Wetland Restoration in the Mancha Occidental Aquifer, Spain: A Critical Perspective on Water, Agricultural, and Environmental Policies

Martínez‐Santos, Pedro; Stefano, Lucía De; Llamas, M. Ramón; Martínez-Alfaro, Pedro E.

doi:10.1111/j.1526-100x.2008.00410.x

Cited by 68 publications

(56 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…• C in winter to about 25 • C in summer, while rainfall averages approximately 415 mm/year (Martinez-Santos et al 2008a).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Individuals traditionally drilled their own wells without consent from the Water Authority, and for years pumped as much groundwater as they wished. Uncontrolled exploitation depleted the water table at a constant rate of 1 m/year, thus drying up a series of Ramsar-listed wetlands (Llamas 1988;Fornes et al 2000;Martinez-Santos et al 2008a). This gave rise to a variety of social conflicts between the Water Authorities, farmers and environmental conservation organizations.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

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Incorporating the Water Footprint and Virtual Water into Policy: Reflections from the Mancha Occidental Region, Spain

Aldaya

Martínez‐Santos

Llamas

2009

Water Resour Manage

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165

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Water resource management is often a controversial issue in semiarid regions. Most water resources experts admit that water conflicts are not caused by the physical water scarcity but they are mainly due to inadequate water management. The virtual water concept (the volume of water used in the production of a commodity, good or service) together with the water footprint (indicator of water consumption that looks at both direct and indirect water use of a consumer or producer), links a large range of sectors and issues, thus providing a potentially appropriate framework to support more optimal water management practices by informing production and trade decisions. This paper provides an analysis of these two concepts within the context of the Mancha Occidental region, Spain, exploring the hydrological and economic aspects of agricultural production. In doing so, this work not only distinguishes between green and blue water but also between surface and groundwater. We conclude by discussing the practical implications of the results, as well as their potential limitations from the policy standpoint.

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“…• C in winter to about 25 • C in summer, while rainfall averages approximately 415 mm/year (Martinez-Santos et al 2008a).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Incorporating the Water Footprint and Virtual Water into Policy: Reflections from the Mancha Occidental Region, Spain

Aldaya

Martínez‐Santos

Llamas

2009

Water Resour Manage

Self Cite

165

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…The climatic conditions of La Mancha are semi-arid, with hot and dry summers and short winters, and an annual average rainfall of 415 mm (Martínez-Santos et al 2008). The Western Mancha aquifer, with an extension of 5,500 km 2 , is part of the Upper Guadiana sub-basin, which has an area of 16,130 km 2 .…”

Section: Characterization Of the Western Mancha Aquifermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, even though the Guadiana River started flowing again into the Las Tablas de Daimiel Wetland in November 2012 (Mendez 2012), some critical voices (e.g., WWF 2012; Martínez-Santos et al 2008) have warned that such recovery is not the result of state-sponsored recuperation plans but due to exceptionally good rainfall periods. In other words, the observable shifts in the multi-year groundwater storage levels in the Western Mancha aquifer would seem to be indicative of aquifer recharge following precipitation (recovering 2 years after the rainfall events).…”

Section: Water Tariffmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sticks and carrots: managing groundwater overabstraction in La Mancha, Spain

Closas¹,

Molle²,

Hernández-Mora³

2017

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The publications in this series record the work and thinking of IWMI researchers, and knowledge that the Institute's scientific management feels is worthy of documenting. This series will ensure that scientific data and other information gathered or prepared as a part of the research work of the Institute are recorded and referenced. Working Papers could include project reports, case studies, conference or workshop proceedings, discussion papers or reports on progress of research, country-specific research reports, monographs, etc. Working Papers may be copublished, by IWMI and partner organizations.Although most of the reports are published by IWMI staff and their collaborators, we welcome contributions from others. Each report is reviewed internally by IWMI staff. The reports are published and distributed both in hard copy and electronically (www.iwmi.org) and where possible all data and analyses will be available as separate downloadable files. Reports may be copied freely and cited with due acknowledgment. About IWMIIWMI's mission is to provide evidence-based solutions to sustainably manage water and land resources for food security, people's livelihoods and the environment. IWMI works in partnership with governments, civil society and the private sector to develop scalable agricultural water management solutions that have a tangible impact on poverty reduction, food security and ecosystem health. Groundwater over-abstraction is a phenomenon also threatening the sustainable economic and social development of the countries on the southern side of the Mediterranean, and the control and management of over-abstraction has become a clear challenge for policy-makers, managers and academics in the region. This broader research exercise presents different governance problems and challenges that exist around the world in relation to groundwater, and informs potential future management and policy pathways in the MENA region. Semi-arid and arid countries are more likely to (over)exploit their groundwater resources. Northern and southern Mediterranean countries have many common climatic and agricultural features, and they all face dramatic increases in the use of groundwater for irrigation. The paper analyzes, through a political and historical lens, the different groundwater regulatory tools, laws and regulations, community actions and institutional structures put in place in Spain in order to curb groundwater over-abstraction. This paper arises out of the necessity to examine, at various scales, existing cases of groundwater regulation and management, so that policy solutions and mitigation measures to the groundwater crisis may be found. IWMI Working Paper 177 Sticks andDespite different socioeconomic and political contexts, the example of Spain can provide a deeper understanding of the challenges countries in the MENA region face when it comes to reducing groundwater abstraction. This is due to the fact that the sequence of policies attempted and implemented in the country bears resemblance to similar attempts to re...

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Seasonal differences in drivers of species richness of waders in inland wetlands of La Mancha Húmeda Biosphere Reserve

Gonçalves

Gil‐Delgado

Gosálvez

et al. 2018

Aquatic Conservation

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Temporary inland wetlands are among the most threatened ecosystems worldwide, and recognition of the factors that determine species richness in different seasons is key for developing conservation plans for these systems. La Mancha Húmeda Biosphere Reserve in central Spain has many inland wetlands of this type, but the driving ecological processes of species richness are poorly understood. This study examines the association of landscape and local variables with species richness patterns of inland wetlands of La Mancha Húmeda Biosphere Reserve during winter and the breeding season. The number of lakes in several increasing radii was a proxy of connectivity, and maximum flooded surface and shoreline length were surrogates of the species–area relationship. Other landscape and local habitat variables, such as hydroperiod (length of inundation period), distance from human settlements, shoreline development index, vegetation surface cover, average lake depth, number of islands and surface area of islands were also analysed. Hierarchical partitioning analysis was used to evaluate the contribution of the environmental variables to explain the species richness of waders. Species richness (26 species, four threatened in Europe) had different associations with the variables during the wintering and breeding seasons. The richness of breeding and wintering species was positively associated with hydroperiod and maximum flooded surface area respectively. No variable measured was negatively associated with species richness in any season. Hydroperiod and flooded surface area are altered directly by human activities. Water extraction for irrigation reduces hydroperiod in some wetlands, whereas wastewater input extends hydroperiod in others, promoting wader concentrations in lakes flooded in summer and potentially favouring botulism outbreaks. In addition, the lack of protection and management on most of the lakes in La Mancha Húmeda Biosphere Reserve also favours encroachment of agriculture, destroying and degrading habitat for wintering and breeding waders.

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Wetland Restoration in the Mancha Occidental Aquifer, Spain: A Critical Perspective on Water, Agricultural, and Environmental Policies

Cited by 68 publications

References 26 publications

Incorporating the Water Footprint and Virtual Water into Policy: Reflections from the Mancha Occidental Region, Spain

Incorporating the Water Footprint and Virtual Water into Policy: Reflections from the Mancha Occidental Region, Spain

Sticks and carrots: managing groundwater overabstraction in La Mancha, Spain

Seasonal differences in drivers of species richness of waders in inland wetlands of La Mancha Húmeda Biosphere Reserve

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