Baixo Vouga Lagunar is located in the estuary of the river Vouga (north of Portugal), a wetland area and an agrosystem of 4600 ha, that has been designated as a protected wetland by the Portuguese administration, and was included in the Special Protection Area of the Ria de Aveiro, under the Birds Directive, and has been designated Natura 2000. It includes de municipalities of Albergaria-Velha, Aveiro, and Estarreja. As a whole makes a buffer  between the urban (industrial) centres of Aveiro (4th town of Portugal) and Estarreja. 

Very dependent on water resources and under the pressure of urban areas this is a very vulnerable area. Two different landscape units may be distinguished: wetland and rural area. While the first comprises the ecotone between brackish water and freshwater ecosystems, the latter covers areas with pastureland, bocage and paddy fields for rice production. The bocage landscape consists of very small parcels of land separated by hedges and ditches, with grazing land and some maize production. Hedges are kept for controlling the cattle and branches are cut for farm use. Many farmers are not achieving their main income from their farms and have farming as a side job. People are generally engaged in industrial firms that in some cases provide adjusted (shortened) schedules for their workers to maintain their fields. It is an area with a high biodiversity, with many protected bird species, otters, mustelids, amphibians, eel, and 'marinhoa', a local and endangered breed of cattle.