The Provincial Council of Álava has concluded the restoration works of the La Pauleja wetland, located in Zambrana. This project, carried out within the framework of Participatory Budgets, focuses on an area of high ecological value to enhance biodiversity and strengthen the territory's green infrastructure, contributing to the environmental recovery of a strategic space.
Iñaki Gurtubai, the provincial deputy for Governance, Basque Language, and Equality, along with Trinidad Zarza, the mayor of Zambrana, visited the site to personally assess the results of the intervention. The provincial official highlighted the importance of projects materialized through the Provincial Council's Participatory Budgets, noting their consolidation as a tool for direct democracy where citizens propose and decide on the allocation of a portion of the provincial budget.
The intervention focused on the functional recovery of this wetland, which is part of the Territorial Sector Plan for Wetlands. The actions aim to improve its water accumulation capacity, restore its natural dynamics, and favor associated biodiversity, particularly amphibian species and flora linked to humid environments. La Pauleja had suffered degradation due to historical interventions, intensive agricultural use, and the presence of disused infrastructure, such as an old concrete swimming pool.
With a total budget of 110,000 euros, the work involved the selective removal of non-native trees and land modeling to promote water retention and restore the wetland's natural morphology. The existing swimming pool was also naturalized by adapting its structure, waterproofing it, and integrating it with natural materials, creating several functional water bodies for native fauna and flora. This initiative contributes to the recovery of priority habitats and the improvement of the territory's ecological quality, while also creating opportunities for environmental awareness actions.
