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Preliminary proposal of environmental and conservation flows of the ecosystem of the Zaza river downstream of Zaza dam (Cuba)

García Láinez, Diana,Jiménez-Gavilán, Pablo

Abstract

The mangrove’s forest that its situated on Zaza’s mouth (or estuary), localizated in Sancti Spiritus province (Cuba) it has seen deteriorated in the last 40 years because of the construction of Zaza’s dam. This dam regulate the natural floods of the river and displace a constant ecological flow during the 12 months of the year. Through the project "Study and improvement of the planning and management of water resources in the Zaza river basin (Cuba). Definition of policies and strategies for adaptation to the future impacts of global climate change (ESGEREHIZA) " between the Universities of Málaga and Sancti Spíritus, it was intended to study the dam's impact on the delta area, analyzing existing data and methodologies currently applied. In cooperation with the protection entities, management and use of the water resources of Cuba, the regulations established for the calculation of sanitary expenditure established in the Zaza river were studied, being determined insufficient for the maintenance of adequate conditions of life, both fishery and the associated flora. Based on data from the Zaza’s dam hydrograph, the Tennant method was used to estimate the ecological flows. The results show the possibility of applying the three criteria of this methodology to obtain an ecological flow that achieves excellent habitat conditions. On the other hand, studying the current deterioration of the mouth zone, a preliminary proposal was made for generating water flow that would help the regeneration of the ecosystem.

Full text

Ist International Conference on Water and Sustainability Preliminary Proposal of Environmental and Conservation Flows of the Ecosystem of the Zaza River Downstream of Zaza Dam (Cuba) Propuesta Preliminar de Caudales de Recuperación y Conservación del Ecosistema del Río Zaza Aguas Abajo de la Presa Zaza (Cuba) Diana&García&Láinez& dianag[email protected] Pablo&Jiménez&Gavilán& Departamento de Ecología y Geología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga. pg[email protected] Abstract The mangrove’s forest that it’s situated on Zaza’s mouth (or estuary), localizated in Sancti Spiritus province (Cuba) it has seen deteriorated in the last 40 years because of the construction of Zaza’s dam. This dam regulates the natural floods of the river and displace a constant ecological flow during the 12 months of the year. Through the project "Study and improvement of the planning and management of water resources in the Zaza river basin (Cuba). Definition of policies and strategies for adaptation to the future impacts of global climate change (ESGEREHIZA) " between the Universities of Málaga and Sancti Spíritus, it was intended to study the dam's impact on 111 Ist International Conference on Water and Sustainability the delta area, analyzing existing data and methodologies currently applied. In cooperation with the protection entities, management and use of the water resources of Cuba, the regulations established for the calculation of sanitary expenditure established in the Zaza river were studied, being determined insufficient for the maintenance of adequate conditions of life, both fishery and the associated flora. Based on data from the Zaza’s dam hydrograph, the Tennant method was used to estimate the ecological flows. The results show the possibility of applying the three criteria of this methodology to obtain an ecological flow that achieves excellent habitat conditions. On the other hand, studying the current deterioration of the mouth zone, a preliminary proposal was made for generating water flow that would help the regeneration of the ecosystem. Keywords: Ecological flow, generator flow, hydrological resource, mangrove. ____________ Abstract El bosque de manglar, situado en la desembocadura del río Zaza, localizado en la provincia de Sancti Spíritus (Cuba), se ha visto muy deteriorado en los últimos cuarenta años, desde la construcción de la presa Zaza. Dicha presa regula las avenidas naturales del río y desaloja un caudal ecológico 112 Ist International Conference on Water and Sustainability constante durante los doce meses del año. Mediante el proyecto “Estudio y mejora de la planificación y gestión de los recursos hídricos en la cuenca hidrográfica del río Zaza (Cuba). Definición de políticas y estrategias de adaptación a los futuros impactos del cambio climático global (ESGEREHIZA)” entre las Universidades de Málaga y Sancti Spíritus, se ha querido estudiar la afectación de la presa en la zona deltaica, analizando los datos existentes y las metodologías actualmente aplicadas. En cooperación con las entidades de protección, gestión y uso del recurso hídrico de Cuba, se estudió la normativa establecida para el cálculo del gasto sanitario establecido en el río Zaza, determinándose insuficiente para el mantenimiento de unas condiciones adecuadas de vida, tanto piscícola como de la flora asociada. A partir de los datos del hidrograma de aportaciones de la presa Zaza, se aplicó el método de Tennant para estimar los caudales ecológicos. Los resultados muestran la posibilidad de aplicar los tres criterios de dicha metodología para obtener un caudal ecológico que logre unas excelentes condiciones de hábitat. Por otro lado, estudiando el deterioro actual de la zona de desembocadura, se hizo una propuesta preliminar de caudal generador que ayudara a la regeneración del ecosistema. Keywords: Caudal ecológico, caudal generador, recurso hídrico, manglar.! 113