Due to its inland position, the wetland is dependent on the Tagus basin, along with one of its tributaries, the Almonda. As expected, the nature reserve is dominated by plant species associated with humid environments such as the lakeshore bulrush, the southern cattail or Juncus.
In the arboreal layer, in temporarily flooded areas, willow groves dominate, especially white willow, which form small islands of vegetation and even dense thickets. Among the fish, the European eel and two Portuguese endemisms stand out: Achondrostoma oligolepis and the Iberian nase. Among the amphibians, there are four Iberian endemisms and 27 species of mammals are counted. Due to its status, the occurrence of the European pond turtle should also be mentioned.[5]
The symbol of the park is the white heron.[3] The reserve is home to the largest number of white herons in the Iberian peninsula, and they are found there from February/March until the summer.
