Amigos de los Humedales del Sur de Alicante (AHSA) and Amigos de Sierra Escalona (ASE) have proposed the ecological recovery of the mouth of the Nacimiento river at rambla on the Glea beach in Campoamor. The request, made to the Orihuela City Council, points out that this location is one of the historic wetlands of Orihuela, a coastal wetland linked to the mouth of the Nacimiento River, a river that crosses the protected area of the Sierra Escalona and the Dehesa de Campoamor.
The lands of the old lagoon are used as a parking lot for Glea beach despite the serious risk of flooding they present but ecologists believe the recovered wetland would regulate avenues. The ecologists explain that the project should be carried out in coordination with the Generalitat, the Segura Hydrographic Confederation and the Ministry of Ecological Transition – the three administrations with powers over the land. In a project that must follow the principles of ecological restoration, based on the historical documents that record the existence of the wetland and adhere to the native species typical of the Mediterranean wetlands of Alicante.
The Nacimiento River destroyed the promenade section and the road that ran across its mouth during last September’s DANA and led to the spontaneous recovery of the lagoon for several months. This section of the promenade has not been rebuilt but the City Council is pressing to rebuild the section due to pressure from the local residents as the water has divided and obstructed the road connection between the two ends of Dehesa de Campoamor.
AHSA claims that La Glea, which appears mapped as a lagoon in the mid-19th century, is a space of natural interest that can be linked to the micro-reserve of flora of Punta de la Glea and is a resource of cultural interest due to the stone bridge of the old N-332. All of this fits perfectly within the framework of the promotion of sustainable touristic, cultural and landscape heritage of Orihuela. For ecologists, the renaturalisation of this space would give rise to a resource of natural interest for school groups, hikers, naturalists, retired people and other groups.