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One of the most important natural ecosystems in the Community of Madrid can be found around the lower reaches of the Manzanares and Jarama rivers due to its great wealth of fauna and flora, creating a great diversity of habitats thanks to its climatic, orographic and hydrological characteristics. Southeast Regional Park (Madrid) A journey through its ecosystems The Southeast Regional Park is one of the richest and most interesting geographical entities in the Com- munity of Madrid in terms of bio- diversity. It cannot boast of being surrounded by large mountains, but it does boast a variety of environ- ments, from hills, cliffs and gypsum steppes, the result of the evapora- tion of water during the Miocene; to riverbanks, lagoons, wetlands; or fertile unirrigated cereal plains. This park is made up of an infinite number of plant formations and a great diversity of fauna, including both aquatic and steppe birds. Its total surface area is 31,552 hecta- res, covering a total of 16 munici- palities along the lower course of the Jarama river and its tributaries, Manzanares, Henares and Tajuña. It is a peculiar environment whose physical, biological, social and eco- nomic factors are the opposite of those found in other mountainous areas in the north of the region. The presence of human beings in the park since prehistoric times is reflected in a rich archaeological, palaeontological and ethnologi- cal legacy that has survived to the present day and coexists with the nearby population centres. Unfortu- nately, and due to the use of pestici- des or harvesting machines, human activity has gradually degraded the territory and its habitats. For this reason, ecological restoration and environmental improvement work is currently being carried out with the aim of reducing the impact on the land and the fauna community. T H E P L A C E 54 T H E P L A C E