CNAS

Droughts are common in the Mediterranean region, and Spain has experienced periods of severe drought during 2005–2007, 1991–95, 1980–83 and 1942–45. In the drought of 1991-95 several basins were in an acute emergency situation, because the fall in precipitation was 30% while river flows were down 70%. Drought plans have just been approved recently in each basin in order to guarantee drinking water to population, maintain ecologic flows, and minimize impact on urban supply and economic activities.

River flow percentage reduction in Spain during the drought period 1991-95.

Team Members

Agronomy / Engineering

Marta Garcia-Molla, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia

Marta Garcia-Molla is an Associate Professor at the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia. Member of the Valencia Centre of Irrigation Studies (UPV). She has conducted extensive research in the area of water policy and planning, and she has been in charge of research projects related to the economics of water in agriculture. She studied in her PhD thesis the effects on Mediterranean agriculture from increasing costs of water.  (See abstracts)

Drought Insurance

Alberto Garrido, Department of Agricultural Economics and Social Sciences, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid

Alberto Garrido is an Associate Professor of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the Technical University of Madrid. His work focuses on natural resource and water economics and policy, and on droughts, agricultural risks, and insurance. He has been consultant for OECD, IADB, European Parliament, European Commission, FAO, and various Spanish Ministries and Autonomous Communities. He is the author of more than 100 academic publications. (See abstracts)

Ecology

Carles Ibáñez, Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology, Government of Catalonia, Sant Carles de la Rapita

Carles Ibáñez is Director of the Aquatic Ecosystems Department of IRTA (Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology). He holds a bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences (University of Barcelona, 1986) and a Doctor of Biology cum laude (University of Barcelona, 1993). He specializes in ecology of rivers, estuaries, and wetlands, with 20 years of research experience mainly carried out in the Ebro Delta, but also in the Mississippi (USA), Rhone (France), and Po (Italy) deltas. Researcher in the Department of Ecology, University of Barcelona (1988-1996). Fellowship of the Spanish Ministry of Education to carry out the Ph. D. Thesis on the ecology of the Ebre estuary (1988-1992). Grants of the Spanish Ministry of Education in the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (November 1990) and the Center for Wetland Resources, Louisiana State University (September 1991). Postdoctorate in the Laboratory of Ecology of Fluvial Systems (CNRS), Rhône Delta, France (1993-1994). Researcher of the European Union Project "Impacts of Climatic Change on Northwestern Mediterranean Deltas" (1994-1996). Project leader of a European Union LIFE Project about rice field and wetland management in the Ebre Delta (1997-2001). Member of the Council for Sustainable Management of Water of the Catalan Government. (See abstracts)

Economics

Jose Albiac, Agrifood Research and Technology Centre, Government of Aragon, Zaragoza

Jose Albiac is a Research Fellow at the Agrifood Research and Technology Centre (CITA-Government of Aragon). He holds a BSc in Economics (University of Zaragoza) and MS and PhD degrees in Agricultural Economics (University of Illinois). His fields of interests are environmental and natural resource economics, environmental policies, and bioeconomic modeling. His applied research work deals with water resources management, nonpoint pollution, and forest economics. He has been involved in studies on water planning in Spain (Ebro water transfer and AGUA projects), irrigation investments, aquifer management, and nonpoint pollution by nitrates and salinity in several Mediterranean countries. (See abstracts)

Hydrology

Joaquín Andreu, Institute of Water and Environmental Engineering, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia

Joaquín Andreu is Professor of Water Resources and Environmental Engineering at the Institute of Water and Environmental Engineering (IIAMA) of the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia (UPV) since 1993. He has been Technical Director of the Jucar River Basin Agency (CHJ), Director of IIAMA, and Dean of the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering of UPV. He holds BSc (UPV), MsSc (Colorado State University), and PhD (UPV) degrees, all in Civil Engineering. His main research interests are water resources and Basin management (WRBM) in general, with focus on integrated WRBM, decision support systems for WRBM, hydro-economic modeling, drought risk assessment and management, and water conflicts resolution. He has done many research, advisory, and consultancy projects, as well as written many publications, on these subjects. (See abstracts)

Policy

Josep Puxeu, Secretary of State of Rural Affairs and Water, Government of Spain, Madrid

Josep Puxeu is Deputy Secretary for Rural Affairs and Water since May 2008. Born in 1958, he is a wine producer in El Priorato (Tarragona, Spain) and has held different positions both in the public and private sectors. In the public sector, in particular, Secretary General for Agriculture and Food, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (2005-2008); CEO of the Public firm Grupo Tragsa (2004-2005); Director of the Food and Cooperation Division of DAP -Public Firm for the Agricultural and Fisheries development of Andalucia-(1996-2000); Director General for Food Policy, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1993-1996); Director of Programs for Trade Canters and Retail Markets of the Public firm MERCASA (1991-93); Executive adviser to the Secretary of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1986-91). In the private sector, Director General of the Cooperative society AGROLES (1997-2004); (CEO of Indulleida (2003-2004); from 1979 to 1986 he participated actively and as shareholder in various firms of the agrifood and services sectors (Agriplan, Novatecnia, La Morella Nuts, International Nuts and Nova Comercial). (See abstracts)

Technology–Irrigation

Enrique Playán, Aula Dei Experimental Station, CSIC, Zaragoza

Enrique Playán is a Scientific Researcher of CSIC at the Aula Dei Experimental Station (Zaragoza, Spain). He holds a bachelor's degree in Agricultural Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (1989), and a PhD in Irrigation Engineering from Utah State University, Logan (1992). His research interests include farm irrigation engineering (surface, sprinkler and drip), collective water management, and numerical modeling of irrigated areas. He has over 20 years of research experience, combined with various research management appointments (International Scientific Cooperation for the European Union; Manager of the Agricultural and Forestry program of the Government of Spain). (See abstracts) 

Water Management

Miguel Angel García-Vera, Confederación Hidrográfica del Ebro, Ministry of Environment

Miguel Angel García-Vera is Chief of the Planning and Studies Section in the Planning Office of the Ebro Basin Authority (Confederación Hidrográfica del Ebro, Ministry of Environment). Born in 1966, he holds a B. Sc. in Geology from the University of Zaragoza (1989), and a Ph. D. in Geology from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (1994). He was consultant from 1995 to 1998,and since then he is public service officer in the Ebro Basin Authority. His fields of work are related to hydrological planning, and he has been responsible for projects related to water resource evaluation, hydrological and hydrogeological modeling, water quality studies, hydrological characterization of aquifers, hydrological data bases creation and operation, wetland studies, public participation processes in planning, programs of intervention measures, agricultural water use studies, studies on climate change effects in the Ebro basin, among others. (See abstracts)

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