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Environmental restoration in the Claror river basin

On 21 July 2015, major gravel (rocky ground of small pebbles and soil) erosion took place due to an episode of torrential rains on the Claror river’s wastelands, specifically on certain very steep slops with little vegetation. As a result, the Claror river (tributary of the Madriu river) was muddied significantly, making the Escaldes-Engordany parish’s water unfit for human consumption for several days. With the area already in a fragile state, later there were less intense rains recorded that resulted in episodes of exceptional muddying, which caused potable water supplies to be cut again.

Andorra, europe, monutains, nature, landscape, snow
©Andrea Rodriguez/unsplash
Madriu-Perafita-Claror Valley, Andorra

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The Madriu-Perafita-Claror valley is a cultural landscape and World Heritage site according to UNESCO. It is an area that has received minimal intervention, consistently respecting the natural environment, the landscape and without harming the valley’s natural resources. For this reason, this project’s greatest challenge lies in solving the problem with as little intervention as possible in order to avoid any modification to the natural environment. 

Objectives:

The need arose to consolidate sediment and slow the erosion process in order to reduce potable water supply cuts. To stabilise sediment and reduce erosion episodes in the most sustainable way possible, the following environmental restoration work was carried out:

  • Fine material retention dam
  • Compacting and homogenising gravel
  • Building micro-dams out of foliage
  • Restoring the Claror river’s banks
  • Trampling with flocks of sheep
  • Forming erosion control canals
  • Replanting
  • Blank testing

Solutions: 

It is still too early to be able to evaluate the results obtained, particularly in terms of the stabilisation of vegetation seeded during the autumn of 2016. However, it can be confirmed that sheep remedy work applied as a corrective measure in the Claror basin have provided quite satisfactory results that are in harmony with the environment and demonstrate the potential of shepherding activities to achieve this. A clear example of this is ditch smoothing and compacting, a task that would have been manually inaccessible to operators in safe conditions. 

In terms of foliage micro-dams placed within the ditches, they have already been shown to have held back somewhat considerable mudslides without creating livestock interference.

Contact person and email:

Vanesa Arroyo (Andorra Research + Innovation): varroyo@ari.ad

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Supported by Andorra

Type: Practice 

Relevant action areas: Climate security risk-informed peace

Location of project: Madriu-Perafita-Claror Valley

Duration: 08/01/2015 - 31/12/2023 (8 years - in progress)

Partners: Govern d'Andorra, Comú d'Esclades-Engordany, Institut d'Estudis Andorrans and Silvagrina

Key activities: Environmental restoration, increase accessible portable water supply, reducing erosion