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T H E P L A C E 57 T H E P L A C E The President of the Community of Madrid visits El Porcal , owned by the Cementos Portland Valderrivas Group, a biosphere reserve of the Community of Madrid Species living in this environment The President of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, visited El Porcal, an estate owned by the Ce- mentos Portland Valderrivas Group, included as a biosphere reserve in the Community of Madrid and the most important wetland in the region. Díaz Ayuso, accompanied by se- nior officials from the Department of the Environment, was interested in the Preservation and Conservation Plans carried out over the last 30 years. Alicia Alcocer Koplowitz and Pe- dro Carranza Andersen, president and CEO of the Cementos Portland Valderrivas Group, and Pablo Colio Abril, managing director of the FCC Group, presented the results of the environmental strategy applied to the estate to the delegation from the Community of Madrid. 43 hectares El Porcal covers an area of 43 hec- tares, and one of the most important natural ecosystems in the Community of Madrid has been developed there. It is located in the municipality of Ri- vas-Vaciamadrid, in the heart of the Southeast Regional Park of Madrid, at the confluence of the Jarama and Manzanares rivers, just 40 kilometres from the capital. In its beginnings, back in 1971, it was an authorised gravel pit for the exploi- tation of gravel and sand resources. Until 2008, aggregates were obtained from the estate for the construction and development of infrastructures, • It is home to 184 vertebrate species; 17 species of mammals, including the badger and the otter, car- nivores that are becoming increasingly rare in the autonomous region. • 147 species of birds, 15 of which are listed in the Regional Catalogue of Threatened Species. • The white-headed duck is nationally threatened and 10% of the national population breeds in El Porcal. • The red-crested pochard has the only breeding population here in the Community of Madrid, with more than 40 pairs. • The purple heron has the largest breeding colony in the region with more than 45 pairs. Other inte- resting species are the moustached heron, a small bird of the reed beds, and the marsh harrier with 12 breeding pairs. • There are also 14 species of amphibians and rep- tiles, such as the common toad or the leper pond turtle, both protected, 6 species of fish and one spe - cies of insect, the plagionotus marcorum, a species endemic to the Iberian Peninsula. • It is also home to the only population of glaucium flavum in the Community of Madrid, a species of yellow poppy, classified as a priority habitat in the European Union. as well as for supplying other large industries such as cement, glass and paint, among others. As a result of the extractive works, 10 large lagoons were created toge- ther with other smaller ones which, over time, have become the most important wetland in the Community of Madrid. For this reason, today it is included in the catalogue of pro- tected areas of the Regional Park of the Southeast of Madrid, and at Euro- pean level, due to its singular interest, within the NATURA 2000 network. For the conservation of the estate, the Cementos Portland Valderrivas Group has an agreement with the Naumanni Naturalists Association, which has been taking care of it for more than three decades.