The area was declared a national hunting preserve in 1986 by the Castilla y León Regional Government (Act 1/1986). This unique classification made it possible for the administration to tackle problems such as compensation payments for damage to farmland caused by wildlife or reinforcement of the existing ranger service. So it represented a very important milestone in the conservation of the area's natural values. In 1996, as a result of the coming into force of Castilla y León's Hunting Act 4/96 of June12th 1996, the 32,682 hectares of the original preserve were designated a regional hunting preserve. Nowadays, the reserve has a visitor centre to channel and facilitate tourist use of the area.
The exceptional wealth and diversity of the reserve's birdlife led to its being listed as a Special Protection Area for Birds in 1987 (SPA 004). This measure complies with the provisions of Directive 79/409/EEC on the conservation of wild birds.
What's more, the reserve's exceptional series of saline lagoons has been on the Ramsar Convention's List of Wetlands of International Importance since 1989.
Humedal
More recently, implementation of the Castilla y León Natural Areas Act 8/91 entailed the drawing up of a regional wetlands list that includes all the lagoons in this area, and in the short term the regional administration will declare it a protected natural area by classifying it as a nature reserve. Likewise, there is a proposal to include the Villafáfila Lagoons Reserve in the Natura 2000 Network, which aims to bring together the most ecologically valuable areas in the European Union.
