Ebro Resilience Strategy
Description
Location
Sketch
Information about lithology/geochemistry:
The Ebro River basin is a depression surrounded by mountain ranges, with its hydrology influenced by snowmelt and spring rainfall processes.
Main Description
- The demosite focuses on the 325 km middle course of the Ebro River, implementing ecohydrological measures for flood resilience and ecological restoration.
- Constructed wetlands are used as specific measures for feeding and breeding endangered species like the European mink, enhancing local biodiversity.
- The site enhances moderation of extreme events (flood control), waste-water treatment, and habitats for species. These regulating and supporting services are maintained through river and floodplain restoration.
Enhance ecohydrological processes in novel ecosystem
YES
Apply complementary Ecohydrological processes in high impacted system
YES
This table presents the different categories of ecosystem services that ecosystem can provide, divided in:
Provisioning Services are ecosystem services that describe the material or energy outputs from ecosystems. They include food, water and other resources.
Regulating Services are the services that ecosystems provide by acting as regulators eg. regulating the quality of air and soil or by providing flood and disease control.
Waste-water treatment: Ecosystems such as wetlands filter both human and animal waste and act as a natural buffer to the surrounding environment. Through the biological activity of microorganisms in the soil, most waste is broken down. Thereby pathogens (disease causing microbes) are eliminated, and the level of nutrients and pollution is reduced.
Erosion prevention and maintenance of soil fertility: Soil erosion is a key factor in the process of land degradation and desertification. Vegetation cover provides a vital regulating service by preventing soil erosion. Soil fertility is essential for plant growth and agriculture and well functioning ecosystems supply the soil with nutrients required to support plant growth.
Ecosystem services "that are necessary for the production of all other ecosystem services". These include services such as nutrient recycling, primary production and soil formation.
Habitats for species: Habitats provide everything that an individual plant or animal needs to survive: food; water; and shelter. Each ecosystem provides different habitats that can be essential for a species’ lifecycle. Migratory species including birds, fish, mammals and insects all depend upon different ecosystems during their movements.
Cultural Services corresponds nonmaterial benefits people obtain from ecosystems through spiritual enrichment, cognitive development, reflection, recreation, and aesthetic experiences.
EH Principles
Quantification of the hydrological processes at catchment scale and mapping the impacts
Distribution of ecosystems and their relevant processes (ex: metabolism=water and nutrient uptake and retention; biomass production)
Ecological engineering (integration, dual regulation and biotechnologies in catchment scale for enhancement of ecological potential)
ECOHYDROLOGY ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS
Flood areas and lateral flow buffer zones.
Ecohydrological Infrastructure
Construction of wetlands for feeding and breeding the European mink (Mustela lutreola). Recovering the lost river branches of the Ebro River for freshwater clam habitats (Margaritifera auricularia, Potomida littoralis, Unio mancus and Anodonta anatina).
Faunatechnology
Redesigning the levee system and removing the inefficient ones. Adapting vulnerable elements to flooding. Prioritising flood protection in urban areas.
Hydrological Flow
Major Issues
Expected Outcomes
Reduce flood damage and accelerate recovery for communities and farmland
Improve the ecological status of water and riparian habitats and increase biodiversity
Enhance the resilience of the social-ecological system to climate change and flooding
Achieve coexistence between economic activities and a healthy, dynamic river system
Foster public awareness and capacity for participatory river management
Latest Results
- 90 hectares of quality river ecosystem space have been recovered to date
- An additional 52 hectares of restoration are currently planned and underway
- Flood risk has been reduced for 500 hectares of land in a key 10 km stretch
- Specific project results are documented in video format for sites like La Nava and El Ortigoso
Contacts
Bárbara Gutiérrez Teira
- bgutierrez@miteco.es
- Confederación Hidrográfica del Ebro
Social ecohydrological system
EH Objectives
EH Methodology
Catchment Ecohydrological sub-system
Objectives
Stakeholders
Catchment Sociological sub-system
Activities