The Desiccation Of Las Tablas De Daimiel (1750-1987): Agricultural Changes And Environmental Impact Based On Interpretation Of The Sedimentary Record

Located in a semi-arid zone of the central Iberian Peninsula, the Tablas de Daimiel National Park is a wetland of international significance that has experienced intense agricultural pressure since the eighteenth century. The impact of this is recorded in the sediments within the wetland, which have been studied by means of surveys. Several sediment anomalies have been found that were caused by an increase in agricultural activities, distinguishing this wetland from natural sedimentary behaviour. Four phases of significant disturbance have been established: the first drainage project in the 1750s, an increase in cultivated area in the surrounding land during the second half of the nineteenth century, a drainage attempt during the Spanish Second Republic and a final degradation in the second half of the twentieth century. Dated with some uncertainty due to the laboratory methods used, these disturbances have been corroborated by historical sources. In conclusion, one can establish that deforestation in the surrounding land, changes in land use, continual ploughing and drainage projects are all crucial in explaining the impoverishment of this wetland.