Wetland connectedness and policy fragmentation: Steps towards a sustainable European wetland policy

The sustainable use of wetlands and water resources requires management app roaches that incorporate explicitly the spatial and temporal interconnectio ns among different aquatic ecosystems. Current management practices, on the contrary, are characterised by conceptual, thematic and spatial divisions generated by the same fragmented worldview behind non-sustainable growth. H ere we identify several shortcomings in the current management of European wetlands. These stem from the contradiction implicit in the creation of hig hly protected 'natural' reserves surrounded by unprotected 'non-natural' te rritory. We will illustrate the consequences of this policy for the managem ent of certain Mediterranean watersheds containing SPAs, SACs or Ramsar sit es - in particular the Guadalquivir and Guadiana watersheds, which respecti vely include the Donana and Tablas de Daimiel nature reserves. To exemplify these points, we also analyse the degree of integration of the multiple di rectives and regulations affecting the European wetlands policy. Finally, w e propose future avenues for improved institutional cooperation aimed at ca talysing the emergence of a spatially-integrated, but regionally-diverse ap proach for water management. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights rese rved.