A team from the High Scientific Research Council’s (CEBAS-) Segura Center for Edaphology and Applied BiologyCSIC), coordinated Roadmap with 14 measures to achieve sustainable development little sea and promoting cooperation between the coastal and rural sectors in the Murcian lagoon, considered the largest salt lake in Europe and known for its great environmental value.
Measures include the promotion of rural and coastal ecotourism activities, sustainable agriculture based on the control of fertilizer use and the extension of irrigation within legal limits and sustainable agriculture. commissioning of small plants agricultural photovoltaic.
They have also developed a model that enables the assessment of the impact of these measures. This roadmap was obtained after a process of engagement and dialogue with representatives of the different rural and coastal sectors of the region.
This is part of the results Shore project (Collaborative Land and Sea Integration Platform) It is part of the European Union’s (EU) Horizon 2020 programme, which aims to find synergies between activities carried out in coastal and rural areas to promote sustainable environmental, social and economic development. Organized around six working areas in Europe, the project includes the Mar Menor region and the Cartagena countryside.
In the last four years, scientists have conducted numerous workshops and interviews with representatives of different sectors (tourism, agriculture, administrations, fisheries and salt mines, local population and NGOs) to develop mental maps describing the interactions between sectors and solutions. potentials. As a result of maps, interviews with experts and technical studies first quantitative system dynamics model According to the researchers, del Mar Menor and Campo de Cartagena, which provides an assessment of the impact of the roadmap on key sustainability indicators.
“Our initial results include: 14 solutions and 56 practical tips. The new part is the quantification of the effects of adopting solutions through participatory modelling, which facilitates understanding and consensus among groups on an environmental problem that has become a social problem,” he explains. Joris de VenteCEBAS-CSIC researcher and coordinator of this initiative in Spain.
Solutions and practical advice
The 14 roadmap solutions include:
-Introducing the events rural ecotourism;
-Promotion of activities coastal ecotourism;
-Implementation of the measures retention of nutrients, soil and water;
-This reduction in fertilizer use;
-This denitrification of brine residues processed for irrigation;
-This adequacy of agricultural demand for water per hectare;
-This control of the expansion of irrigated farmland;
-This controlled extraction and treatment of groundwater;
– Increasing the amount desalinated sea water;
– Controlled pumping and treatment of surface water boulevard albujon;
-Control of the number underground water wells for irrigation;
– Control of point sources pollution of urban areas;
-Promotion of promotion small facilities agricultural photovoltaic;
-Organization of events environmental education.
“In addition to the 14 general solutions, the roadmap includes: 56 practical suggestions mentioned by the participants throughout the project“, explains Raquel Luján Soto, a CEBAS-CSIC researcher involved in the project.
Some examples are: creation of green corridors combining attractions with sustainable transport; rrestoration and promotion of cultural heritage; organization recreational activities in wetlands and salt flats through conservation and restoration projects; implementation green covers between cropsand its introduction training of the agricultural sector on the use of fertilizersindoor and agrotourism.
Modeling of environmental, social and economic impacts
“We developed a system dynamics model that allows us to evaluate the environmental, social and economic impacts of the 14 proposed solutions under different international socioeconomic and political development and climate change scenarios,” explains Javier Martínez López, one of the scientists. attempt.
“In cases where the resources available to implement solutions are limited, the model makes it possible to set a minimum group for achieving sustainable development based on key indicators of economic, environmental and social performance,” says CSIC.
In particular, with the implementation of the roadmap reduce excess nutrients A problem with ecological degradation and death of fish in the lagoon from different sources in the Mar Menor. “With the application of these solutions, the amount of nutrients accumulated in the lagoon may reach very low levels by 2035.. If the roadmap is not implemented, a linear and sustained increase in accumulated nutrients over time is expected,” the researchers say.
is also expected. As the environmental quality improves, the number of tourists visiting the region will increase exponentially. due to the lagoon seasonality your tourism. If the roadmap is not accepted, all scenarios show the same trend in the decrease in the number of tourists expected to visit Mar Menor in the short, medium and long term.
Overall, the analysis shows that: It is necessary to implement at least six of the 14 roadmap solutions to exceed a minimum level sustainable development at the environmental, economic and social level. These are based on promoting rural and coastal ecotourism, controlling the expansion of irrigated areas, reducing the use of fertilizers, promoting small facilities. agricultural photovoltaic and promote environmental education activities,” adds de Vente.
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