ecological character.
This restoration opens downstream opportunities for regional development, including birdwatching tourism and the production of sustainable, ecological goods. The El Hito initiative operates under the European Union LIFE program, aligning conservation with broader funding mechanisms and cross-border environmental goals.
Mar de Campos in Palencia rises from the ashes
The recovery story in Palencia is equally striking. The La Nava, or Mar de Campos wetlands, span the towns of Fuentes, Pedraza, and Boada. Once a vast wetland reaching around 5,000 hectares during wet winters, it gradually dried up and lost much of its vitality through the mid-20th century.
A rescue project began in 1992, led by the foundation alongside regional authorities, local councils, partners in the private sector, and European support. They managed to restore about 580 hectares, and thirty years of steady effort have translated into a landscape that now floods more frequently, attracting over 10,000 waterfowl annually from Europe as they migrate toward Africa.
Visitors and nature enthusiasts have flocked to the area, drawn by the birds and the ongoing restoration story. A visitor center housed in an old mansion in Boada de Campos helps guests understand how the wetland functions and which species are most readily observed.
The mayor of Boada, Luis Carlos Castañeda, remarks that the lagoon’s revival has put the community on the map. Eduardo de Miguel, director of Global Nature Foundation, explains that early 90s efforts focused on restoring the water cycle—restoring natural floods and, where needed, supplementing floodwaters using channels like the Canal de Castilla through agreements with the Duero Hydrographic Confederation.
Carlos Zumalacárregui, a technician with the local project, notes that this site was among the first to begin recovering in Spain. To date, about one-fifth of the original area has been restored. He adds that the wetlands have evolved from a stigmatized view to a valued resource for people and wildlife alike.