215
© Springer International Publishing AG 2017
C.W. Finkl, C. Makowski (eds.), Coastal Wetlands: Alteration and Remediation,
Coastal Research Library 21, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-56179-0_7
Chapter 7
Handling High Soil Trace Elements Pollution:
Case Study of the Odiel and Tinto Rivers
Estuary and the Accompanying Salt Marshes
(Southwest Iberian Peninsula)
Sara Muñoz Vallés, Jesús Cambrollé, Jesús M. Castillo, Guillermo Curado,
Juan Manuel Mancilla-Leytón, and M. Enrique Figueroa-Clemente
Abstract Salt marshes are being increasingly polluted by trace elements, and the
design and implementation of management actions adapted to each particular situation are necessary. Salt marshes developed at one of the most heavy metal-polluted
systems in the world, the Odiel and Tinto joint estuary, are threatened by high pollution levels, erosion and the invasion of the alien plant species Spartina densiflora,
despite the high ecological values recognized by regional to international protection
figures. Soft management on these marshes tries to preserve the equilibrium between
conservation and decontamination. The ability of key native halophytes in the area
to phytoextract or phytostabilizate trace elements has been taking into account. A
local restoration project has resulted in a rapid recovery of the native prairies of low
tidal marshes, dominated by S. maritima, becoming a promising tool to phytostabilize eroding areas in European marshes. These prairies also seem to stop the advance
of the alien S. densiflora invasion and prevent erosion. On the other hand, areas
invaded by S. densiflora are difficult to manage due to the acidity and pollution level
of sediments preventing the establishment of any other plant species. Despite its
invasive character, S. densiflora avoid at present the removal of highly toxic sediments and the trace element release to the food chain in this area.
S.M. Vallés (*)
Departamento de Biología Vegetal y Ecología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla,
P.O. Box 1095, 41080 Seville, Spain
Evenor-Tech. Centro de Empresas Pabellón de Italia,
5ª planta, pasarela NO-SO. C/ Isaac Newton, 4. Parque Científico y Tecnológico Cartuja,
41092 Seville, Spain
e-mail: sm.valles@evenor-tech.com
J. Cambrollé • J.M. Castillo • G. Curado • J.M. Mancilla-Leytón • M.E. Figueroa-Clemente
Departamento de Biología Vegetal y Ecología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla,
P.O. Box 1095, 41080 Seville, Spain
© Springer International Publishing AG 2017
C.W. Finkl, C. Makowski (eds.), Coastal Wetlands: Alteration and Remediation,
Coastal Research Library 21, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-56179-0_7
Chapter 7
Handling High Soil Trace Elements Pollution:
Case Study of the Odiel and Tinto Rivers
Estuary and the Accompanying Salt Marshes
(Southwest Iberian Peninsula)
Sara Muñoz Vallés, Jesús Cambrollé, Jesús M. Castillo, Guillermo Curado,
Juan Manuel Mancilla-Leytón, and M. Enrique Figueroa-Clemente
Abstract Salt marshes are being increasingly polluted by trace elements, and the
design and implementation of management actions adapted to each particular situation are necessary. Salt marshes developed at one of the most heavy metal-polluted
systems in the world, the Odiel and Tinto joint estuary, are threatened by high pollution levels, erosion and the invasion of the alien plant species Spartina densiflora,
despite the high ecological values recognized by regional to international protection
figures. Soft management on these marshes tries to preserve the equilibrium between
conservation and decontamination. The ability of key native halophytes in the area
to phytoextract or phytostabilizate trace elements has been taking into account. A
local restoration project has resulted in a rapid recovery of the native prairies of low
tidal marshes, dominated by S. maritima, becoming a promising tool to phytostabilize eroding areas in European marshes. These prairies also seem to stop the advance
of the alien S. densiflora invasion and prevent erosion. On the other hand, areas
invaded by S. densiflora are difficult to manage due to the acidity and pollution level
of sediments preventing the establishment of any other plant species. Despite its
invasive character, S. densiflora avoid at present the removal of highly toxic sediments and the trace element release to the food chain in this area.
S.M. Vallés (*)
Departamento de Biología Vegetal y Ecología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla,
P.O. Box 1095, 41080 Seville, Spain
Evenor-Tech. Centro de Empresas Pabellón de Italia,
5ª planta, pasarela NO-SO. C/ Isaac Newton, 4. Parque Científico y Tecnológico Cartuja,
41092 Seville, Spain
e-mail: sm.valles@evenor-tech.com
J. Cambrollé • J.M. Castillo • G. Curado • J.M. Mancilla-Leytón • M.E. Figueroa-Clemente
Departamento de Biología Vegetal y Ecología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla,
P.O. Box 1095, 41080 Seville, Spain