SEO/BirdLife reiterates its open opposition to the La Ricarda Lagoon and its entire surroundings affected by the expansion of a third runway which is intended to be carried out at El Prat airport, the largest in Catalonia.
Yesterday, the Technical Committee for the Expansion of Prat Airport met with the aim of diagnosing and implementing actions early next year to extension of Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport.
La Ricarda ‘will not be touched’ to expand airport
Although the Generalitat has communicated that environmental scientists will be involved in the process, the NGO requests that the The draft plan is shared with environmental entities for reviewand that their considerations are taken into account so that the project meets scientific criteria, is sustainable and has the least impact on biodiversity.
In this sense, the NGO is particularly concerned about the environmental impact that the third runway would have if the expansion were to be implemented. This would occupy the La Ricarda Lagoon, which was formed naturally 300 years ago and is part of the largest coordinated network of protected areas of the world, the Natura 2000 networkfor the high-value species and habitats it hosts in accordance with the Birds Directive and the Habitats Directive.
“La Ricarda is much more than a list of birds. We talk about habitats, ecosystems, mutual relationships and processes. It is not about moving one or two pieces, but about preserving all the values,” said Cristina Sánchez, the organization’s delegate in Catalonia.
This natural lagoon was created from the ancient mouth of the Llobregat River and is one of the points of greatest biodiversity in the Llobregat Delta with 541 inventoried species, including birds, some of which are in a state of endangerment, such as the kingfisher, which is endangered in the Red Bird Book of Spain 2021 and included in the List of wild species subject to the special protection regime. Of the 17 habitats of Community interest registered in space, three are of priority for nature conservation: lagoons, pine forests on dunes and swamps with pointed reeds.
Rejection of the construction of a lagoon
Considering the possibility of restoring new areas for bird populations from other areas of the Llobregat Delta as a compensatory measure, the NGO believes that the expansion of the airport es a proposal that should be discarded from an environmental point of view. Moreover, the European Commission must be informed of these compensatory measures for validation and it is very likely that they will be rejected as a utopian proposal.
According to the report of the Freshwater Ecology, Hydrology and Management research group of the University of Barcelona, in the Llobregat Delta area It is not possible to reconstruct an ecosystem like that of La Ricarda due to the features of micro-topography, soils, salinity gradients and the impossibility of directly connecting the new lagoon to the sea.
Furthermore, the NGO delegate in Catalonia recalls the case of the Cal Tet lagoon, which was constructed in 2002 to compensate for the consequences caused by the diversion of the Llobregat River following the latest expansions of the airport and port of Barcelona. “This measure, which has not yet been completed, has caused serious damage to the biodiversity of the Delta and has provoked complaints from Europe for failure to comply with compensation obligations and the preservation of this natural space.”
There are currently two infringement cases against Catalonia for failing to protect the Llobregat Delta. The organization will continue to work to preserve this wet area, which is vital for nature balance of Catalonia’s ecosystems and biodiversity.
Given this situation, several NGOs have asked the European Commission to do this the infringement procedure has not been closed. Especially considering that the environmental compensation measures corresponding to the previous airport expansion have not yet been completed.