Agricultural development and the deep landscape transformation of the Segura river hydrographic basin has brought with it a disruption of the natural ecological balance and conditions of the rivers that are part of it and their surroundings. One of the most relevant manifestations of this process is the decline of the river ecosystems associated with the main rivers and their tributaries, a situation that has fostered the deterioration of large areas of Hydraulic Public Domain. The change in river landscapes that are associated to the cultural identity of the different areas, reducing the diversity of vegetable species associated with water resources, the loss of traditional recreational areas and changing the natural relief and shape of rivers and wetlands are a few examples of the process of decline of the optimal environmental conditions of the Segura river basin.
Madera river at Santiago-Pontones (Jaén)
An increasing number of environmental restoration actions are currently in process at different locations and through time for the general purpose of recovering, as much as possible, the ecological balance and conditions of the rivers and other wetlands of the Segura Basin. Given the increasing significance of such actions and their obvious repercussions in recovering these natural spaces associated with the rivers, it becomes necessary to analyze the general conditions of the rivers and the possibilities of recovery depending on the different characteristics of each one. We are drafting a frame document that will summarize the best available techniques and the criteria to be taken into account when new restoration actions are undertaken for each of the existing sub-basins. This manual aims at establishing the basic guidelines for elaborating and executing restoration projects and actions, trying to unify criteria in order to improve restoration river actions.
