Jordi Sargatal: “We will make a marvel of wetlands”

BarcelonaOrnithologist and naturalist Jordi Sargatal (Figueres, 1957) actively participated in the campaign to defend the Empordà wetlands in the 1980s. Now, as Secretary of Ecological Transition for Salvador Illa's administration, he was one of the members of the technical committee that yesterday presented the proposed expansion of El Prat Airport, which will affect the protected natural areas of Ricarda and Remolar. He spoke to ARA to explain how the environmental impact of this €3.2 billion investment will be managed.

They claim the Llobregat Delta is winning. How can this be explained?

— The job the president and my advisor, Silvia Paneque, assigned me was to sit on a technical committee that had to look at how to optimize the runway, the one by the sea, to make it safe. In those discussions, I sometimes had to play the role of a worm. Aena's previous proposal crossed the entire Ricarda River, and now they've managed to reach the surface and advance a little toward Remolar, but still within the limits of the airport itself. Therefore, I believe it's well-established and could lead to improvements for the delta's wetlands. I'm sorry to touch Ricarda a little, but with the compensation, we'll improve the delta. For every hectare affected, we'll buy 10 and redo them. There will be 27 hectares affected, and we'll have 270 that are currently vacant, salinized, or underperforming agricultural land. And we'll be able to create a marvelous wetland landscape.

But can an ecosystem move? Can it move from one place to another?

— A mature ecosystem like the Amazon rainforest takes a lot of work, but the wetlands in our homes have been disturbed for so long that you can touch them. You can even make them produce more biologically and make them more beautiful.

The emeritus professor of ecology at the UB, Narcís Prat, speaks today in the ARA"This is a surprising proposal, to say the least, that, in my opinion, makes no sense. It demonstrates a profound ignorance of what an ecosystem is and what it means to conserve biodiversity."

— I disagree. In the Empordà marshes, ponds could have been rebuilt in other corners, which improved biodiversity. Furthermore, there's been a lot of talk that Ricarda will be destroyed, but that's not true. Ricarda will remain more or less the same. The coastal lagoons thrive on the fact that when they rise, seawater enters, and when it rains, freshwater comes in. It's been closed for a while and is now eutrophicated.

Is it known which lands should be included in the compensatory measures?

— We're identifying them. The goal is to restore wetlands where they once existed as gardens. We're primarily looking for vacant land, land that's not very productive. We'll try not to take over any productive agricultural land. Only those that flood frequently, where farmers complain that the water level rises too high and their artichokes drown.

Have you spoken to the owners?

— No, this would be premature. Obviously, everything had to be done first, reach an agreement, and then carefully examine how many hectares are actually affected and multiply it by ten. But we already know more or less where they could go. There are very clear inland areas, such as Reguerons, which is a Barça property. Furthermore, with the ACA, we're trying to maximize the water from the treatment plants and also the water pumped from the airport itself to the outskirts.

What if they don't want to sell?

— I imagine there are expropriation options, but I think the areas they want to buy will be eager to sell. And, in any case, expropriation wouldn't be ruled out if necessary.

This morning, the European Commission sounded the alarm by reminding everyone that not all of the compensation provisions from the previous enlargement have been met.

— They are ready.

What does "about" mean?

— There were four basic requirements that had to be met. The SPAs (Special Protection Areas for Birds) terrestrial which were expanded just last JulyThree parking lots were supposed to be demolished, and two were, and one is ready; and a management plan had to be drawn up, which we must have completed before the end of the year.

It has taken more than twenty years to comply with the measures.

— The government's intention is to push this forward, implement it, and do so as quickly as possible. I'm convinced that the delta as a whole, the wetlands, and the birds will improve without going overboard. It's not about putting large overhangs for large birds in the Llobregat, because that could be a problem for aviation. But it's about bringing in—depending on the habits you develop—smaller, lighter, lower-flying species that are also very interesting, and that will be a very suitable place for these birds to rest on their migratory journeys.

Does Aena trust?

— Yes, absolutely. It's not that they wanted to sneak in or impose anything on us. Our job has been to try to restrict as much as possible without compromising any safety aspects. I think the end result is good, with those little details that obviously bother many of my environmentalist friends or birdwatchers who go there.

The project will increase emissions at a time when the goal is to reduce them.

— Airports, trucks, cars, livestock farming... We're all required by Europe to aim for carbon neutrality by 2050. Catalonia will soon approve its carbon budget. Therefore, it's extremely important that the airport works toward this goal. They're working on changing fuels, improving engines, becoming more efficient... It's clear that if there's a little more traffic now, there will be a little more emissions. Therefore, they'll have to fight harder to reduce them. We're all obligated. It will be very difficult to enforce it. Now, it's clear that the climate emergency is a reality and we can't escape it. It may seem contradictory, but an additional effort will be necessary to reduce emissions from the aeronautical sector. Sometimes, to fly from Barcelona to certain destinations in Africa, you had to first fly to Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. These are also emissions we can now save. There's a small contradiction, but it will mean we'll have to make more effort to reduce the percentage we're entitled to with this expansion.

What do we do when sea levels rise?

— This will be complicated not only for the airport, but for the entire Catalan coast. The Mediterranean had been dry, the sea level had been much higher. What happens is that if there were humans, they would take the few things they had, emigrate, and that's it. Now there are cities like Barcelona, ​​towns, nations, people with mortgages. It will be much more complicated for us all to move. But this will happen. The sea is rising.

And what will we do when this happens? Does it make sense to expand an airport on a runway that touches the sea?

— For now, yes. Later, we'll have to find ways. The whole of Holland lives below sea level. We'll have to find barrier systems to keep the sea out, and we have pumping systems to pump it out. We must try, on the one hand, to mitigate this climate change and, on the other, prepare for the rise, which is already evident.

Does it make sense to expand the airport at a time when the tourism model is being rethought?

— The goal is for these intercontinental flights to serve more conference tourism, so that companies are more connected and we can attract more talent. This is a very nice thing to say, but sometimes it's probably harder to achieve. But if we don't have the foundation for it, which is the airport, we couldn't even say it. I've believed the arguments that it was important to optimize, and I think they're valid.

What do you see as the most difficult aspect of this plan?

— As it stands now, what might worry me is all the people who are against it. I want to convince them and get them to give it a vote of confidence. It's not that I've lost my mind or sold out to any outside interests; I'm the same birdwatcher, a lover of birds and wetlands, I've always been. It's a problem we can turn into an opportunity to raise significant funding, to enhance the Llobregat Delta, and to regenerate many areas that had been drained.

Do you see Europe giving the green light? When can that green link become a reality?

— I don't think it will be done by 2027-2028, but it is very much on the way.