Region of Murcia, Spain - Municipalities of Abarán, Cieza, Calasparra and Moratalla
Project ended
Local level
Two EU-funded LIFE projects restored riparian forests, removed barriers or enabled passage for fish, and controlled invasive giant reed to reduce flood risk and improve water security along the Segura and Moratalla rivers. The programme combined fluvial connectivity works (weirs removal and eight fish passages), riverbanks restoration over several kilometres, invasive species management, and land stewardship with owners to secure long-term care.
The Segura basin faces climatic extremes, frequent flooding and long droughts, historically prompting heavy river regulation with dams and weirs. These interventions fragmented habitats, disrupted natural flow regimes and reduced ecological connectivity. Dense stands of the invasive plant species giant reed (Arundo donax) degraded riparian habitats, increased evapotranspiration and impeded normal water flow during floods. The LIFE projects addressed disaster risk reduction and water security by restoring native riparian vegetation, improving longitudinal and transversal connectivity, and engaging local stakeholders.
The programme applied a green infrastructure approach to reconnect habitats and restore natural river functions. Works included dismantling an unused weir and building eight fish passages to re-establish longitudinal connectivity, coupled with riparian restoration to rebuild native forests and improve transversal connectivity. Large-scale control and removal of giant reed reduced hydrological risks and water consumption, followed by replanting native species. Land stewardship agreements with owners, plus volunteer and education initiatives, were used to secure continuity.
Two complementary intervention packages were implemented on the Segura and Moratalla Rivers (within the municipalities of Abarán, Cieza, Calasparra and Moratalla, in the Murcia region of Spain) to reduce flood risk, improve water security and restore river connectivity and riparian habitats, using a green infrastructure approach.
The project addressed fragmentation caused by numerous dams and weirs that interrupt natural river flow and block fish migration, dispersal and recolonisation. Where feasible, the preferred measure was to remove the obstacle entirely: an unused weir was dismantled. Where removal was not possible, fish passage structures were installed: eight fish passages (fish ladders) were built on existing barriers to enable upstream and downstream movement, particularly for migratory native fish. Monitoring subsequently confirmed that the fish passages were being used by the river’s fish community, and fish were able to move freely along a 54 km stretch of the Segura River.
In parallel, riverbank restoration was used to rebuild riparian forest and strengthen transversal connectivity between both banks, supporting the river’s role as an ecological corridor and green infrastructure. A central implementation step was the permanent removal of giant reed/giant cane (Arundo donax), an invasive species with strong regrowth capacity that displaces native vegetation, reduces habitat heterogeneity, alters hydrology and hydromorphology, and can exacerbate flood impacts by acting like a “wall” along river margins due to its high density, and forming debris dams during flood events. Its removal was also intended to reduce sedimentation and clogging, reduce evapotranspiration and decrease fire risk linked to large accumulation of (dry, dead) biomass.
Following invasive removal, restored areas were replanted with native riparian trees, shrubs and herbaceous species to recover the original riparian forest structure, improve the ecological condition of waters and support water quality improvements. Restoration actions were implemented across a surface of 75 ha, including planting nearly 5,000 native plants. The SEGURARIVERLINK actions were developed along 57 km within a wider 80 km sector addressed under the related RIPISILVANATURA project.
Implementation was coordinated by the Segura River Basin Authority (CHS), working with regional authorities, a university and specialist partners, and alongside local associations. To extend action beyond the public water domain and support long-term maintenance, a Land Stewardship (Land Custody) Network was established through voluntary agreements with adjacent landowners; 11 landowners participated across 66 ha. Delivery was supported by an environmental volunteering programme and an environmental education campaign with schools and local user groups (including fishermen and rice growers), designed to build local ownership and sustain the interventions over time.
A comprehensive monitoring programme using biological, physico-chemical and hydromorphological indicators was used to validate the measures and evaluate results, with the explicit intention of enabling transfer to other stretches of the basin and to other Mediterranean rivers facing similar challenges.
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