PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
The Alfacada and Tancada lagoons are located in the Delta del Ebro Natural Park. Though the Alfacada lagoon is a protected area, it was until recently a private estate used for hunting. The water and sediment flux of the Ebro River has declined due to human activities in the watershed and is vulnerable to the effects of climate change, which has accelerated the rise in sea level and coastal erosion processes. Specific management and restoration measures are therefore necessary to mitigate these negative effects. The target salt marshes of San Antoni in the southern part of the Tancada lagoon have been damaged by intensive fish farming and much work is required to restore this now protected area.
OBJECTIVES
The main goal of the -LAGOON project was to improve the environmental status of the Alfacada and Tancada lagoons through habitat restoration and management measures, such as improvement of hydrological function, elimination of infrastructure that interferes with connectivity, and creation of new lagoon habitats in existing rice fields and abandoned aquaculture facilities.
Specific project goals included:
RESULTS
The -LAGOON project restored 242 ha of habitats, including coastal lagoons and saltmarshes, satisfactorily recovering their hydrologic functioning. This total included 109.02 ha of habitat types listed in the Annex I of the Habitats Directive (including 52.32 ha of the priority for conservation habitat costal lagoons 1150*). This restoration effort has had an immediate positive impact on bird communities, with increases observed in the nesting water bird populations in La Tancada and El Viol and, to a lesser extent, also in LAlfacada, the migrating waders in La Tancada, and the wintering species both in LAlfacada and La Tancada.
However, the restoration works in LAlfacada have not achieved positive results on the passerine migrating species. Nevertheless, the project had a positive impact of on the species Porphyrio porphyrio, Botaurus stellaris, Larus genei, Sterna albifrons, S. hirundo, Gelochelidon nilotica, Chlidonias hybrida and Recurvirostra avosetta. Furthermore, thanks to the project the main breeding colony of Larus audouinii in the Ebro Delta has been established in Sant Antoni- La Tancada, with 1 221 breeding pairs recorded in 2017. For the remaining fauna groups, significant improvements were also observed for phyto-benthos and macro-invertebrates. At LAlfacada, the pond turtle reintroduction programme is proving to be successful. Monitoring results, however, should be taken cautiously; the overall impact of the project actions will not be fully achieved for 10-20 years.
From a socio-economic point of view, the restoration actions have clearly improved the attractiveness of the area for birdwatchers. Also, the projects campaign to inform the local population about the conservation plan has created a positive momentum for actions to boost the local economy.
The After-LIFE Conservation Plan ensures the long-term sustainability of the restoration developed and its monitoring in the three restored areas, with long-term maintenance, monitoring and surveillance to be carried out by the Parc Natural del Delta de lEbre and Fundaci Catalunya-La Pedrera.
Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report and After-LIFE Conservation Plan (see "Read more" section).
