Resource description:
ReMiLes includes all lowland river landscapes with a considerable dimension of the valley, located in the basin of Sorraia, typically occupied by intensive agriculture and using irrigation. Given the characteristics of Mediterranean climates, with hot dry summers and the precipitation concentrated in short periods early in the year, the farmland is irrigated to ensure water availability during the drought periods but with high productivity. There are several sources of water for irrigation, by decreasing order of importance: reservoirs, surface and subterranean water sources. The water is stored in reservoirs upstream and supplied to the crops during growth season therefore the flow is generally regulated throughout the system and in multiyear cycles.
The document describes the main proposed measures to intervene in the rivers of such lowland plains in order to promote their rehabilitation and ecological functions. Water availability problems and the need to improve river corridors, extend to the whole basin, thus the target audience are farmers, foresters and municipalities, together with administrations - conservation, water and agriculture.
We wrote ReMiLes in cooperation with the High Authority for Irrigation. We had inputs from Farmers Associations, from companies involved in restoration actions, from two municipalities and from individual farmers. Hopefully, the recommendations of ReMiLes will help all readers understand the importance and the ecosystem services and benefits of managing and protecting riparian woods, and of river restoration. Climate impact is already having consequences in the water available for crops and the river system, and proposed
Nature-based Solutions (NbS) may help to make these ecosystems more resilient, under intense human needs and water demands. ReMiLes will ensure environmental sustainability, thus the maintenance of provision services for crops and farmers. ReMiLes is meant to be read by all farmers and water managers directly or indirectly linked to the irrigated Mediterranean flood plains of the Sorraia basin, as well as nature conservation and water administration entities related to floodplains, NGOs, municipalities, forest producer associations and the general public. Also, by policy makers related to such topics. However, the target audience for implementation of the restoration actions are the Water and Agricultural managers of Mediterranean irrigated floodplains of Sorraia. The irrigated valleys encompassed by the RSP include the area of Sorraia, and also areas such as Ciborro, Arraiolos/Divor and Longomel, along with other small scattered irrigated areas (Figure 2). Part of the larger areas have Farmer’s Associations, and therefore some level of common water and river management.
The RSP should help them to perform a better management of rivers and to include riparian rehabilitation, river restoration and invasive plant control, besides biodiversity promotion within riparian areas. These are tasks in general demanded by the water authorities and WFD, the agricultural activities and PAC orientation. The management of these areas and agricultural fields are closely linked with the water prices and the PAC pillars.
Author/Contact:
Teresa Ferreira (ISA-ULisboa), Gonçalo Duarte (ISA-Ulisboa), Leonor Santos (ISA-ULisboa) and José Maria Santos (ISA-Ulisboa)
- Read the report (14.79 MB)