Designated in 1979

This Nature Reserve is situated in the south of a sand dune system that goes from the city of Ovar to S. Jacinto, between Ria de Aveiro and the Atlantic Sea on Portugal’s west coast. It has a surface area of about 1000 ha and is 50 km long, in Ovar municipality. Showing clear signs of the presence of the sea and Ria de Aveiro, this protected area reflects the dynamism which characterises this varied group of fixed and mobile dunes, Atlantic and Mediterranean woods, eutrophic lakes and fresh-water ponds.
In the primary dunes one can see environment-specific spontaneous flora species, such as European beach grass Ammophila arenaria, sea holly Eryngium maritimum and sea daffodil Pancratium maritimum, as well as other dune species. Between the primary and secondary dunes grows Corema album, the most abundant bush in this area. The secondary dunes, which go all the way to the Ria, are covered by species with Mediterranean influence like Phoenician juniper Juniperus phoenicea, strawberry tree Arbutus unedo, maritime pine Pinus pinaster, stone pine Pinus pinea, cork oak Quercus suber, species from Atlantic woodlands such as Myrica faya, common oak Quercus robur and, in the lower and wetter areas, black poplars Populus nigra, willows Salix spp. and common alder Alnus glutinosa. In the ponds, the common reed Phragmites australis, bulrush Typha latifolia and Salix arenaria dominate. A great diversity of birds can also be observed. There are more than one hundred recorded bird species, notably the goshawk Accipiter gentilis and the numerous species of waterfowl, such as the green-winged teal Anas crecca, northern shoveler Anas clypeata and wigeon Anas penelope, which find refuge in the ponds.
The Natural Reserve is situated in a region of considerable economic activity, where human populations have settled in the search for marine resources. Molluscs are caught in the mudflats as food, and moliço  – a traditionally collected aquatic plant – was used as a fertiliser on the fields. Fishing has decreased but still takes place in enclosed waters or at sea, while fish farms occupy some abandoned saltpans. Salt manufacture was for centuries the most important economic activity and the saltpans are an excellent habitat for herons, sandpipers and curlews, and the avocet Recurvirostra avosetta, black-winged stilt Himantopus himantopus and flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber are also common. The harbour, shipyards and traditional boats, called bateiras, mercantéis and moliceiros, are testimony to the existence of an old tradition related to the sea and the Ria, where industrial development and machine-assisted agriculture nowadays have a high profile. However, it is still possible to observe a great variety of aquatic and wading birds in the wild and in habitats created by traditional agriculture. In places like Baixo Vouga Lagunar, an agricultural habitat, where farmers have created a labyrinthine network of water channels, various species of birds, mammals and amphibians can be seen, for example the kingfisher Alcedo atthis, ducks, storks, several birds of prey, and the otter Lutra lutra.
Not far from the Nature Reserve, the city of Aveiro has monuments from the 15th to 18th centuries, and the Ria, the city’s outstanding feature, makes it an attractive place to enjoy and learn.