Adaptive Management, Monitoring, and the Ecological Sustainability of a Thermal-Polluted Water Ecosystem: A Case in Sw Spain

The construction of the Almaraz nuclear power plant in Spain in the 1970s posed interesting environmental problems concerning the construction of a cooling reservoir (Arrocampo reservoir) to cool the steam condensers and the consequent heating of the reservoir’s water. The socio-political context forced decision makers to set up a project for the monitoring and management of the environmental impacts derived from the construction and operation of the power plant. Numerous scientific and technical specialists collaborated with the representatives of social groups towards two goals: the improvement of the biodiversity and of the efficiency of the cooling system. These goals involved the monitoring and managing of the system with respect to different biological aspects, mainly limnology, ichthyology, avian fauna and vegetation. The management plan yielded numerous results. The control of the water eutrophy is one of the most important due to its repercussion on the rest of the ecosystem, especially the fish fauna. The development of the shore vegetation slowly increased the patchwork nature of the reservoir, leading to a greater diversity of the avian species. This paper describes the monitoring and management of the Arrocampo ecosystem, the condition before and after the construction of the reservoir and the results obtained concerning some biological communities.

[1]  Mark J. Wieringa,et al.  Hydropower, adaptive management, and Biodiversity , 1996, Environmental management.

[2]  K. Shao,et al.  Long-term monitoring of the coral reef fish communities around a nuclear power plant , 2001, Aquatic Ecology.

[3]  L. Olmsted,et al.  Aquatic biodiversity and the electric utility industry , 1996, Environmental management.

[4]  W. Coleman.  Biodiversity and industry ecosystem management , 1996, Environmental management.

[5]  S. R. Wild,et al.  Environmental management of coastal cooling water discharges in Hong Kong , 1998 .

[6]  M. McClaran,et al.  Theory in Practice: Applying Participatory Democracy Theory to Public Land Planning , 1997, Environmental management.

[7]  Ian Brown,et al.  Monitoring and adaptive management: resolving social and organisational issues to improve information sharing in natural resource management , 2001 .

[8]  M. Perry,et al.  Wetlands mitigation: Partnership between an electric power company and a federal wildlife refuge , 1996, Environmental management.

[9]  C. S. Holling.  Adaptive Environmental Assessment and Management , 2005 .

[10]  Alan Haney,et al.  Adaptive management for sound ecosystem management , 1996, Environmental management.

[11]  W. Dietrich,et al.  Dams and downstream aquatic biodiversity: Potential food web consequences of hydrologic and geomorphic change , 1996, Environmental management.

[12]  M. Willson,et al.  Avian Community Organization and Habitat Structure , 1974 .

[13]  Alfonso Alonso,et al.  Planning an Adaptive Management Process for Biodiversity Conservation and Resource Development in the Camisea River Basin , 2002, Environmental monitoring and assessment.

[15]  A. Martínez-Arroyo,et al.  On the Influence of Hot-Water Discharges on Phytoplankton Communities from a Coastal Zone of the Gulf of Mexico , 2000 .

[16]  Helen Briassoulis,et al.  Theoretical orientations in environmental planning: An inquiry into alternative approaches , 1989 .