Construct conceptual models of the CZ systems response to the Policy Issue(s) that will allow visualization of its primary characteristics.

Subtask Description:
Construct conceptual models of the CZ systems response to the Policy Issue(s) that will allow visualization of its primary characteristics.

Action points of the implementation:

Sketch diagrams showing relationships amongst system components, and system boundary exchanges, for the parts of the ‘natural ecosystem’ that are relevant to the Issue and thus which need to appear in the ‘virtual system’.

Area:
Guadiana Estuary, Portugal (& Spain).

Policy Issue:
Management of the discharges of untreated wastewater into the estuarine environment.

Human Activities:
Energy production, tourism, urban activity, agriculture and livestock farming, aquaculture.

General Information:
The estuary is the natural border between Portugal and Spain. On both sides of the estuary, especially in Spain, urban development is taking place, mainly associated with tourism and threatens to increase the inputs of pollutants, namely nutrients and bacteria. Nutrient input is expected to change, not only due to fertilizer application on golf courses, but also due to the river discharge from a large dam, which has accumulated nutrients during its filling. On the Portuguese side, the construction of a large-scale WWTP, designed to serve several urban areas, was successively delayed since it is located within a protected area. The main stakeholder concerns relate to asymmetric development strategies of the two countries and the impact of activities taking place in the watershed on the estuarine and coastal water quality, which has consequences on tourism attractiveness, fisheries, or traditional salt farming.

Example of Implementation (click for full sized version):

Comments:
A very simple first approach towards conceptual modelling, standing out because it uses EXTEND for the illustration of the model. The conceptual models of the integrated system can be more than one and it is likely that they change form during the process.

Contact:
Tomasz Boski, tboski@ualg.pt