The L’Albufera Biological Station (EBA) is an infrastructure aimed to study the ecosystems present at the L’Albufera Natural Park, which is one of the most important wetlands of the West Mediterranean. Located at the natural park itself, the EBA provides a stable frame for ecological research development in real field conditions, promoting the creation of scientific knowledge in relation to preservation, sustainable management, and understanding all the natural systems linked to the lake and its environment.

The EBA is a joint initiative of the Universitat de València, València City Council, and the Generalitat Valenciana (Valencian Government), featuring the scientific leadership of the Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology (ICBiBE) at the Universitat de València. The project began to take shape in 2020 and it was formalised through a singular agreement signed in 2023 by all three institutions.

The EBA’s main goalis to promote research in the natural environment, studying specially carefully aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems at the L’Albufera Natural Park. To do so, the Station provides a proper environment for the development of experimental studies in natural and semi-natural conditions, including experimentation through mesocosms, field observation, and associated laboratory work.

Apart from its commitment to research, the EBA is intended to be an open scientific infrastructure, aimed to attract research projects and collaborations both national and international, as well as incorporating public and private R&D&I initiatives compatible with the values and goals of the Natural Park.

The L’Albufera Biological Station also has a relevant training and social dimension. It contributes to the advanced training of university students and young researchers, supports knowledge transfer to environmental management, and serves as a platform for university teaching and scientific dissemination, bringing knowledge on natural environment closer to society, particularly to younger children.

Overall, the L’Albufera Biological Station is supposed to be a developing scientific infrastructure, designed to consolidate the L’Albufera Natural Park as a reference space for studying Mediterranean coastal wetlands.

Its activity is articulated through the collaboration between the supporting institutions, the use of specific scientific infrastructures, and the development of projects and publications that contribute to broaden knowledge on the L’Albufera ecosystem and promoting its management and preservation.