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Challenges for the Estuary of the Guadalquivir. Proposals
from WWF Spain
February 14, 2020, Leer
Rafael Seiz, Teresa Gil Gil
WWF Spain
1. Guadalquivir Estuary SW Spain
Bird migration between
Europe and Africa
A territory with
influence from several
societies and special
people
Hotspot of threats
Year 1956
Today
Intensive agriculture and water use
1000 illegal
abstractions are
stealing the water for
nature and people
Intensive agriculture and water use
7,994.8 ha berries under plastic
20.7% illegal irrigable agricultural land
302.3 ha increased in Guadalquivir RBD
Intensive agriculture and water use
Lucena del Puerto (Huelva)
CLOSED
77 ilegal boreholes
2 ilegal irrigation ponds
Intensive agriculture and water use
Intensive agriculture and water use
Illegal poaching of eels and other species
1 Increase freshwater
flows to the estuary
Adaptation of
Alcalá del Río Dam
2 Modify the dredging to minimize its negative effects
3 Define the limits of Public Domain in the Lower Guadalquivir
5 Protect the margins of the Guadalquivir against erosion
4 Recover and restore flood plains
6 Remove the obstacles from river course (Montaña del río dike)
7 Reconnect the arms of the river with the main channel
8 Improve management
of species (among
others) important for
local fisheries
9 Reduce the load of sediments, nutrients and pesticides
(both in the water and soil)
10 Establish measures to adapt to climate change
All of these… in the face of climate change uncertainties
We are now suffering many of the impacts, but the future will not be
similar to the past
Proposals
from WWF
for the
Estuary of the
Guadalquivir
Restore tidal floodplains and
marshlands
Capacity building
Multiply good farming practices
6 ha
Restauración
Our vision for lower
Guadalquivir basin
Strategic Plan
for the restoration of the Estuary
Common Vision of the Estuary
The estuary has been restored and is a fully functional ecosystem, where the river, the
aquifer and the sea are connected transversely, vertically and longitudinally, which maintain
the flows and balances in their sedimentary, hydrological and ecological dynamics. holding
nutrient cycles, carbon cycle, etc.
An estuary with a diversity of habitats and species, which houses breeding areas and
provides space for its own species, including threatened and commercial ones. It is a healthy
system that provides all the ecosystem services that are its own.
The estuary is resilient to impacts and resistant to threats that come from climate change,
providing protection against extreme weather events.
The estuary is also a balanced socio-ecosystem, where human activities in various sectors
are integrated because they take into account the environmental limits of space (carrying
capacity).
The population is settled because they enjoy the ecosystem services provided by the
estuary, making sustainable use of them.
The estuary is a source of the local economy that distributes wealth in a balanced way. The
management of the territory is participatory, people feel it as their own and are involved in a
participatory manner in decision making and compliance with regulations.
Strategic Lines
ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION
• Focus on natural processes (restoration will take
place naturally at reasonable time intervals)
• Marshland and other ecosystems, transformed -
public land
• Invasive species action plan: prevention, evaluation
and mitigation.
• Integral water management: hydrodynamic, water
quality, ecological flow
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
• Land uses compatible with the conservation of the
Estuary
RESEARCH AND KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER
• Monitoring, design of actions, prevention of impacts
• Networks of experts and research centers
• Tools to centralize and share information
PARTICIPATION, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
• Participatory governance structures for the restoration,
management and monitoring of the Estuary,
• Make a unique case of application, study and
compliance with all European regulations
COMMUNICATION, AWARENESS AND EDUCATION
• Quality brands expand the scope, not just stay in
Doñana
• Include the gender approach in the socio-economic
development policies and plans of the Estuary
• School curriculum and in non-regulated
