Once called the "Laguna del Conde", the Padul wetland is the largest peat bog on reeds known in southern Europe.  Its origin was a post-orogenic depression (Alpine orogeny) which was filled with peaty materials. The prehistoric landscape was a tundra steppe, in the Middle Pleistocene, 40-30 thousand years ago (fossils of this fauna were found among other representative animals, such as the mammoth). For agricultural use, it was drained by a network of irrigation ditches, called "madres", which diverted the excess water to the river Dúrcal around the 17th century. The peat bogs were exploited from the mid-twentieth century so it continued extracting water until 2008, when it finally ceased to be flooded, generating an impressive lagoon of about 25 ha and about 15 m deep in the middle. On the Agia side, there are three naturalised lagoons of variable regime, with 11 ha flooded in total.

Humedales de la provincia de Granada, Juan Ramón Fernández Cardenete et at. Published by  Diputación provincial de Granada, 2021.

As part of the Plan for the Conservation, Recovery and Enhancement of Springs and Sites of Hydrogeological Interest in Andalusia ("Plan de Conservación, Recuperación y Puesta en valor de manantiales y lugares de interés hidrogeológico de Andalucía"), a strategy for the conservation of aquatic ecosystems related to groundwater bodies, since 2011 the wetland has been part of the Sierra Nevada Natural Park and polluting activities are therefore prohibited.

The conservation of the Peatland and Wetland area has improved significantly over the last 20 years. Previously, there was peat exploitation, and the wetland was not given biological importance until 1982 when fossilised woolly mammoth remains were found. With this discovery and the subsequent investigations, the exploitation was stopped and legal conservation measures were taken. In addition, the Mammoth Route was established and an interpretation centre was set up.