Sado Estuary Nature Reserve occupies a total area of 23,160 hectares, integrated in the municipalities of Setúbal, Alcácer do Sal, Grândola and Palmela. The estuary is formed near Alcácer do Sal, a very fertile humid area where the landscape is marked by rice paddies, grown in trays.
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One of the images associated with this landscape are the nests of white storks, perched on top of church towers or electricity pylons. This elegant bird always chooses the highest places in order to build its nests. This is one of the more of 200 bird species that inhabit the Sado Estuary, which has been declared a Nature Reserve and a zone of special protection in order to protect the species.
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The fauna is rich and diverse, being one of the most important wetlands in the country. 261 species of vertebrates are registered in the Nature Reserve, of which 8 are amphibians, 11 are reptiles, 211 are birds and 31 are mammals. The estuary is an important wintering area for several bird species and nesting areas for others. It also houses the only resident community of dolphins, bottlenose dolphins, in Portuguese territory.
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The protected area has great natural riches that man can use to his benefit, including cork oak groves from which cork is extracted, pine groves, whose pinenuts are transformed by skilled hands into highly appreciated regional desserts, and the now defunct salt pans, which were of great economic importance over many centuries.
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The fish salting tanks that can be seen in Tróia, in the Roman ruins, vestiges of an ancient production practice. - in: https://www.visitportugal.com
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