The draft declaration of the “National Nature Reserve” of the wetland of Errobi, located between Baiona and Uztaritz, is under way. The new reserve would be the first in Ipar Euskal Herria to receive the level of “national natural reserve” and would ensure a level of protection equivalent to that of the Natura 2000 network. The consultation phase for the implementation of the project is expected to start in the coming weeks, and if the Ministry of the Environment approves it could enter into force within five years.

Initially, the project envisaged protecting only the Ansot esplanade, a 100-hectare mining area located in Baiona. However, the proposal to accommodate all wetlands in the Errobi area, including their tributaries and ecosystems, has been expanded. With the expansion, the future reserve would cover the entire hydraulic system of the Aturri tributaries in municipalities such as Baiona and Angelu, Basusarri, Milafranga and Uztaritze. The wetland is essential for the survival of biodiversity and the new space would include a basic ecological network for the conservation of the natural species and habitats of the area.

Integrating human activity and biodiversity

According to the radio station Ici Pays Basque, the project has raised doubts among some voters, who have criticized the limitations that the project may cause in local activities, although the new reserve provides for the conservation of the uses of the area, such as the crops and the circulation of its inhabitants. If the project were to come into force, the new regulation would integrate human activity and local biodiversity, through collaboration between local actors.

The new reserve would strengthen the ecological recovery that is already under way. Due to the current agricultural diversification, such peculiar species as wetland rings, European mints and island sponsoring are re-colonizing the Ansot Plain. The “National Nature Reserve” of Errobi would improve the conditions for sustainable development of this type of species.