About the Reserve

The Tagus Estuary is considered one of the 10 most important wetlands in Europe and the most important and extensive wetlands in Portugal. Its importance is recognized specially due to the great amount of aquatic migratory birds it receives.

The habitats of the estuary form a mixture of salinity, humidity and vegetation, creating the necessary conditions for great biological richness.

The marshlands area of the Tagus Estuary is considered the largest continuous area and with greater significance in Portugal. The marshlands have a great concentration of organic matter, due to the sediments brought by the river and to the decomposition of the plants that develop in it, being, therefore, an area of great biological productivity. The main primary producers of the estuary are in the marsh, these are special plants, because they are adapted to high concentrations of salt in their environmental.

In places where the water is less brackish, the reed dominates the vegetation, forming extensive areas of reed that several bird species use to build their nest.

The salinas are a result of the transformation of old marshlands in structures designed for salt extraction that are formed by different types of tanks with a variable water height.