Marjal del Senillar

The Marjal del Senillar is a small coastal lagoon next to L'Ampolla beach, at the mouth of the barranco de les Sorts, in the municipality of Teulada-Moraira. It covers barely a hectare, but it's one of the best-preserved wetlands in the Marina Alta and was declared a Wildlife Reserve by the Valencian regional government in October 2004.

Refuge for an endangered species

The protection responds mainly to the presence of the fartet, an endangered endemic fish that finds one of its last refuges in the area here. It shares the lagoon with other species such as grey mullet, bogue and various types of terrapin. The water that feeds the lagoon comes largely from underground springs, known locally as "ullals," which keep a steady flow year-round thanks to the lagoon's closeness to the sea and saltwater intrusion into the aquifer.

The wetland's name comes from "senill," the marram grass that, along with reeds and tamarisk, covers much of its banks; on the dunes near the beach, typical Mediterranean coastal species such as sea holly and rock samphire also grow. A signposted, accessible path runs around the lagoon, good for birdwatching without having to step into the ecosystem itself. It's a short distance from the Castillo de Moraira, easy to combine in the same coastal walk, and shares the same conservation spirit as the Cova de les Rates, another protected site in the municipality.