A team from the UDC’s CITEEC takes part in a project aimed at promoting the recovery of the natural hydrological regime and reducing the influx of pollutants in the Doñana area

The University of A Coruña (UDC), through the Water and Environmental Engineering Group (GEAMA), affiliated with CITEEC, has recently launched the RIVERS-REST project, an initiative funded by the Interreg Atlantic Area 2021–2027 programme that will run for two and a half years.

The main objective of this new project is to reduce the transport of sediments and pollutants into water bodies in the Doñana area and, ultimately, into the Atlantic Ocean, through actions in different pilot areas and the development of advanced tools for analysis and decision-making.

UDC’s role focuses on developing a hydrological-hydraulic model of the Doñana area, which is essential for wetland management and the planning of interventions in an environmentally sensitive ecosystem.

Within the framework of this project, UDC researchers Ania Fernández and Marina de Miguel have already carried out fieldwork in Andalusia to characterize existing hydraulic infrastructures and analyse their performance, under the supervision of the principal investigator, Esteban Sañudo.

The team states that: “Doñana is a unique enclave due to its ecological and landscape values, although it has been heavily affected by human intervention. Its environmental dynamics largely depend on hydroperiods, meaning that appropriate wetland management will be decisive for its evolution in the coming years. Developing a hydrological and hydraulic model to support decision-making regarding the quantity and quality of water in its surroundings represents a major challenge, mainly because of its vast extent, the complexity of its water inputs, and its predominantly flat topography. This task also requires the involvement and coordination of all stakeholders responsible for its management.”

A consolidated strategic research line in southern Spain

The launch of RIVERS-REST continues a well-established line of UDC research in Andalusia focused on water management, risk prevention, and ecosystem restoration.

Among the most recent projects is REFLORESTA, aimed at restoring ecosystems affected by wildfires and funded by the Interreg Spain–Portugal (POCTEP) 2021–2027 programme. Within this framework, the GEAMA group developed a practical guide to identify areas most prone to rainfall-induced erosion, providing useful tools to support decision-making by public administrations.

This work was applied to the Olivargas reservoir catchment area (Huelva), affected by the Almonaster wildfire in 2020, and was designed for implementation using open-source tools such as Iber and QGIS, thus enhancing its usefulness and replicability.

UDC’s research activity in the region is further complemented by the AA-FLOODS project, also funded by the Interreg Atlantic Area programme, which contributed to improving flood prevention, early warning systems, and emergency management at the local level, with pilot programmes carried out in municipalities such as Écija, Morón de la Frontera, and Osuna.

Technological innovation with the UDC hallmark

A cross-cutting element in all these projects is the use and development of the Iber software, a free tool promoted by UDC in collaboration with other institutions, which enables two-dimensional simulation of water flow in rivers and estuaries.