Río Tera

The Tera river is a fluvial course in the northwest of Zamora which, in the surroundings of Puebla de Sanabria, acts as the landscape and ecological axis of the valley. At this point it forms part of the upper section of the Tera, within the Aliste-Tera subzone, and is included in protected areas linked to the Natura 2000 Network; the hydrological plan places here the section from the headwaters to the exit of Puebla de Sanabria, before it flows into the Cernadilla reservoir. The Tera river basin in the province of Zamora has a total length of 139 km and a catchment area of 2,412 km², although in this resource we are particularly interested in its passage through the municipality of Sanabria. In the local landscape, the river collects the waters that descend from the mountain ranges of La Cabrera and Segundera, a mountainous area of high mountains and strong geological personality that conditions its flow and the morphology of the valley. As it passes through Puebla de Sanabria, the Tera offers stretches of riverbank, sheet of water and riverbanks of high scenic value, especially in the contact between the historic center and the valley floor, where the river visually orders the territory and provides freshness and riparian vegetation. Its natural interest is remarkable because the space associated with the banks of the Tera and tributaries is home to river habitats and species of fauna linked to clean water, such as the otter and the Iberian desman. In addition, the section is mentioned in the hydrological planning and in urban riverbed restoration actions, which confirms its environmental and functional relevance within the municipality. For the visitor, the Tera is of interest for its value as a mountain river, for the landscape continuity it creates between Sanabria and Puebla de Sanabria and for being one of the most recognizable natural elements of the environment. It is also a river with sensitive behavior to floods, which reinforces the need to observe it with respect and to understand its role in the natural dynamics of the valley.