Galacho de Juslibol, Nature reserve near Zaragoza, Spain.
Galacho de Juslibol is a nature reserve spanning about 100 hectares of wetlands, shallow lakes, and river habitats along the Ebro. The landscape displays the curved channels and water bodies that form naturally where rivers shift their paths over time.
The galacho is an abandoned meander of the Ebro, cut off on 2 January 1961 by the river's largest flood of the 20th century, which carried 4,130 m³/s, about sixteen times the mean flow. It was the last galacho to form on the Ebro. Gravel pits later dug here became artificial lagoons, and the city of Zaragoza bought the land and began restoring the site.
Locals call the reserve "los galachos", using an Aragonese term for an abandoned meander. The name Juslibol comes from the rural district that borders the site to the south. The Centro de Interpretación de la Naturaleza runs guided visits for schools and volunteer replanting days.
Access is from the rural district of Juslibol, about two kilometres from the reserve, on the left bank of the Ebro four kilometres upstream of Zaragoza. The Centro de Interpretación de la Naturaleza runs guided visits for schools and volunteer replanting activities. Wooden bird-observation hides stand in the reserve, and a forest track built for the former gravel pits crosses the galacho. The military land of San Gregorio and the Pontoneros barracks borders it and is closed off.
This area serves as a critical stopover for migratory birds traveling between northern and southern regions, where they rest during their journey. The waters and reed beds provide essential food and shelter along their annual migration routes.
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