Scholarly record

WATER HERITAGE IN THE EUROPEAN RURAL MEDITERRANEAN: A PRELIMINARY STUDY OF LANDSCAPE AND HYDRAULIC HERITAGE IN THE PORTUGUESE PILOT SITE ?? FONTE FILIPE, ALGARVE.

Daniel Livramento, Desiderio Batista, Paula Gomes da Silva

Abstract

The WatHer project – Water Heritage in European Rural Mediterranean: Re[dis]covering Water Heritage Systems to face climate challenges learning from our past – is funded by the European Union under the Interreg Euro-MED Programme and aims to promote climate change adaptation and disaster risk prevention through ecosystem-based approaches. Running from 2025 to 2029, the project is structured around eight pilot cases across the Mediterranean Basin, from Cyprus to Portugal, focusing on the study, restoration, and knowledge transfer of Water Heritage Systems. This paper presents a preliminary assessment of the ecological, cultural, social, and economic values, as well as the main threats and challenges affecting the WHS of the Portuguese pilot located in the Algarve hinterland. The research adopts an interdisciplinary and multi-scalar methodology, combining literature review, cartographic analysis, and fieldwork. Emphasis is placed on the systematic survey of traditional irrigation-related hydraulic structures, floristic and faunal species, and agricultural practices, alongside the collection of oral knowledge on traditional irrigation techniques and land management. Preliminary results highlight the diversity and complexity of these systems, as well as their vulnerability to the abandonment of traditional practices, increasing pressure on water resources, and climate change. The study also underlines the importance of WHS as cultural landscapes with significant potential to support resilience and sustainability in Mediterranean rural areas, contributing to nature-based solutions for climate adaptation.

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