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Transitional steps towards a sustainable development of the coastal zone: reconciling environmental systems and economic activities in the lower Fluvia river basin, Costa Brava, Catalonia (Spain) Étapes de transition vers un développement durable de la zone côtière : concilier le système écologique et les activités économiques dans le bassin inférieur de la Fluvia, Costa Brava, Catalogne (Espagne)

Joan-Manuel SORIANO, David SAURI Geography Department , Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona 08 193 - BELLATERRA - Spain Josep GORDI, Josep VILA Geography Department, Universitat de Girona 17 002 - GIRONA - Spain

Abstract The aim of this paper is twofold . First , we study the patterns of environmental change in the lower Fluvià river basin (Costa Brava, Catalonia , Spain) between 1957 and 1995 . Our focus is on land use changes using aerial photos and field work. Data are processed within a Geographical Information System in order to produce map s that show the extent of these changes. Second, we suggest a new zoning plan for the protection of this area that builds upon previous conservation efforts, and attempts to encourage · a sustainable use of lower stretches of the river without excessively jeopardizing existing activities .

Keywords : Environmental change • Wetlands - Conservation • Costa Brava • Catalonia

Résumé : L'objectif de la communication est double . Premièrement , nous étudions les modèles de transformation de l'environnement dans le bassin inférieur de la rivière Fluvià (Costa Brava , Catalogne, Espagne) entre 1957 et 1995. Nous nou s intéressons spécialement aux modifications de l'usage des sols à partir de photographies aériennes et de travaux de terrain. Les données sont traitées dans un Système d'information Géographique pour produire des cartes montrant l'a mpleur de ces transformations . Deuxièmement , nous proposons un nouveau plan d 'a ménagement pour la protection de cette zone, s'appuya nt sur les efforts antérieurs en matière de préservation, et tentant de promouvoir un usage durable des parties basse s du fleuve sans mettre en péril les activités existantes

Mots-clés : Modification de l' environnement• Marais • Conservation • Costa Brava • Catalogne

The perception of low-lying coastal environments as wetlands that could and should be transformed into productive spaces has dominated human thought and action during much of our history. After centuries of putting relentlessly this idea into practice , human encroachment in the fiat areas near the seashore has produced an alarming rate of losses throughout the world as well as a deep modification of the hydrological and ecological processes that shape these unique environments (Williams, 1990). The Mediterranean coastal zone is no exception to this trend (Grenon and Batisse, 1991), although we need more case studies to document the causes, extent and characteristics of human-induced environmental change in the coastal wetlands of the region .

It is only recently that the different habitats that comprise the low-lying coastal zone (floodplains, fresh and sait-water wetlands, dune formations, and beaches) have begun to be appraised in a light that emphasizes conservation over development. Arguments favoring this change in attitude are not just moral and ethical. The conservation of resources in low-lying coasts provides a number of direct and indirect economic benefits potentially much greater than those associated with currènt activities, especially agriculture (Hughes, 1992 ; Maltby, 1986). These benefits become more evident as structural changes in the funding mechanisms of modern food and fiber production in the developed world and the near-saturation of mass-tourism in many coastal areas generate mounting pressures for change upon the activities that have induced habitat destruction in the past.

Nevertheless, the realization of the alternative benefits provided by conservation may fail unless public policies aiming at the protection of low-lying coastal habitats and the preservation of their natural fonctions take into account local interests and work towards a change in attitudes among those segments of the population most directly affected by environmental conservation practices . A crucial issue in this respect is the provision of compensation through the purchase of privately­owned land and the implementation of incentives for agricultural extensification and low-impact tourism . But even under improved conditions for land-use changes stimulating conservation it is

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virtually impossible to reinstate the original natural conditions ; hence the necessity of conciliating conservation with some degree of controlled development.

In this paper we will present a case study that attempts to improve our understanding of human­induced environmental modifications in the low-lying coastal areas of the Northwestem Mediterranean and offers a relatively simple proposai of land use zoning that protects the most fragile ecosystems while at the same time leaves room for the continuity of modified forms of agriculture and tourism. The underlying philosophy of this proposai is to understand river corridors and fresh and sait-water wetlands as components of a unique system the interactions of which ensures the performance of the different habitats present in the system (Newson, 1994) . Therefore, maximum protection should be given to ensure these continuities, whereas other spaces of less strategic significance can be devoted to other uses.

The paper is organized as follows. First, we describe the natural features of the study area and the driving forces of human-induced environmental change with special attention to the last forty years. Second, we examine land use transformations between 1957 and 1995 as manifested in the four habitats present in the area, namely the river corridor , the river floodplain, the wetland environments and the coastal zone. After detecting the nature and extent of these transformations we present a proposai for action combining rehabilitation measures for the most degraded spaces, strict protection for the most sensitive habitats, and a provision of land for agriculture and tourist uses. Finally, we offer some conclusions regarding the feasibility of such proposai in a context of incipient efforts towards conservation.

I - ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURES AND HUMAN IMPACTS IN THE LOWER FLUVIÀ

The lower Fluvià river basin lies in the coastal plain of the Empordà, on the northeastem extreme of the Iberian peninsula (Fig. 1 and 2). The Empordà plain gained its present form during the Quatemary as the product of the interaction between fluvial sediment s and marine processes, interaction that still continues today .

Fig.1 FRANÇA Fig.2

In our study area, we differentiate four types of natural environments which we will use later to document environmental change between 1957 and 1995. The first of such environments is the alluvial floodplain, almost entirely occupied by agricultural fields . The second constitutes the proper wetland or lacustrine environment, divided between freshwater lagoons of a variable water content , and brackish lagoons along the coastline . Ali fresh-water lagoons have been drained in a process that began during the Middle Ages whereas there exist a few remains of the salty wetlands near the sea. The third environment of interest is the river bed and margins sustaining fluvial biotic communities strongly affected by a number of human activities. Finally , the fourth environment encompasses the strict coastal zone with a sandy beach ; the mobile dune ridges, the post-dunar depression, and the ancient dune formations fixed by vegetation planted in the XIX th

century when the strong winds characteristic of this area posed a serious hazard for the development of agriculture. Most of this environment has also disappeared due to the frequentation of the beach and the construction of campsites right behind the seashore.

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The current landscape of the lower Fluvià cannot be understood without the perspective of a human occupation more than 2000 years old. Change during our study period, however, has no parallel in the past due to the expansion of modern agriculture and, above ail, the booming of tourist-related activities (Fortià, 1993). Agricultural intensification has progressed through irrigation and drainage works for the cultivation of cereals, fodder crops (livestock numbers for milk production increased from 775 in 1955 to 3 145 in 1989) and, later, fruit orchards.

The population of the area (slightly over 4 000 inhabitants) has remained fairly stable for the last forty years, although there is a substantial increase during the summer months. Of special relevance is the growth of tourist-related urbanization under the form of secondary homes. Thus, whereas in 1960 all buildings in the area were catalogued as "first residence", in 1991, more than 40 % of them had become secondary residences . To this expansion of bouses and apartment blocks, we must add the construction of hotels and campsites located near the seashore. These driving forces have generated substantial changes in the four environments described above, as we explain in more detail in the following section.

Il - LAND USE CHANGES BETWEEN 1957 AND 1995

The transformation of the study area during the last forty years has been evaluated by means of aerial photography and the processing of the data using a Geographical Information System, so that we can present quantitative estimates (Tabl. 1) for changes in the different categories of land use.

Surface 1957 Surface 1995 dlff. 95-57 LAND-USE ares (ha) % ares (ha) % ares (ha) Forest cover 2490 13;62 2878 15,74 388 Fluvial environments 280 1,53 5 0,03 -275 lacrustrine environments 114 0,62 109 0,60 -5 Forest çiallerv 100 0,55 84 0,46 -16 Shrub land 0,00 653 3,57 653 Campsites 0,00 97 0,53 97 Cultivated land 14400 78,74 13 084 71,55 -1 316 Closes (artificial meadows) 425 2,32 216 1, 18 -209 Wasteland 0,00 294 1,61 294 Dunes 13 0,07 14 0,08 1 Fluvià river bed 250 1,37 244 1,34 -6 1/auna (small pond) 0,00 2 0,01 2 Ancient river bed 0,00 30 0, 16 30 Human settlements 140 0,77 367 2,00 227 Beach 75 0,41 48 0,26 -27 Commercial trees 0,00 21 0, 12 21 Marina 0,00 2 0,01 2 Tourist settlements 0,00 140 0,77 140 TOTAL 18 287 100,00 18 287 100 00 0

Tabl. 1 : Land-use categories (1957, 1995 and comparison)

A - The alluvial plain

Historically, the most relevant trend of this environment has been the Joss of original vegetation due to the expansion of agriculture. Evergreen oak (Quercus ilex) formations disappeared long time ago and were replaced by agricultural fields and occasional spots of pine trees (Pinus pinea and Pinus halepensis). Only in the higher land on the periphery of our study area it is possible to find well-conserved evergreen oak forests. Nevertheless, between 1957 and 1995, the forest cover has increased some 400 hectares (and shrubland in more than 600) due to the abandonment of dryland farming. In the best soils of the plain, the introduction of irrigation and new crops such as maize and sunflowers have resulted in a clear process of lansdcape homogeneization, eliminating

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the previous microenvironments formed by cereal fields surrounded by tree screens (as protection to the strong winds of the area), pasture fields, and a dense network of channels and paths with distinctive vegetation.

B - The lacustrine environments

Once a common feature of our study area and of the Empordà plain, freshwater lagoons have been completely drained in a process for which we have documentation going back to the Xll th

century. Here, the traditional agrarian society constructed polders surrounded by channels and tree screens that were used for pastures. These artificial meadows, known in Catalan as closes, remained flooded part of the year allowing for the recovery of fertility levels and creating a unique environment of high floristic and faunistic variety. Agricultural intensification has also taken its toll in this environment with half the area previously devoted to pastures converted into permanent agricultural fields.

The brackish lagoons appear some 500 m behind the seashore and have two different origins . Sorne of them are fragments of the ancient river beds of the Fluvià and can still be seen among agricultural fields . Others, such as the Goles area, to the north of the Fluvià mouth, occupy the depressions that appear just behind the dune ridges . These sait-water ecosystems have been strongly altered since 1957. For instance, the lagoon known as Estany Sirvent bas been used as a dredge for a future marina that would communicate the Fluvià with the sea.

C - The fluvial environment

This is perhaps the most strongly modified environment during our study period. In 1957, the river presented a meandering course surrounded by abundant vegetation. This situation has been reversed in 1995 in three aspects. The first is the suppression of meanders and the construction of dykes. The second concems the alteration of the current river bed for sand and grave! extractions in the ancient meanders and in the alluvial terraces. The third affects the fluvial vegetation, greatly reduced by the artificial channelization of the lower reaches of the river. Only in the Caramany island (a nature reserve) it is possible to find now well-developed bank vegetation . Thus the period between 1957 and 1995 expresses a clear impoverishment of what used to be a rich fluvial ecosystem.

D - The coastal environment

Finally, the natural formations close to the sea have been almost entirely eliminated due to beach frequentation, the presence of motor vehicles, and also the cleaning of the beach using heavy machinery. Dunes in the southem part of the study area were fixed with Amophyla arenaria and pine trees about one hundred years ago whereas only a few mounds, one to two meters high, remain today north of the river .

III-A PROPOSAL FOR RECONCILING DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION

Structural factors, such as the change in orientation of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), and social and institutional pressures for environmental conservation constitute the reference points for the proposai we will develop in this section. As to the first point, the reform of the CAP in 1992 introduced incentives for making agriculture more "environmentally-friendly" through the reduction in cultivated land and, in some areas, change towards crops Jess demanding in scarce inputs such as water. For example, north of our study area, in the "Aiguamolls de l'Empordà" natural park, farmers have agreed to take land out of production and use it for traditional grazing. In terms of environmental policies for wetlands, also in 1992, the European Union passed the directive "Habitat" the aim of which is to produce a list of the most important ecosystems in the member states. This list, completed in 1995, will be used to establish the network "Natura 2000" and in our study area we find eight of such habitats, two of them in the priority group (Vilar and Font, 1995).

With these general trends in mind, our proposai would represent a third step in the recent process of environmental management in this area. The first step was accomplished in 1983 when the coastal strip of our study area was declared part of the "Aiguamolls de l'Empordà" Natural Park. The second step, currently under way, is represented by restoration efforts within the limits of the

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park . This efforts are mainly addressed to recover some of the fresh-water lagoons that once dotted this landscape .

Finally , the third step is the one proposed here and sets to reach the following objectives :

- restoring and preserving the river corridor and the seashore as strictly natural environments, - conserving the traditional agrarian landscape of the floodplain and the meadows located on the

ancient lacustrine environment, - planning for a low-impact type of tourism that does not interfere excessively with the natural

environment.

These objectives could be met implementing a land zoning scheme that <livides the lower Fluvià in three belts with different degrees of protection .

The first belt or area of maximum protection would encompass the lacustrine environments of the seashore and the river corridor. The actions to follow here include : 1 - the prohibition of any land development for tourist purposes such as marinas, 2 - the prohibition of motor vehicles in the beach and 3 - the creation of itineraries and observatory points for the observation of fauna. As to the river corridor, the aim would be to restore original vegetation and contrai the extraction of sand and gravel.

The second belt, or area for tourist facilities of low-impact such as campsites, would be located behind the seashore and would be connected with the beach through special traits. Thus, access to the beach would provide an opportunity for visitors to participate in a visual experience of the seashore ecosystems .

Finally, the third belt, or area for traditional agriculture, would embrace the floodplain outside the urban centres. The objective here is to conserve the traditional rural lansdcape and, especially, to promote land use change towards crops and pastures less demanding in modem inputs. Urbanization here should be limited to the urban areas already existing .

TYPE ares fhal % Forest cover 206 13,7 Lacustrine environments 53 3,5 Forest aallerv 69 4,6 Shrub land 76 5, 1 Camosites 68 4,6 Cultivated land 481 32,0 Closes (artificial meadows) 4 0,3 Wasteland 133 8,9 Dunes 14 0,9 Fluvià river bed 244 16,2 1/auna (smal pond) 1 0, 1 Ancient river bed 25 1,7 Human settlements 11 0,8 Beach 45 3,0 Commercial trees 20 1,4 Marina 1 0, 1 Tourist settlements 47 3,2 TOTAL 1 506 100.0

Tabl. 2 : Environments within the area of maximum protection

Conclusion

The proposai outlined in this paper, offering a land zoning scheme that allows for a certain equilibrium between conservation and development, is not free of economical and social costs, above all in what concems the area of maximum protection. The preservation of the seashore belt affects bath agriculture (appproximately a third of the area to be protected is under cultivation) and tourist activities (Tabl. 2). Perhaps the most effective policy in this case would be the public purchase of ail this land as done in 1983 for the areas of maximum protection located in the

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"Aiguamolls de l'Empordà" natural park. Other important economic costs are those associated with the tasks of restoring the seashore environments, that is the succession formed by the beach, the dune ridges, the sait-water marshes , and the tree screens that would act as visual barriers between the tourist facilities and these coastal habitats. Connectivity would be assured by a number of closed walking trails .

There are also a number of economic and social benefits worth emphasizing . First and because of their high biological productivity and diversity, well-conserved lowland habitats attract considerable numbers of fauna, specially migratory waterfowl. We must add here that the Empordà lowland areas constitute an important resting point for many species that travel between Europe and Africa . Ecotourism, and particularly, bird-watching, is one of the fastest-growing activities of the tourist industry in the world, reaping considerable benefits. In 1991, for instance, more than 2,2 millions of Canadians travelled with such a purpose. The same "Aiguamolls de l'Empordà" natural park attracts more than 100 000 visitors every year (Folch, 1994).

It must be stressed that the intention is not to close the entire area to development and turn it into an "ecological paradise". To do so would raise the bitter opposition of local economic agents and set a course for the likely failure of other policies (Richez, 1992). On the contrary, we believe that the proposai presented in this paper sets a different course for the sustainable development of coastal environments. A course in which the main objective is to promote alternative types of agriculture and tourism that enhance the economic opportunities for local residents while at the same time are respectful with ecosystem conservation . This is of course no easy task but, in this area, the transition to sustainable development of the coastal zone may be facilitated by the existence of activities (agriculture, campsites) that, although damaging the environment, do not pose irreversible impacts . In this context, public purchase and other incentives would allow for a relatively rapid recovering of the different ecological habitats .

References

FOLCH R. (ed.), 1994, lit orals i oceans , Barcelona , Enciclopèdia Catalana .

FORTIÀ R. (ed.), 1993, El medi natural a les comarques gironines, Girona, Diputaci6 de Girona .

GRENON M. and BATISSE M. (ed.), 1989, Futures f or the Mediterranean Basin. The Blue Plan, New York , Oxford Univer sity Press.

HUGHES JM., 1992, The use and abuse of wetlands, in MANNION AM & BOWLBY SR (ed.), Environmental Issues in the 1990s, Chichester , John Wiley, pp. 211-226 .

MALTBY E., 1986, Waterlogged Wealth. Why waste the world 's wet places ?, London, Earth scan.

NEWSON M., 1994, Hydrology and the river environment , Oxford , Clarendon Press .

RICHEZ G., 1992, Parcs nationaux et tourisme en Europe, Paris , L'Harmattan .

VILAR L. and FONT J., 1995, El projecte Habitat a les comarques de Giron a, Revista de Girona, n° 167, pp. 38-42.

WILLIAMS M., 1990, Wetlands. A threatened landscape, Oxford , Blackwell.

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