Presentation short abstract

Shaped by centuries of human–nature interaction, Mediterranean rivers like the Riu dels Sants become contested socio-ecological arenas where irrigation demands and renaturalization efforts collide, opening pathways to articulate principles and practices for governing hybrid waterscapes

Presentation long abstract

In the Mediterranean region, the configuration of numerous rivers is the result of a prolonged interaction between humans and nature, which has shaped hybrid systems—or cyborg rivers—primarily through the historical development of traditional gravity-fed irrigation networks. The processes and forms of these agro-ecosystems do not fit neatly within conventional approaches to the conservation of natural systems and pose significant challenges for their management, as they are sometimes subjected to either conservationist or productivist pressures that disrupt the historical equilibria of these artefacts of nature and culture.

What happens when renaturalization initiatives are proposed that call into question the cultural values or hydraulic heritage of these systems? How can new agricultural or urban projects that may intensify the artificialization of these rivers be restrained?

This study examines the case of the Riu dels Sants, a river of barely 6 km that has been extensively transformed to harness its waters for irrigation over several centuries. In this context, farmers are planning the installation of a parallel conduit for strictly agricultural use, while neighbouring municipalities seek to halt this intervention and pursue the renaturalization of the river channel and its banks. Drawing on interviews with key stakeholders involved in this conflict, this research addresses not only the analysis of the different conceptions or fluvial imaginaries but also offers a reflection aimed at sparking crucial questions about the governance of such hybrid waterscapes.