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Flüsse und Wasser
Den originaltext entnehmen sie bitte der englischen fassung.
The two main activities of the environment surrounding the walk, tourism and irrigated farming, coupled with increasing housing demand, require enormous amounts of water. As you can see during Stage 3, the water network is extremely poor and carries very little water. This is due to the geology of the terrain made up mostly of shale and some limestone, and the short running courses of the natural drainage system of surrounding hills which are very close to the Sea (with the exception of the two main rivers). With what´s available, in order for the area to be populated and the economy to function, water has to be found further north-west (El Pantano de la Viñuela reservoir) and north east (Sierra Almijara), as well as searching for underground water.
Streams have always been important in the development of this part of the Axarquía region, but it is a very common occurrence that during much of the year and the height the Great Path of Málaga crosses, the streams turn to a mere trickle or dry streambeds with very little vegetation consisting of some cane, oleander and tamarisk. Río Torrox and Río Seco are important to the GR as you walk along them to go down and up from the starting point and towards the fi nish. Between the two main rivers, to list the most notable ones, there are the Río de Algarrobo, El arroyo Mamelucos, Los Ríos de Lagos and Gui, and
El arroyo de Manzano.
El Río de Algarrobo y Sayalonga is doubly important. Back in the area between the 9 th and 6th century B.C. the sea level was higher and the beach was shaped into a cove (not merely a river delta as nowadays) and the elevated parts of the river’s banks were home to Phoenician settlements of Morro de Mezquitilla and Chorreras. On the other side of the watercourse and according to the Punic tradition, in the east, the Necropolis of Trayamar is located, which, together with the previous sites have been protected as part of cultural heritage from the year 2010. The above-mentioned river has its source in the Sierra Almijara, between Canillas de Albaida and Cómpeta, in an area that the walk runs through at a later stage, and so this river´s waters are higher upstream. The other major river in the area is, of course, the Torrox river, and it also boasts an archaeological site, in this case the so-called Mansio de Claviclum de Itinerario Antonino. At the mouth of the river a salt fish factory, garum industry and ceramic production were started. Later converted into a Necropolis, these ruins are now directly visible from the walk. The residential areas and the baths are at the back on the “peninsula” which forms the tip of Torrox. Torrox River also has its source in the Sierra de Almijara, between Frigiliana and Cómpeta (Stage 5) where it is known as Patamalara, with beautiful crags and waterfalls.
Water is as important to the current inhabitants as it was for the Phoenicians and Romans; along the walk´s itinerary you will find ponds holding water for the irrigation of terraces of subtropical trees, and irrigation channels called “asequías” that carry the water. Arriving at the beach of La Caleta you will find a type of well called an “aljíbe”; the base is built of stone and vaults are made of brick, it is elongated in shape, and equipped with a waterwheel. And a little further down is the Fuente el Pilar, in the middle of the N-340 road, a popular water supply in the village. Finally, and as it has become the norm in the Axarquía coast, waste water management faces problems because of the narrowness of the coastline. This way, wherever the valley is wide enough the spot is used to build a water treatment facility, as it happens at kilometre 18.2 on the east side of Torrox river, while the manholes and pumping stations are scattered along the walk. This place, on the other hand, is a superb spot to learn about the type of irrigation used in the Axarquía region, with crops under plastic tunnels and others grown on terraces on both sides. In the gardens at the beginning of the walk, projects to improve the irrigation involve the complementary use of the wastewater, with additional water supplied from newly dug wells and from the reservoir of La Viñuela.
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Fauna
Vögel
Auf dieser Etappe haben wir die Möglichkeit unterschiedliche Vogelgemeinschaften zu beobachten, die sich den Gegebenheiten der Städte und den vom Menschen bewirtschafteten Feldern angepasst haben. Da ein großer Teil der Etappe an der Küste entlang läuft, können wir außerdem viele Wasser- und Küstenvögel entdecken. Die Flüsse und Bäche auf der Strecke, die zwar die meiste Zeit des Jahres ausgetrocknet sind, bieten weitere interessante Elemente. Aufgrund der jahreszeitlich bedingten Vorkommen von kleinen Wasserläufen in den Flussmündungen, muss auf die Küstenvögel, wie die Möwen und Limikolen hingewiesen werden.
Einzigartige Arten
In den städtischen Umgebungen auf der Strecke können wir neben anderen Arten die Türkentaube, Fahl- und Mauersegler, Rauchschwalbe, Amsel, Einfarbstar und Haussperling beobachten. Während der Wintermonate haben wir die Möglichkeit in den Städten und Dörfern der Küste Felsenschwalben zu entdecken, die aus höheren Gebieten zum Meer kommen, um hier, wie auch die Bachstelzen, Weidenlaubsänger und Stare, die kältesten Monate zu verbringen. Zu Beginn der Etappe, wo Anbaugebiete und Felder dominieren, können wir Turmfalke, Steinkauz, Bienenfresser, Haubenlerche, Cistensänger, Samtkopf-Grasmücke und andere Arten des Finken (Zeisig, Grünfink und Girlitz) beobachten. Bei der Ankunft an der Küste erreichen wir den Schauplatz von Wasservogelgemeinschaften, unter denen besonders die Mittelmeer-, Herings-, Lach-, Schwarzkopf- und Korallenmöwe hervorstechen. Weiterhin kommen auch Brandseeschwalben und Limikolen sowie der Sanderling und der Steinwälzer an der Küste häufig vor. Kuh- und Seidenreiher, Kormorane und Mönchsittiche, sowie einige Exemplare von Stockente, Teichralle und Blässhuhn, die an den jahreszeitlich bedingten Tümpeln an den Flussmündungen vorkommen, können wir auch auf unserer Wanderung entdecken. Die Nähe zur Vélez Flussmündung begünstigt den deutlichen Anstieg der Arten während der Jahreszeit des Vogelzugs. Während der Frühling- und Herbstmonate müssen wir unsere besondere Aufmerksamkeit den Arten schenken, die zurückkehren, da sich unter ihnen Exemplare von großem Interesse befinden können.
