"They have kidnapped our river" : dam removal conflicts in Catalonia and their relation to ecosystem services perceptions

Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu MdM-2015-0552River restoration is essential to guarantee access to ecosystem services provided by free-flowing rivers. One mechanism to restore rivers is the decommissioning of run-of-the-river dams, but restoration can create opposition as anthropised landscapes form part of the environmental history and imaginary. To facilitate decision-making, actorsʼ perceptions on ecosystem services for and against dam removal should be considered. We analyse perceptions on ecosystem services at two levels of study in Catalonia (Spain): the Catalan context and two local cases of dam removal in the Ter River Basin. Local case studies illustrate that combining participatory mapping and interviews makes contrasting values conspicuous and contributes to conflict understanding. Additionally, we acknowledge a dichotomy of perceptions between locals and outsiders, and the relevance of cultural values, environmental aesthetics, and history for actorsʼ positioning. We propose the engagement of local stakeholders at the basin level through participatory approaches for the sake of understanding water conflicts, as decision making will rarely achieve social sustainability without local support

Intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams: what water managers need to know

Peer reviewe

Adapting participatory processes in temporary rivers management.

The European Water Framework Directive (WFD) mandates to incorporate the participation of stakeholders and the general public in the development and updating of the river basin management plans. So far, the WFD implementation has been mainly focused on perennial rivers without considering temporary rivers properly, neither in biomonitoring programs nor participatory processes. This paper aims at adapting participatory processes in river basin management to enhance the inclusion of ecosystems with poor or no social recognition such as temporary rivers. To do so, we examined previous experiences of participatory processes conducted in the WFD and adapted them to propose and implement an approach for promoting stakeholders' engagement in temporary rivers. The approach is based on a collaborative leadership, includes multiple participatory engagement mechanisms, uses future global change scenarios and the concept of ecosystem services at different stages of the process, and aims at involving stakeholders not only in the proposal of measures stage but in the diagnosis of the ecological status. It also includes an evaluation of participants' satisfaction on the process. We tested our approach in temporary rivers from the Mediterranean region. We found that the combination of environmental education and citizen science activities, together with the inclusion of the ecosystem services concept, was the most useful way to raise awareness on the biodiversity and ecological value of temporary rivers and to promote stakeholders' engagement. Workshops conducted during the diagnosis stage played an important role in both including stakeholders' suggestions and increasing their knowledge on temporary rivers. Further, envisaging climate-related future scenarios allowed participants to incorporate measures that could tackle new and emerging pressures on these ecosystems. As future environmental changes will increase the proportion of rivers with temporary flow regimes, our approach can contribute to adapt current participatory processes to future needs

Water flows to multiple stsakeholders: an ecosystem services-based approach to conflicts in the Ter River basim

Els conflictes relacionats amb la gestió dels cabals han sigut objecte d’abundant estudi. Tanmateix, manquen anàlisis que considerin l’apropiació d’aquells serveis ecosistèmics (SE) que depenen dels cabals circulants. Tal anàlisis, duts a terme incorporant les visions i els interessos dels actors locals, és l’objectiu d’aquesta tesi. De la mateixa manera que succeeix en altres contextos mediterranis, moltes extraccions d’aigua del riu Ter (NE de Catalunya, Espanya), particularment per a la generació d’electricitat i per a l’abastament de la Barcelona metropolitana, alteren els cabals circulant i malmeten els ecosistemes fluvials. Tradicionalment, aquesta situació ha comportat disputes locals i regionals, esdevenint un problema important en la gestió de l’aigua a escala de conca. Aquesta dissertació incorpora tres tipus d’aplicacions de SE. En primer lloc, identifiquem i caracteritzem múltiples formes en les que el riu és utilitzat, gaudit i estimat. Això ho fem mitjançant l’escrutini d’alteracions hidrològiques i components de la natura que han tingut algun efecte, positiu o negatiu, sobre aquestes formes. Segon, hem acoblat un model d’aprovisionament de SE a un model de distribució de l’aigua per tal de quantificar i valorar els SE sota diferents escenaris climàtics i de gestió. Finalment, l’aprovisionament de SE és estudiat per un període de 65 anys, bo i analitzant qui ha estat qui en l’exercici del poder per a controlar l’accés als cabals i per tant als SE. Aquesta recerca més historiogràfica combina dades qualitatives d’arxius (per exemple, cartes i notícies) i dades quantitatives de cabals i de gestió de les preses. Al llarg de l’estudi, la incorporació d’actors locals, tant individus clau com organitzacions activistes, ha estat un aspecte essencial de la metodologia. El treball de camp realitzat entre 2011 i 2015 ha inclòs dotzenes d’entrevistes, la organització de cinc tallers i dues enquestes. Els resultats demostren que el nostre enfocament basat en els serveis ecosistèmics: 1) incentiva a la participació d’actors, bo i reconnectant la gent amb la gestió de l’aigua; 2) revela SE menys evidents, els beneficiaris dels quals són normalment infrarepresentats en els àmbits de decisió; 3) desentortolliga la complexitat de les relacions socio-ecològiques i mostra l’adaptació dels usuaris dels rius a diferents nivells d’alteració; 4) il·lustra una distribució desigual dels beneficis entre SE al llarg del temps i de l’espai i en els diferents escenaris climàtics i de gestió; i 5) quan s’utilitza una perspectiva crítica històrica, permet comprendre les relacions de poder que obstaculitzen la implementació de mesures de gestió que redueixen l’extracció d’aigua en favor d’un règim de cabals ambientals.Conflicts related to water flows are the subject of abundant intellectual outputs. However, analysis of their relation to the appropriation of instream flow–dependent ecosystem services (ES) is missing. Such analysis, undertaken with a proper regard for stakeholders’ views and interests, is the objective of this thesis. As happens in other Mediterranean contexts, multiple water withdrawals from the Ter River (NE Catalonia, Spain), in particular for hydropower production and the supply of the metropolitan Barcelona, disrupt instream flows and hence damage the river ecosystem. Traditionally, this situation has triggered local and regional disputes, becoming a main issue for water management in the basin district. This dissertation involves three types of ES applications. First, we identify and characterise multiple ways people use, enjoy and feel the river. This is done by a scrutiny of those hydrological alterations and components of nature that have an effect, positive or negative, on them. Second, an ES provision model is coupled with a water allocation model in order to quantify and establish a valuation of the ES under different water management and climate scenarios. Finally, the ES provision is studied for a period of 65 years, by analysing who has been who in the exercise of power for controlling the access to water flows and the ensuing ES. That historiographical research combines qualitative data from the archives (e.g., letters, news) and quantitative data of instream flows and dam management. In the course of the study, the engagement of all types of stakeholders – both key informants and water activist organisations – has been an essential aspect of the methodology. Field research undertaken between 2011 and 2015 included dozens of interviews with key stakeholders, the organisation of five workshops and two surveys. The results show that, with the proper provisions, our ecosystem services-based approach: 1) helps to engage with stakeholders, reconnecting people to water management; 2) unveils less conspicuous ES, whose beneficiaries are usually misrepresented in decision-making spheres; 3) disentangles the complexity of societal-ecological relationships and shows the adaptation of river users to different levels of river alteration; 4) illustrates unequal distribution of benefits among different ES, over time and space and under different water management and climate scenarios; and 5) when used with a critical historical perspective, it discloses those power relationships that hamper the implementation of management measures that reduce the water extraction pressure on the river in support of an environmental flow regime

Water flows to multiple stsakeholders: an ecosystem services-based approach to conflicts in the Ter River basim

Els conflictes relacionats amb la gestió dels cabals han sigut objecte d’abundant estudi. Tanmateix, manquen anàlisis que considerin l’apropiació d’aquells serveis ecosistèmics (SE) que depenen dels cabals circulants. Tal anàlisis, duts a terme incorporant les visions i els interessos dels actors locals, és l’objectiu d’aquesta tesi. De la mateixa manera que succeeix en altres contextos mediterranis, moltes extraccions d’aigua del riu Ter (NE de Catalunya, Espanya), particularment per a la generació d’electricitat i per a l’abastament de la Barcelona metropolitana, alteren els cabals circulant i malmeten els ecosistemes fluvials. Tradicionalment, aquesta situació ha comportat disputes locals i regionals, esdevenint un problema important en la gestió de l’aigua a escala de conca. Aquesta dissertació incorpora tres tipus d’aplicacions de SE. En primer lloc, identifiquem i caracteritzem múltiples formes en les que el riu és utilitzat, gaudit i estimat. Això ho fem mitjançant l’escrutini d’alteracions hidrològiques i components de la natura que han tingut algun efecte, positiu o negatiu, sobre aquestes formes. Segon, hem acoblat un model d’aprovisionament de SE a un model de distribució de l’aigua per tal de quantificar i valorar els SE sota diferents escenaris climàtics i de gestió. Finalment, l’aprovisionament de SE és estudiat per un període de 65 anys, bo i analitzant qui ha estat qui en l’exercici del poder per a controlar l’accés als cabals i per tant als SE. Aquesta recerca més historiogràfica combina dades qualitatives d’arxius (per exemple, cartes i notícies) i dades quantitatives de cabals i de gestió de les preses. Al llarg de l’estudi, la incorporació d’actors locals, tant individus clau com organitzacions activistes, ha estat un aspecte essencial de la metodologia. El treball de camp realitzat entre 2011 i 2015 ha inclòs dotzenes d’entrevistes, la organització de cinc tallers i dues enquestes. Els resultats demostren que el nostre enfocament basat en els serveis ecosistèmics: 1) incentiva a la participació d’actors, bo i reconnectant la gent amb la gestió de l’aigua; 2) revela SE menys evidents, els beneficiaris dels quals són normalment infrarepresentats en els àmbits de decisió; 3) desentortolliga la complexitat de les relacions socio-ecològiques i mostra l’adaptació dels usuaris dels rius a diferents nivells d’alteració; 4) il·lustra una distribució desigual dels beneficis entre SE al llarg del temps i de l’espai i en els diferents escenaris climàtics i de gestió; i 5) quan s’utilitza una perspectiva crítica històrica, permet comprendre les relacions de poder que obstaculitzen la implementació de mesures de gestió que redueixen l’extracció d’aigua en favor d’un règim de cabals ambientals.Conflicts related to water flows are the subject of abundant intellectual outputs. However, analysis of their relation to the appropriation of instream flow–dependent ecosystem services (ES) is missing. Such analysis, undertaken with a proper regard for stakeholders’ views and interests, is the objective of this thesis. As happens in other Mediterranean contexts, multiple water withdrawals from the Ter River (NE Catalonia, Spain), in particular for hydropower production and the supply of the metropolitan Barcelona, disrupt instream flows and hence damage the river ecosystem. Traditionally, this situation has triggered local and regional disputes, becoming a main issue for water management in the basin district. This dissertation involves three types of ES applications. First, we identify and characterise multiple ways people use, enjoy and feel the river. This is done by a scrutiny of those hydrological alterations and components of nature that have an effect, positive or negative, on them. Second, an ES provision model is coupled with a water allocation model in order to quantify and establish a valuation of the ES under different water management and climate scenarios. Finally, the ES provision is studied for a period of 65 years, by analysing who has been who in the exercise of power for controlling the access to water flows and the ensuing ES. That historiographical research combines qualitative data from the archives (e.g., letters, news) and quantitative data of instream flows and dam management. In the course of the study, the engagement of all types of stakeholders – both key informants and water activist organisations – has been an essential aspect of the methodology. Field research undertaken between 2011 and 2015 included dozens of interviews with key stakeholders, the organisation of five workshops and two surveys. The results show that, with the proper provisions, our ecosystem services-based approach: 1) helps to engage with stakeholders, reconnecting people to water management; 2) unveils less conspicuous ES, whose beneficiaries are usually misrepresented in decision-making spheres; 3) disentangles the complexity of societal-ecological relationships and shows the adaptation of river users to different levels of river alteration; 4) illustrates unequal distribution of benefits among different ES, over time and space and under different water management and climate scenarios; and 5) when used with a critical historical perspective, it discloses those power relationships that hamper the implementation of management measures that reduce the water extraction pressure on the river in support of an environmental flow regime

Water management in the media and research: Dissemination in catalonia and its capture by private companies

As a vital resource for human well-being, drinking water is considered a public good worldwide. However, big companies are sometimes in charge of its management leading to an interested distribution of benefits. One of the mechanisms of power that these private companies employ to retain access to water management is the control of the dissemination of information. Thus, the objective of this study is to evaluate the influence of big companies on the dissemination of water management in Catalonia by focusing on two groups of actors: the general public and experts. Accordingly, we analyse the association of big companies with mass media and research institutions. First, we scrutinise local newspapers for the period 2010-2016 to compile news about water management and companies whose activity is related to water. We found some interesting correlations between the amount and subject of the news, the editorial lines and relevant facts. Second, we search scientific articles about water management written by authors from Catalan research institutions. We analyse the production, research topic and funding. In this sense, we found that technological centres are the most funded by private companies and that public funding is more related to topics related to the ecosystem functioningPostprint (published version

Water Management in the Media and Research: Dissemination in Catalonia and Its Capture by Private Companies

As a vital resource for human well-being, drinking water is considered a public good worldwide. However, big companies are sometimes in charge of its management leading to an interested distribution of benefits. One of the mechanisms of power that these private companies employ to retain access to water management is the control of the dissemination of information. Thus, the objective of this study is to evaluate the influence of big companies on the dissemination of water management in Catalonia by focusing on two groups of actors: general public and experts. Accordingly, we analyse the association of big companies with mass media and research institutions. First, we scrutinise local newspapers for the period 2010-2016 to compile news about water management and companies whose activity is related to water. We found some interesting correlations between the amount and subject of news, the editorial lines and relevant facts. Second, we search scientific articles about water management written by authors from Catalan research institutions. We analyse the production, research topic and funding. In this sense, we found that technological centres are the most funded by private companies and that public funding is more related to topics related to the ecosystem functioning.Â

A five-step assessment of river ecosystem services to inform conflictive water-flows management – the Ter River case

De nombreux travaux ont été publiés au sujet des conflits liés à la gestion des cours d’eau. Cependant, ils ont été peu analysés à la lumière de la relation entre l'appropriation du débit liée et les services écosystémiques (SE). Une telle analyse, réalisée en y intégrant les points de vue et intérêts des parties prenantes, est l'objectif de la recherche présentée dans cet article. Tel qu'observé dans d'autres contextes méditerranéens, une diversité de prélèvements d'eau de la rivière Ter (NE Catalogne, Espagne) - par exemple pour l'hydroélectricité et l'approvisionnement en eau d'autres bassins versants - affecte négativement le débit le long du cours de la rivière. Cette situation a déclenché des conflits locaux et régionaux, devenant un enjeu principal pour la gestion des eaux dans le secteur hydrographique de la rivière TER. Notre approche d'évaluation dans le cadre de cette recherche comporte cinq étapes pour l'étude de la production de SE liés à la fois aux débits détournés et aux débits courants dans le bassin de la rivière Ter. Les étapes sont: (1) l'identification, (2) la caractérisation, (3) la localisation, (4) la quantification et (5) l'évaluation. Un aspect clé de la méthodologie est la participation des parties prenantes, incluant les informateurs-clés et les organisations qui défendent l'écosystème de la rivière et s'oppose aux prélèvements, détournements. La recherche effectuée pendant trois ans sur le terrain (2011-2014) inclut un grand nombre d'entretiens, l'organisation de plusieurs ateliers et deux enquêtes. Les résultats indiquent plusieurs types d'avantages pour la gestion des cours d’eau. Des divergences apparaissent concernant l'utilisation du droit de l’eau, la perspective sauvage contre la perspective récréative, et en raison de l'asymétrie de l'information. De la même manière, des tensions se produisent là où les zones de consommation de SE se chevauchent et les compromis entre SE surgissent. En conclusion, trois façons d’adapter la gestion conflictuelle des cours d’eau d'un point de vue des services écosystémiques sont proposées: (1) la reconnaissance des divers avantages générés par les cours d’eau, (2) l'analyse des modifications hydrologiques qui affectent la production de SE à travers l'espace et (3) l'identification des compromis entre SE.River conflicts have been a matter of abundant intellectual production. However, analysis on their relation to the appropriation of instream flows–related ecosystem services (ES) is missing. Such analysis, undertaken with a proper account for stakeholders’ views and interests, is the aim of this paper. As happens in other Mediterranean contexts, multiple water withdrawals from the Ter River (NE Catalonia, Spain), e.g., for hydropower and inter-basin water supply, disrupt instream flows throughout the entire course of the river. Traditionally, this situation has triggered local and regional disputes, becoming a main issue for water management in the basin district. Our methodology entails a five-step assessment for the study of the ES production related to both diverted and instream flows in the Ter River basin. The steps are: identification, characterization, localization, quantification and valuation. A key aspect of the methodology is the engagement of stakeholders; both key informants and water activist organizations. A three-year field research (2011-2014) included a large number of interviews, the organization of several workshops and two surveys. The results help to study multiple types of benefits that are connected to the management of water flows. Divergences in stakeholders’ views appear regarding the usage of water rights, wilderness versus recreational perspectives, and due to information asymmetries. In the same way, tensions occur when ES provision overlap in time and space and when tradeoffs among different ES arise. In conclusion, three ways of informing conflictive water-flows management from an ecosystem services approach are: 1) recognition of the diverse benefits from river flows, 2) analysis of hydrological alterations affecting ES production through the space, and 3) identification of tradeoffs among ES

A five-step assessment of river ecosystem services to inform conflictive water-flows management – the Ter River case

River conflicts have been a matter of abundant intellectual production. However, analysis on their relation to the appropriation of instream flows–related ecosystem services (ES) is missing. Such analysis, undertaken with a proper account for stakeholders’ views and interests, is the aim of this paper. As happens in other Mediterranean contexts, multiple water withdrawals from the Ter River (NE Catalonia, Spain), e.g., for hydropower and inter-basin water supply, disrupt instream flows throughout the entire course of the river. Traditionally, this situation has triggered local and regional disputes, becoming a main issue for water management in the basin district. Our methodology entails a five-step assessment for the study of the ES production related to both diverted and instream flows in the Ter River basin. The steps are: identification, characterization, localization, quantification and valuation. A key aspect of the methodology is the engagement of stakeholders; both key informants and water activist organizations. A three-year field research (2011-2014) included a large number of interviews, the organization of several workshops and two surveys. The results help to study multiple types of benefits that are connected to the management of water flows. Divergences in stakeholders’ views appear regarding the usage of water rights, wilderness versus recreational perspectives, and due to information asymmetries. In the same way, tensions occur when ES provision overlap in time and space and when tradeoffs among different ES arise. In conclusion, three ways of informing conflictive water-flows management from an ecosystem services approach are: 1) recognition of the diverse benefits from river flows, 2) analysis of hydrological alterations affecting ES production through the space, and 3) identification of tradeoffs among ES

Water flows to multiple stsakeholders : an ecosystem services-based approach to conflicts in the Ter River basim

Els conflictes relacionats amb la gestió dels cabals han sigut objecte d'abundant estudi. Tanmateix, manquen anàlisis que considerin l'apropiació d'aquells serveis ecosistèmics (SE) que depenen dels cabals circulants. Tal anàlisis, duts a terme incorporant les visions i els interessos dels actors locals, és l'objectiu d'aquesta tesi. De la mateixa manera que succeeix en altres contextos mediterranis, moltes extraccions d'aigua del riu Ter (NE de Catalunya, Espanya), particularment per a la generació d'electricitat i per a l'abastament de la Barcelona metropolitana, alteren els cabals circulant i malmeten els ecosistemes fluvials. Tradicionalment, aquesta situació ha comportat disputes locals i regionals, esdevenint un problema important en la gestió de l'aigua a escala de conca. Aquesta dissertació incorpora tres tipus d'aplicacions de SE. En primer lloc, identifiquem i caracteritzem múltiples formes en les que el riu és utilitzat, gaudit i estimat. Això ho fem mitjançant l'escrutini d'alteracions hidrològiques i components de la natura que han tingut algun efecte, positiu o negatiu, sobre aquestes formes. Segon, hem acoblat un model d'aprovisionament de SE a un model de distribució de l'aigua per tal de quantificar i valorar els SE sota diferents escenaris climàtics i de gestió. Finalment, l'aprovisionament de SE és estudiat per un període de 65 anys, bo i analitzant qui ha estat qui en l'exercici del poder per a controlar l'accés als cabals i per tant als SE. Aquesta recerca més historiogràfica combina dades qualitatives d'arxius (per exemple, cartes i notícies) i dades quantitatives de cabals i de gestió de les preses. Al llarg de l'estudi, la incorporació d'actors locals, tant individus clau com organitzacions activistes, ha estat un aspecte essencial de la metodologia. El treball de camp realitzat entre 2011 i 2015 ha inclòs dotzenes d'entrevistes, la organització de cinc tallers i dues enquestes. Els resultats demostren que el nostre enfocament basat en els serveis ecosistèmics: 1) incentiva a la participació d'actors, bo i reconnectant la gent amb la gestió de l'aigua; 2) revela SE menys evidents, els beneficiaris dels quals són normalment infrarepresentats en els àmbits de decisió; 3) desentortolliga la complexitat de les relacions socio-ecològiques i mostra l'adaptació dels usuaris dels rius a diferents nivells d'alteració; 4) il·lustra una distribució desigual dels beneficis entre SE al llarg del temps i de l'espai i en els diferents escenaris climàtics i de gestió; i 5) quan s'utilitza una perspectiva crítica històrica, permet comprendre les relacions de poder que obstaculitzen la implementació de mesures de gestió que redueixen l'extracció d'aigua en favor d'un règim de cabals ambientals.Conflicts related to water flows are the subject of abundant intellectual outputs. However, analysis of their relation to the appropriation of instream flow-dependent ecosystem services (ES) is missing. Such analysis, undertaken with a proper regard for stakeholders' views and interests, is the objective of this thesis. As happens in other Mediterranean contexts, multiple water withdrawals from the Ter River (NE Catalonia, Spain), in particular for hydropower production and the supply of the metropolitan Barcelona, disrupt instream flows and hence damage the river ecosystem. Traditionally, this situation has triggered local and regional disputes, becoming a main issue for water management in the basin district. This dissertation involves three types of ES applications. First, we identify and characterise multiple ways people use, enjoy and feel the river. This is done by a scrutiny of those hydrological alterations and components of nature that have an effect, positive or negative, on them. Second, an ES provision model is coupled with a water allocation model in order to quantify and establish a valuation of the ES under different water management and climate scenarios. Finally, the ES provision is studied for a period of 65 years, by analysing who has been who in the exercise of power for controlling the access to water flows and the ensuing ES. That historiographical research combines qualitative data from the archives (e.g., letters, news) and quantitative data of instream flows and dam management. In the course of the study, the engagement of all types of stakeholders - both key informants and water activist organisations - has been an essential aspect of the methodology. Field research undertaken between 2011 and 2015 included dozens of interviews with key stakeholders, the organisation of five workshops and two surveys. The results show that, with the proper provisions, our ecosystem services-based approach: 1) helps to engage with stakeholders, reconnecting people to water management; 2) unveils less conspicuous ES, whose beneficiaries are usually misrepresented in decision-making spheres; 3) disentangles the complexity of societal-ecological relationships and shows the adaptation of river users to different levels of river alteration; 4) illustrates unequal distribution of benefits among different ES, over time and space and under different water management and climate scenarios; and 5) when used with a critical historical perspective, it discloses those power relationships that hamper the implementation of management measures that reduce the water extraction pressure on the river in support of an environmental flow regime