Arrangement and management of the Baix Ter Coastal lagoons and marshes

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

BACKGROUND

The Baix Ter wetlands are the natural southward extension of the Empordà wetland system. Today, just a few lagoons remain out of the once extensive marshes. A saline lagoon (La Platera) and a freshwater lake fed by the river system (Ter Vell) are the largest vestiges of this system and still preserve great natural wealth, notably an extensive dune ecosystem and a population of Iberian toothcarp, one of the most endangered fish in Europe. Coastal lagoons have been designated as priority habitats, as they are under heavy pressure and disappearing. For all these reasons, this site has been proposed for inclusion in the Natura 2000 network.

This valuable site is under threat as the Ter Vell lake is highly polluted by inputs from agriculture in the surrounding area, with an adverse effect on its vegetation which is threatening to upset the ecological balance. At the same time massive public use of these fragile ecosystems is endangering the dunes and the toothcarp population and calls for urgent conservation measures.

OBJECTIVES

The objective of this project was to restore the Baix Ter coastal lagoons and manage them appropriately for tourism based on their natural interest.

To this end, a natural purification system was planned to improve water quality in the Ter Vell lake and to restore the flora and fauna. In the La Platera lagoon, the natural habitat of the Iberian toothcarp was restored and a breeding programme was to be introduced to boost the population and avoid the danger that any disaster might wipe out the species at this site. Finally, setting up an information centre and marking a network of paths and routes was aimed at to regulate tourist activity and channel the flood of visitors and avoid destruction of the dunes and their vegetation.

RESULTS

This project has been successful in achieving its main objectives, both in terms of habitat management and dissemination. The project has ultimately contributed to consolidating a pattern of sustainable tourism in an intensely developed area, shifting past trends that led to the impoverishment of the area’s rich biodiversity. The conservation status of the site has improved and further enhancement is expected in the coming years following the natural processes that will promote the regeneration of the restored habitats. A management plan for the area has been prepared and approved. Other detail results include:

Water quality at Ter Vell lagoons has been enhanced by means of the ‘green filter’ created over a 2.57 ha estate acquired for the purpose. The Phragmites, Typha and Scirpus communities covering the ‘green filter’ have proved effective in managing an average daily flown of 700-800 m3 and retaining 95% of suspended solids and 65% of N and P load. The benefits for wildlife derived from these improvements are reflected in the bird inventories carried out in the area throughout the project.

Two new lagoons tallying 1.54 ha have increased the surface of coastal lagoons, thus recovering the estimated extension during the 1970s for this type of habitat. Nearly 500 individuals of Lebias ibera were released in the lagoons, soon generating a healthy population, and the lagoons developed the typical Ruppia cirrhosa vegetation linked to the habitat of this endangered fish.

Public access was not fully developed within the project, but significant achievements were made that led to their likely completion just one year after the project end. In fact, the execution of a trail along the coastal fringe was assumed by the Coast Management Directorate (Ministry of Environment) following the modification of the public domain, which made this institution responsible for any action in this scope.

Although only opened at the end of the project period, a visitor centre was refurbished and is already in operation, building on the intense awareness-raising activities and ample publicity performed during the project. Nonetheless, a book and a leaflet were still in press at the time of closing the project.

The conservation benefits of this project for Natura 2000 and the species targeted are remarkable, since the site has received stronger protection and its conservation status has improved. The actions undertaken have led to a successful recovery of wetland and dune habitats and to increasing the populations of species of Community interest in the site, in particular Lebias ibera. The beneficiary, a Town Council, has approved a special protection plan for the site having previously classified it as non-urban area, therefore strengthening the planning tools to preserve the pSCI.

Outstanding pump-priming effects are attached to the project, which has promoted a wide consensus on the need to preserve the site. A more sustainable tourism that tries to take advantage of the natural assets of the area is being promoted and the Town Council is clearly committed to achieving this objective. Even after the political change resulting from the local elections of May 2003, the new municipal team continued with enthusiasm the same strategy. Indeed, this demonstration value is one of the most important features of the project, which has clearly contributed to consolidating sustainable tourism in an area that has been subject to high pressure by tourist investors.

Furthermore, the project has already promoted other important efforts for the conservation of this area. For instance, the DG Coast is considering the enlargement of the public domain to guarantee the preservation of an even larger area, and the regional government is preparing the designation of a Natural Park that would include the project site.

Networking is also an added value of the project, which kept contact with other LIFE projects working on sustainable tourism and on the restoration of natural habitats in coastal and wetland areas. The experience of other projects was taken into account for the implementation of some project actions. The project was also presented in numerous technical meetings and workshops and it was widely disseminated trough different media.

Overall, the project can be reported as an interesting way of achieving socio-economic changes by means of actions directed mainly to nature conservation. The new strategy towards consolidating sustainable tourism in this important area of the Mediterranean coast has come hand in hand with increased awareness on the natural value of the site among locals, who are involved in the management planning process through meetings, talks and guided visits to the site. In addition, the strategy has become an alternative source of employment through the involvement of a local training school for unemployed people, who have been employed as gardeners or are working in the Environmental patrols of the Town Hall.

As mentioned, the future has been largely conditioned by the land use pattern guided by the project and ensured by means of the relevant planning tools at the local level. A management plan for the site has been prepared and approved by the town council, which is competent for its implementation. Further approval by the regional government is also expected, as well as the inclusion of the site in a larger natural protected area, also including surrounding sites, probably a natural park. In order to avoid the fragmentation of the habitats, the enlargement of the pSCI has also been proposed so as to allow the connectivity between the wetlands of the lower Ter river.

Long term monitoring every 5 years is foreseen in the management plan, as well as a network of paths along the key sites ensuring the preservation of the restored habitats. Finally, there are already other plans to recover other surrounding areas, including a new LIFE proposal that is being considered for financing in 2004.