Drivers of LEDD in cropland: Spain and Canyoles River Basin

Editor's note 30 Apr 2012: Text source D111 section 3.2

Land and ecosystem degradation and desertification (LEDD) drivers considered here are those human actions that trigger LEDD processes. Intensification of agriculture and the expansion of infrastructure are the two main drivers of LEDD in the Jucar River watershed.

Direct drivers

Urbanisation of rural areas. The agriculture system in the study area is characterised by monocultures and small farms. Each field needs a small storage area to install the irrigation system. This has resulted in the urbanisation of small rural buildings which are sometimes extended and transformed into a house. This urbanisation of the land is triggered by the changes in irrigation systems.

Monoculture crops. The increase in citrus plantations in the last two decades has resulted in the removal of any other crop (olives, almonds, other fruits) and this is resulting in a landscape without diversity. The implication of this is a reduction in biodiversity, an increase in water use (aquifer depletion) and the reduction of soil quality.

Urban expansion. During the last decade, there has been an increase in the area of land used for urban development which has particularly affected the surroundings of existing towns. There has also been a significant increase in the illegal construction of houses in the countryside. This is due to investment in building by families and companies. At the time of writing, 20 percent of these houses are empty.

Road and railway construction. The Canyoles River basin connects the central Spanish altiplano and the coastal land. This is the traditional millennia old connection between the coast and the inland country. Since the Iberians (2,300 BP) the Canyoles River has been used for the traffic of goods and people. However, since the 1990s, there has been an increase in the construction of roads and railways, which is degrading the landscape as a result of building works and intense traffic. This construction activity and high volume of traffic is triggering further soil losses from road and railway embankments.

Agricultural intensification. The need to produce agricultural products which can compete in global markets is triggering the process of abandonment of traditional agricultural practices (deep knowledge and millennia old techniques) and an increase in the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. A rapid expansion of drip irrigation systems in citrus production is the reason for the removal of traditional ditch-flooding irrigation systems and the loss of open watercourses, which supported a rich biodiversity. Tradition, culture and knowledge are being lost as a result of the increased use of chemicals.

The concentration of investment into agricultural intensification is contributing to the abandonment of less productive land (small properties and traditionally irrigated land). Urban and Industrial developments contribute to the pressure on agricultural land in areas that are being sold off for development. Forest fires are also increasing in land surrounding urban areas, and this is also contributing to the abandonment of agricultural activity.

Infrastructure development. The Canyoles River watershed is located between the coastal area and the Spanish central altiplano. The valley of the river has for millennia been the path from the coast to central Spain. This is why Iberians (via Eraklea) and Romans (via Augusta) developed the main system of transport in this area. In the nineteenth century a new infrastructure was developed: the railway. Road improvement came in the twentieth century.     Over the past ten years there has been a significant change in the infrastructure which affects the Canyoles valley: two new railways (for goods and for high speed passenger transport) were built, together with two new motorways, and there has been a growing tend to concrete or asphalt rural tracks and small roads. This process contributes to soil sealing, degradation of the landscape, loss of farmland and partitioning of property as a result of infrastructure development. Industrial developments are also a source of soil sealing; in many cases large industrial developments are planned but never built but the land is abandoned after it has been levelled and concreted over. The growth of cities and towns without the growth of population with 1 out of 5 houses remaining empty is a clear example of a driver of LEDD that is triggered by changes in the economy over the last 10 years.

Abandonment of industrial developments. Industrial developments are widespread in the Canyoles River basin. Each town strived to have at least one industrial development. The result of this development is an increase in soil sealing and other LEDD issues. These developments are increasingly being abandoned as a result of the economical crisis.

Indirect drivers

Loss of traditional agricultural knowledge. The issue of the loss of traditional agricultural knowledge has been raised by farmers during research interviews. Only three percent of the farmers interviewed knew how to produce products from seeds, and none of them currently completes the full cycle of plant development. This means that farmers act as workers in a system of production that they do not control. Some farmers act as businessmen, as they pay contractors to undertake pruning, harvesting, weed control, pest control, irrigation or planting. Usually, each contractor specialises in one aspect of the production process.

Land abandonment and fires in nearby mountainous terrain. Land abandonment in mountainous areas triggers an increase in biomass which in turn increases the risk of forest fires. Such fires can be devastating if they affect houses, and orchards and other agricultural land. The fire is not the problem, but the high recurrence of arson can trigger a degradation of the soil and an increase in sediment and water runoff which that affects the sediment balance of streams, tributaries and rivers.

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