El agua en la cuenca del río Mijares: lo que aún faltaría por conocer para avanzar en la toma de decisiones y acciones hacia la sostenibilidad territorial

The document analyzes the Mijares river basin, noting that decreased summer rainfall is linked to land-use changes and is driving aridification. Through 'uncertainty dialogues' with stakeholders, the authors identify three critical barriers to sustainability: the unpredictability of rural abandonment, a lack of technical knowledge for profitable and sustainable forest management to prevent fires, and conflicting perspectives on water allocation between the upper and lower basin. The brief argues that addressing these uncertainties through coordinated dialogue is essential for implementing robust sustainability projects.

• Decreased summer rainfall in the Mediterranean basin and specifically the Mijares river basin is linked to changes in land characteristics and land use, contributing to the aridification of the territory.
• Rural abandonment is a primary driver of uncertainty in territorial management, as the loss of population working in agriculture, livestock, and forestry leads to the neglect of traditional land uses and natural resource management.
• There is a critical need for detailed technical data and knowledge to make forest exploitation profitable and sustainable, which is viewed as essential for preventing forest fires, particularly in the upper and middle basin.
• Stakeholders in the upper basin, including truffle farmers, fear the loss of water rights and resources, arguing that while the upper basin provides the most water, it does not retain the majority for irrigation.
• In the middle basin, the expansion of truffle cultivation and the drilling of wells are perceived to be drying up traditional water sources used for summer gardens, which serve as fire barriers.
• The lower basin is dominated by citrus cultivation, which faces challenges including a lack of generational renewal and reduced profitability due to a commercial model controlled by large multinational distributors.

APA

N., Z.-C., L.D., V., I., R., M.J., S., & M., B. (2023). El agua en la cuenca del río Mijares: lo que aún faltaría por conocer para avanzar en la toma de decisiones y acciones hacia la sostenibilidad territorial. Basque Centre for Climate Change. https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/202308170155261213123832.pdf

Chicago

N., Zafra-Calvo, Vivas L.D., Ruiz I., Sanz M.J., and Brugnach M. El agua en la cuenca del río Mijares: lo que aún faltaría por conocer para avanzar en la toma de decisiones y acciones hacia la sostenibilidad territorial. Basque Centre for Climate Change, 2023. https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/202308170155261213123832.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=N. |first1=Zafra-Calvo |last2=L.D. |first2=Vivas |last3=I. |first3=Ruiz |last4=M.J. |first4=Sanz |last5=M. |first5=Brugnach |title=El agua en la cuenca del río Mijares: lo que aún faltaría por conocer para avanzar en la toma de decisiones y acciones hacia la sostenibilidad territorial |publisher=Basque Centre for Climate Change |date=July 2023 |url=https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/202308170155261213123832.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{n2023agua, author = {N., Zafra-Calvo and L.D., Vivas and I., Ruiz and M.J., Sanz and M., Brugnach}, title = {{El agua en la cuenca del río Mijares: lo que aún faltaría por conocer para avanzar en la toma de decisiones y acciones hacia la sostenibilidad territorial}}, institution = {Basque Centre for Climate Change}, year = {2023}, month = jul, url = {https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/202308170155261213123832.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }