Understanding the potential of Nature Based Solutions to recover the natural ecosystem services of the Medina del Campo Groundwater Body in the NAIAD EU project.

Abstract

The area covered by the Medina del Campo Groundwater Body (Duero River Basin, Spain) is an important agricultural production region. The zone is prone to climatic and geomorphological hazards such as floods, dry spells and landslides. Climate projections indicate that these hazards might become more frequent in the future. The main economic activity of the area is agriculture, which is also the main water user almost entirely relying on groundwater. Currently there are more than 5000 wells pumping groundwater to supply the agricultural water demand. Measurements show that groundwater levels have declined up to 20 m in some areas in the last 40 years. In the framework of the NAIAD H2020 project we developed a 3D numerical groundwater flow model with the objective to understand the dynamics of the groundwater, to evaluate the impact of climate change, and to assess the potential of some Nature Based Solutions (NBS) for recovering the original ecosystem services of the groundwater body. The model was built to simulate a pristine system without abstractions, and a system under anthropic pressure with the current abstractions. The NBS simulated include the artificial recharge of the aquifer, the change of crops, and the modification of abstraction rates and distribution. The preliminary results indicate that under a scenario of climate change with reduced precipitation, although the assessed NBS solutions can be beneficial, they are not able to totally reverse the impact caused by the abstractions, and therefore do not succeed to completely restore the original ecosystem services of the groundwater body.