Trade-offs and synergies in river-coastal restoration for the Ebro case (Spanish Mediterranean)
The paper tackles some of the major challenges associated with coastal risk reduction, based on restored river-delta-coast continuums. The presented approach builds on the Ebro River-Delta system, located in the Spanish Mediterranean coast, where available data and results from hands-on restoration...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Pensoft Publishers
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Nature Conservation |
| Online Access: | https://natureconservation.pensoft.net/article/142061/download/pdf/ |
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| author | Agustín Sánchez-Arcilla Luis Garrote Vicente Gracia Iván Cáceres Xavier Sánchez-Artús Nuno Caiola Antoni Espanya Manuel Espino Miguel Ángel García José María Grassa Carles Ibáñez David López Marc Mestres José Manuel de la Peña Ernest Bladé Umberto Pernice Laura Puértolas David Santillan Shiri Zemah-Shamir Ana Iglesias |
| author_facet | Agustín Sánchez-Arcilla Luis Garrote Vicente Gracia Iván Cáceres Xavier Sánchez-Artús Nuno Caiola Antoni Espanya Manuel Espino Miguel Ángel García José María Grassa Carles Ibáñez David López Marc Mestres José Manuel de la Peña Ernest Bladé Umberto Pernice Laura Puértolas David Santillan Shiri Zemah-Shamir Ana Iglesias |
| author_sort | Agustín Sánchez-Arcilla |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The paper tackles some of the major challenges associated with coastal risk reduction, based on restored river-delta-coast continuums. The presented approach builds on the Ebro River-Delta system, located in the Spanish Mediterranean coast, where available data and results from hands-on restoration actions provide quantitative evidence on the synergies and trade-offs when implementing restoration. The work addresses the evolution of climatic- and human-induced risks driven by recent deltaic evolution, starting in the 1960s, when socioeconomic development increased and river regulation by large dams in the lower river course started. Such development has driven up freshwater demand, consequently diminishing both liquid and solid discharges in the river system, which has affected the natural deltaic evolution, compounded by sea-level-rise and changes in storminess due to global warming. Evolving erosion and flooding risks (problem symptoms) consider the decrease in sediment input to the delta and the increase in mean sea level (problem origin). To address the origin of the problem, we address sediment availability and transport in the lower river coast and reservoirs, followed by an assessment of sediment transport and deficit at the coastal fringe. The proposed solutions consider reservoir by-pass techniques, sediment mobilisation and downstream transport, as well as downstream transport capacity under present and future climates. Regarding the problem symptoms, we analyse the alternatives to enhance coastal resilience by means of restored coastal roughness resulting from embryonic dunes, lagoons and ridge and runnel topography. The analysis also considers coastal sediment recycling, based on a combination of wind and wave induced transports that provide a natural conveyor belt in dynamic equilibrium. Finally, the paper systematises the main synergies and trade-offs that must be considered in any coastal restoration plan, targeting a low carbon reduction of coastal risks while maintaining the important socio-economic assets in the river-delta-coast system. The conclusion section briefly explores the extrapolation of the proposed approach to other vulnerable coastal regions in Europe. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-4eb01d92dc5d49e29911ba1c28c19b58 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1314-3301 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Pensoft Publishers |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Conservation |
| spelling | doaj-art-4eb01d92dc5d49e29911ba1c28c19b582025-08-20T03:35:47ZengPensoft PublishersNature Conservation1314-33012025-07-015910113710.3897/natureconservation.59.142061142061Trade-offs and synergies in river-coastal restoration for the Ebro case (Spanish Mediterranean)Agustín Sánchez-Arcilla0Luis Garrote1Vicente Gracia2Iván Cáceres3Xavier Sánchez-Artús4Nuno Caiola5Antoni Espanya6Manuel Espino7Miguel Ángel García8José María Grassa9Carles Ibáñez10David López11Marc Mestres12José Manuel de la Peña13Ernest Bladé14Umberto Pernice15Laura Puértolas16David Santillan17Shiri Zemah-Shamir18Ana Iglesias19Universitat Politècnica de CatalunyaUniversidad Politécnica de MadridUniversitat Politècnica de CatalunyaUniversitat Politècnica de CatalunyaUniversitat Politècnica de CatalunyaEurecatGeneralitat de CatalunyaUniversitat Politècnica de CatalunyaConfederación Hidrográfica del Ebro (CHE)CEDEXEurecatCEDEXUniversitat Politècnica de CatalunyaCEDEXUniversitat Politècnica de CatalunyaCollaborative Innovation ManagementAlbiremUniversidad Politécnica de MadridReichman UniversityUniversidad Politécnica de MadridThe paper tackles some of the major challenges associated with coastal risk reduction, based on restored river-delta-coast continuums. The presented approach builds on the Ebro River-Delta system, located in the Spanish Mediterranean coast, where available data and results from hands-on restoration actions provide quantitative evidence on the synergies and trade-offs when implementing restoration. The work addresses the evolution of climatic- and human-induced risks driven by recent deltaic evolution, starting in the 1960s, when socioeconomic development increased and river regulation by large dams in the lower river course started. Such development has driven up freshwater demand, consequently diminishing both liquid and solid discharges in the river system, which has affected the natural deltaic evolution, compounded by sea-level-rise and changes in storminess due to global warming. Evolving erosion and flooding risks (problem symptoms) consider the decrease in sediment input to the delta and the increase in mean sea level (problem origin). To address the origin of the problem, we address sediment availability and transport in the lower river coast and reservoirs, followed by an assessment of sediment transport and deficit at the coastal fringe. The proposed solutions consider reservoir by-pass techniques, sediment mobilisation and downstream transport, as well as downstream transport capacity under present and future climates. Regarding the problem symptoms, we analyse the alternatives to enhance coastal resilience by means of restored coastal roughness resulting from embryonic dunes, lagoons and ridge and runnel topography. The analysis also considers coastal sediment recycling, based on a combination of wind and wave induced transports that provide a natural conveyor belt in dynamic equilibrium. Finally, the paper systematises the main synergies and trade-offs that must be considered in any coastal restoration plan, targeting a low carbon reduction of coastal risks while maintaining the important socio-economic assets in the river-delta-coast system. The conclusion section briefly explores the extrapolation of the proposed approach to other vulnerable coastal regions in Europe.https://natureconservation.pensoft.net/article/142061/download/pdf/ |
| spellingShingle | Agustín Sánchez-Arcilla Luis Garrote Vicente Gracia Iván Cáceres Xavier Sánchez-Artús Nuno Caiola Antoni Espanya Manuel Espino Miguel Ángel García José María Grassa Carles Ibáñez David López Marc Mestres José Manuel de la Peña Ernest Bladé Umberto Pernice Laura Puértolas David Santillan Shiri Zemah-Shamir Ana Iglesias Trade-offs and synergies in river-coastal restoration for the Ebro case (Spanish Mediterranean) Nature Conservation |
| title | Trade-offs and synergies in river-coastal restoration for the Ebro case (Spanish Mediterranean) |
| title_full | Trade-offs and synergies in river-coastal restoration for the Ebro case (Spanish Mediterranean) |
| title_fullStr | Trade-offs and synergies in river-coastal restoration for the Ebro case (Spanish Mediterranean) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Trade-offs and synergies in river-coastal restoration for the Ebro case (Spanish Mediterranean) |
| title_short | Trade-offs and synergies in river-coastal restoration for the Ebro case (Spanish Mediterranean) |
| title_sort | trade offs and synergies in river coastal restoration for the ebro case spanish mediterranean |
| url | https://natureconservation.pensoft.net/article/142061/download/pdf/ |
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