Irrigated agriculture in the Guadiana River high basin (Castilla La Mancha, Spain): environmental and socioeconomic impacts

This article is concerned with the management of the Guadiana River high basin's water resources. The region of Castilla-La Mancha in general, and Western La Mancha and the Campo de Montiel in particular, are areas where agriculture has great economic importance. This activity is the principal water consumer, but it is necessary to take account of ecological and social considerations if two important objectives are to be achieved. Firstly, to keep wetlands and biodiversity. Secondly, to maintain natural resources which are vital if the area's future is to be assured. The paper criticizes the mechanical and partial methodological focus which has been used by conventional economics and agriculture. Thus, it supports an integrated and multidisciplinary view that recognises the region's biophysical and social characteristics in such a way that policies applied respect it. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.