The dynamics of water scarcity on irrigated landscapes: Mazarrón and Aguilas in south-eastern Spain

The new irrigated lands of Mazarrón and Aguilas, south‐east Spain, have led to the overexploitation of local aquifers and to seawater intrusion, water salinization and to declining water tables. This paper discusses a dynamic model developed to analyse the key socio‐economic and environmental factor...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:System dynamics review 2004-06, Vol.20 (2), p.117-137
Main Authors: Fernández, Julia Martínez, Selma, Miguel Angel Esteve
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agriculture
Aquifers
Dynamic programming
Environmental impact
Externality
Irrigation
Land use
Studies
Water resources
Water supply
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Summary:The new irrigated lands of Mazarrón and Aguilas, south‐east Spain, have led to the overexploitation of local aquifers and to seawater intrusion, water salinization and to declining water tables. This paper discusses a dynamic model developed to analyse the key socio‐economic and environmental factors driving the whole system. The New Irrigated Lands dynamic model includes five sectors: Irrigated Lands, Profitability, Available Space, Water Resources and Pollution. The dynamic model simulates the environmental effects regarding water consumption by reference to aquifer levels, natural outflows through springs, piezometric levels and aquifer water salinity. The exploration of scenarios shows that current policies based on the increase in water resources do not eliminate the water deficit problem because the feedback loops of the system lead to a further increase in irrigated land and continuation of the water deficit. This demonstrates highly counter‐intuitive behaviour. This article constitutes a contribution to the analysis of intensive irrigated lands and water management in Spain, which is mostly lacking a systemic and dynamic approach. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
ISSN:0883-7066
1099-1727
DOI:10.1002/sdr.290