SE3 - Guadiana basin

Step: Initial knowledge
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case: SE3 location: Guadiana basin (Spain) sectors: Agriculture and livestock; Water resources adaptation measures

General description

In this basin, socio-economic development has been traditionally linked to the agricultural sector and especially to irrigation. However, agriculture differs largely between the two main sub-basins: the upper and the middle Guadiana. These two sub-basins belong, respectively, to two different regional administrations.

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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.

see also the following MEDIATION Policy Briefs:
The main issues in these two sub-basins regarding water management and water use are:
Upper Guadiana
  • Conflicts between agriculture development and environmental conservation
  • Important irrigation development based on groundwater
  • Positive social and economic effects
  • Negative environmental impacts: over-exploitation of aquifers and loss of wetlands
  • Low effectiveness and high costs of management and control measures
Middle Guadiana
  • Important irrigation development based on surface water (public development plans, subsidies)
  • High storage capacity, which mitigates the vulnerability to climate variability
  • Technical and policy challenges: improving efficiency (technical and economic), modernization of irrigation systems, cost recovery (WFD)...
Given the above mentioned conditions and the expected decrease in water availability due to climate change socio-economic and environmental impacts are expected to be high in the agricultural and irrigation water domains. Policy makers at national and regional levels face the challenge to design adequate CC adaptation strategies to cope with these impacts.
The Guadiana basin (Spanish part)
. Source: own elaboration


Initial knowledge

  • Climate change in Spain is expected to reduce water availability through reduced precipitation, while drought periods are expected to become more frequent. The Guadiana basin is likely to be one of the most affected river basins regarding water availability (river basin annual inflow will be reduced by 11% by 2030)
  • Agriculture is very sensitive to climate. Temperature increase will affect crop yields and the decrease in water availability will make agricultural systems more dependent on irrigation.
  • Ground water in the Upper Guadiana is more resilient to prolonged drought spells than surface waters in the middle Guadiana. However, the large storage capacity in the latter mitigates impacts.
  • Climate change can exacerbate the environmental problems linked to water resources overexploitation