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case:

SE4

location:

Guadalquivir basin (Spain)

sectors:

Agriculture and livestock; Water resources

General description

In the Guadalquivir basin, in the southern part of Spain, agriculture is a key economic sector. Due to its privileged agro-climatic conditions, the region grows a wide range of crops, from cereals, oilseeds, sugar-beet and cotton, to varied fruits and horticulture products and olives, being Andalusia the world's largest producer of olive oil. Intensive and extensive productions coexist as well as market-oriented large, medium-size and small farms.

Therefore, the application and enforcement of agricultural policies and climate change adaptation policies will be under the competence of the related regional governments.

Up to the present, climate change adaptation strategies are defined and starting to be developed for the national level but still pending to be down-scaled and fully implemented in the regions.

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The main issues concerning water management and climate change in this basin are: Highly valuable ecosystems threatened by climate change and agricultural activity (Doñana National Park) Technical challenges: improving water use technical efficiency (modernization of irrigation techniques) Special institutional setting, different from other river basins in Spain, which poses water management under the shared competence of the regional administration and the river basin authority, that can promote mainstreaming of climate change under the water policies

The Guadalquivir basin (Spain) . Source: own elaboration

Olive groves in the Guadalquivir basin Source: www.ruraliberica.com

Flamingos in the marshes of Doñana National Park (Guadalquivir basin) Source: Miguel Vazquez www.elmundo.es