Economic Loss and Ecosystem Service Decline in Mediterranean Ponds (Andalusia, Spain): The Impact of Olive Groves over the Last 20 Years

Gema Ortega, Juan Manuel Barragán, Juan Diego Gilbert, Fernando Ortega and Francisco Guerrero ()
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Gema Ortega: Departamento de Biología Animal, Biología Vegetal y Ecología, Universidad de Jaén, Campus de Las Lagunillas, s/n, 23071 Jaén, Spain
Juan Manuel Barragán: Departamento de Biología Animal, Biología Vegetal y Ecología, Universidad de Jaén, Campus de Las Lagunillas, s/n, 23071 Jaén, Spain
Juan Diego Gilbert: Departamento de Biología Animal, Biología Vegetal y Ecología, Universidad de Jaén, Campus de Las Lagunillas, s/n, 23071 Jaén, Spain
Fernando Ortega: Departamento de Biología Animal, Biología Vegetal y Ecología, Universidad de Jaén, Campus de Las Lagunillas, s/n, 23071 Jaén, Spain
Francisco Guerrero: Departamento de Biología Animal, Biología Vegetal y Ecología, Universidad de Jaén, Campus de Las Lagunillas, s/n, 23071 Jaén, Spain

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 6, 1-13

Abstract: Wetlands play an important role, not only in relation to diversity but also to human health and well-being, supporting a large number of ecosystem services. One of the most important losses of wetland ecosystem values is established by anthropogenic impacts or aggressions, which are magnified in the current context of global change. This study investigates the economic losses resulting from anthropogenic environmental impacts on wetlands in the Alto Guadalquivir region (Jaén, southeastern Spain) between 1997–2003 and 2022, specifically focusing on the devaluation of ecosystem services. We assessed the economic value lost due to wetland surface reduction by comparing it with the economic gains derived from the conversion of these lands into olive groves, the primary driver of wetland destruction in the study area. Our findings reveal a substantial decline in wetland surface area, leading to significant economic losses that are not offset by the establishment of olive groves within these wetland basins. These results emphasize the critical need to protect the integrity of these ecosystems, recognizing their dual value from both economic and environmental perspectives through the sustained provision of crucial ecosystem services.

Keywords: anthropic impacts; olive tree cultivation; ponds; sustainability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:6:p:2435-:d:1609408

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