Case Study 1: Matarraña River Basin - Euwareness

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ut was marginal. At the beginning of the nineties, the European Union gave incentives to the arrangement of rural houses in order to avoid their abandonment as well as to stop rural exodus, by trying to make tourism an alternative to social and economic development in the area. In that period, some social and private initiatives promoting rural tourism were launched. Some of the initiatives promoted include the conversion of old places —for instance a medieval tower, a mill, an old train station, an old factory or a monastery— in rural hotels or restaurants. In recent years, local governments in the higher river basin are having some initiatives to promote tourism. Tourism is higher in the summer time (July and August) and leads to an increase of water demands. For instance, in Valderrobres, which is the municipality where tourism is most developed in the Matarraña river basin, water demands for population supply are estimated to increase about 50%. Living environment The Matarraña river is considered to be one of the Mediterranean rivers with one of the most salient biodiversity and is probably one of the best conserved in the Iberian Peninsula. There are 312 species of algae, 202 species of aquatic invertebrates and 186 species of vertebrates (Sostoa, 1996). Some parts of the Matarraña river receive a special protection by virtue of the 78/659 Directive on the diversity of fish species, and some of them are protected by the Habitats directive (92/43). In the framework of the latter, most part of the river has been proposed as a place of Community interest (LIC) by the Aragon regional government to the State government, which in turn will make the national proposal to the European Commission. The Matarraña river is the living environment of some Mediterranean species in danger of extinction: the river crayfish (Austropotamobius pallipes), which is considered a species of community interest; the ‘monk’ fish (Blennius fluviatilis), which is considered a species in danger of extinction by the Bern Convention; the ‘bagre’ cephalopods (Leuciscus cephalus), the European galapagus (Emys orbicularis), and the otter (Lutra lutra), are considered as “vulnerable” (Sostoa, 1996). Territorial conflict between the high basin territories (the region of Valderrobres), where the river constitutes a key element of the natural heritage —which is the basis of rural tourism in the area—, and the middle-low basin (the region of Maella), the main 15
problem of which is water supply guaranteeing during dry periods due to its specialisation in some crops of relatively high quality and profitability (peaches and vegetables). Apart from that, the Matarraña river, as it was pointed out before, is considered to be one of the best conserved in the Mediterranean river basin. While there are not enough available data on quality indicators of the Matarraña river, the following data show the low concentrations of certain polluters in the river at Valderrobres, Maella and Nonaspe. It must be taken into account, however, that the concentration of pollutants in water is higher in dry periods due to the low water level. Evolution of the average quality of surface waters in the Matarraña river (1996-1999) 1996 1997 1998 1999 Matarraña in Valderrobres A2 A2 A2 A2 Matarraña in Maella A2
Page 1 and 2: euwareness spain Case Study 1: Mata
Page 3 and 4: Index Introduction 1. Case demarcat
Page 5 and 6: 1. Case demarcation The Matarraña
Page 7 and 8: Even though the Matarraña river ba
Page 9 and 10: Nowadays, due to the problems of wa
Page 11 and 12: In cases of water scarcity, and con
Page 13 and 14: The production of peaches has consi
Page 15: Industry Annual net needs for cattl
Page 19 and 20: 3. Regulative system and de facto u
Page 21 and 22: Concessions can be: Central users c
Page 23 and 24: Mazaleón Maella Fabara Nonaspe Ari
Page 25 and 26: Use rights and practices Some uses
Page 27 and 28: circumstance, the irrigation commun
Page 29 and 30: Both the dominance of the middle ba
Page 31 and 32: water. Some measures have been take
Page 33 and 34: and the Central Government. Apart f
Page 35 and 36: The regional government of Aragon (
Page 37 and 38: Within the Central Union, the irrig
Page 39 and 40: Experts Independent experts, mostly
Page 41 and 42: Local governments Central Union Irr
Page 43 and 44: Aug - Adoption of the 29/85 Water A
Page 45 and 46: Subphase 1: 1902 - 1930 First regul
Page 47 and 48: continue to be constructed all over
Page 49 and 50: epresents the emergence of a social
Page 51 and 52: of the affected by the expropriatio
Page 53 and 54: Meanwhile, meetings held between th
Page 55 and 56: Torre del Compte Dam Location High
Page 57 and 58: While the CHE still waited for a re
Page 59 and 60: Claims for water supply for irrigat
Page 61 and 62: Dimensions of integrated governance
Page 63 and 64: Regarding the regulative system, bo
Page 65 and 66: 8.2. Towards sustainability? The ex
Page 67 and 68:
REFERENCES ARROJO, P.; GRACIA, J.J.
Page 69:
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