Restauration des cours d'eau dans la région méditerranéenne de l'Espagne après des inondations à travers trois études de cas différentes

[eng] River systems are among the environments that have been mostly, highly, and intensively altered and modified by mankind. The extent of such extreme modifications and alterations of river systems, especially those that flow through urban areas, forms part of what we globally call the Anthropocene, which is defined by the substantial and sometimes irreversible modification of the planet’s surface by human action.But it is not just that. Human societies have realized that the conservation of nature, and consequently the health of river spaces, also provides ecosystemic benefits and improves the quality of life of inhabitants, especially in cities. The recovery of altered river spaces to reintroduce nature into cities is also part of the Anthropocene, as it is human intervention once again modifying a previously modified space.The debate at this point is to choose the type of intervention we want to apply to an altered river system.The recovery of river spaces is diverse, and it depends exclusively on the objective set, which in turn depends on the situation that has led to considering a restoration.The aim of this paper is to show different examples of restoration in the Mediterranean side of the Iberian Peninsula, where interventions within river channels were all meant to improve the life quality of inhabitants as well as the fluvial ecosystem. However, different approaches were considered, and discussion about whether these examples are a “greening” or a real “river restoration” arises. Some of the cases are thought to avoid further flooding, while others seek to transform the fluvial space into leisure and open spaces for inhabitants’ amusement.The conclusion is that, in terms of river systems, the Anthropocene encompasses everything. The examples shown tell us that it was humans who altered the river system and now want to improve it to reduce or mitigate flood hazards, and re-naturalize it, but in no case can we avoid our footprint. Therefore, what we are doing now is another modification on top of modifications, which ultimately continues to be part of this Anthropocene period.