HISTORICAL IRRIGATION SYSTEM AT L'HORTA DE VALÈNCIA ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS CONTRIBUTING INSTITUTIONS Public Institutions Ajuntament de Bonrepos i Mirambell Ajuntament Foios Ajuntament Godella Ajuntament Meliana Ajuntament de Museros Ajuntament Pobla de Farnals Ajuntament Tabernes Blanques Ajuntament València- Regidoria d'Agricultura Alcaldia de Carpesa Alcaldia de Poble Nou Conselleria d'Agricultura, Desenvolupament Rural i Emergencia Climática i Transició Ecològica Conselleria d'Habitatge, Obres Públiques i Vertebració del Territori Diputació de València Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación Parque Natural de la Albufera Presidencia de Generalitat Valenciana Presidencia de les Corts Valencianes Educational and Research Institutions Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas Universitat Politècnica de València Universitat de València - Estudi General Other Institutions AVA-ASAJA AVACU Cátedra Tierra Ciudadana - UPV Centro Mundial Alimentación Sostenible - CEMAS CERAI i CERCLE CITROMER COITAVC COAGV COIAL Comunitat Pescadors el Palmar Consejo Regulador D.O. Arroz EMBA Fundació ASSUT Fundació IVIFA Gain Health Justicia Alimentaria La Unió MERCAValència Per L'Horta Real Acequia de Moncada Tragsa Tribunal de las Aguas ii EXPERTS Amparo Aleixandre Joan Romero Gema Andrés Vicent Sales Gloria Bigné Carles Sanchis Carmen Cárcel Megumi Shiozawa Piero Carucci María Vallés Pedro Cerrada Ignacio Diez Vicente Domingo Josefina Espinosa Inmaculada Fornés Francisco Galiana José María García Álvarez-Coque Beatriz Giobellina Enric Guinot Ángeles Hernández Miquel Jordá Natalia Martínez Paloma Mateache Miguel Minguet José Luis Miralles Arantxa Muñoz Enric Navarro Paula Andrea Nieto Mar Ortega Rosa Pardo Josep Manuel Pérez Joan Ramón Peris Santos Ruíz Carolina Ramirez Catalina Romero iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS..................................................................................i CONTEXT INFORMATION.............................................................................15 SHORT SUMMARY........................................................................................21 EXTENDED SUMMARY.................................................................................23 1. SINGULARITY OF THE GIAHS SITE........................................27 Significance of the proposed GIAHS site.............................................31 Historical perspective...........................................................................36 A Self-Governed Irrigation System.......................................................38 The structural elements remain, the agricultural landscape evolves...40 La Albufera and its connection with the irrigation system....................44 The GIAHS site and its five criteria.......................................................47 2. FOOD AND LIVELIHOOD SECURITY.......................................49 Main features........................................................................................50 Agro-climatic conditions and water resource stability..........................52 The irrigation community.......................................................................54 Agricultural space in crisis...................................................................57 Agriculture and fisheries in the Albufera...............................................59 3. AGRO-BIODIVERSITY...............................................................61 The traditional irrigation system allows crop diversity...........................62 Local adaptation of exotic varieties......................................................67 Biodiversity linked to the irrigation system...........................................69 Agro-biodiversity at risk........................................................................70 Rice areas, lake and marshes as diverse habitats..............................71 v TABLE OF CONTENTS 4. LOCAL AND TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS..........73 General overview..................................................................................74 The irrigation system. Description........................................................75 An ancient technology....................................................................75 Structural base..............................................................................75 Institutional base and rules............................................................76 The “turno” system........................................................................78 System’s stability...................................................................................79 Operating rules.............................................................................81 Ordinary regime............................................................................81 Exceptional droughts.....................................................................82 Abundance of water......................................................................83 Advantages of gravity irrigation............................................................83 Hydraulic architectures.........................................................................84 Agricultural tools and works.................................................................87 5. LOCAL AND TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS..........93 The Water Court....................................................................................95 Real Acequia de Montcada..................................................................96 Albufera institutions..............................................................................98 The language........................................................................................99 La Tira de Comptar.............................................................................100 Community support agriculture..........................................................102 6. LANDSCAPE...........................................................................105 Landscape features............................................................................106 Albufera’s landscapes........................................................................113 Rural architecture................................................................................116 vi TABLE OF CONTENTS 7. ACTION PLAN FOR THE GIAHS DYNAMIC CONSERVATION.........................................................................121 Background........................................................................................122 The process. How the GIAHS plan has been elaborated. Participatory approach............................................................................................123 Challenges and policy objectives.......................................................125 Policy actions......................................................................................126 Expected contribution to dynamic conservation................................130 Monitoring...........................................................................................132 ANNEX I. THE WATER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM AND FLOOD IRRIGATION.................................................................................................135 I.1 Water distribution...........................................................................136 I.2 Surface irrigation (“Reg a Manta”).................................................138 I.3 Structural elements ANNEX II. LIST OF ANIMALS IN THE ALBUFERA NATURAL PARK......147 ANNEX III. LIST OF VEGETAL SPECIES OF L'ALBUFERA.....................153 ANNEX IV. THE SYSTEM IN MAPS...........................................................157 REFERENCES..............................................................................165 vii TABLE OF FIGURES Figure1. GIAHS site zoning: Strict Historial Horta……..…..…..…..…..…..…..18 Figure 2. The Valencian Community and L’Horta administrative districts…...28 Figure 3. GIAHS site's area and its irrigation network……..…..…..…..…..….29 Figure 4. Non-urban areas (in green) within the municipality of València…...31 Figure 5. L’Horta landscape….…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…31 Figure 6. Identified irrigation spaces in the Islamic period……..…..…..….....35 Figure 7. Irrigation begins with native water sources….…..…..…..…..….......36 Figure 8. First irrigated areas from the river surrounding settlements….....…37 Figure 9. Irrigation expands in 13th century……..…..…..…..…..…..…..…....37 Figure 10. Final occupation of the irrigated space….…..…..…..…..…..….....38 Figure 11. Elements of the system: historical structure, agriculture, water management………..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..….....................41 Figure 12. Albufera Natural Park…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…...43 Figure 13. Traditional ships at Albufera channels……..…..…..…..…..…..…..44 Figure 14. Southern landscape unit of the Territorial Action Plan, which is part of and connects the Historical Horta to the Albufera Natural Park…….........46 Figure 15. Southern ditches connecting the Historical Horta to the Albufera Natural Park……..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…...47 Figure 16. Southern part of the Historical Horta connecting to the Albufera Na- tural Park…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…47 Figure 17. Historical irrigation network.…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…….53 Figure 18. Horta farmer with alqueria at the background.…..…..…..…....….55 Figure 19. Historical evolution of the urban development at l'Horta….…......58 Figure