Keywords
Bien de interés cultural, protección, huerta, agua, Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible., Cultural heritage asset, protection, orchard, water, Sustainable Development Goals.
Protección del recurso hídrico y del paisaje a través de declaraciones de Bien de Interés Cultural
Abstract
El Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Murcia en su sentencia 725/2015 anuló la incoación del procedimiento de declaración como Bien de Interés Cultural (BIC) con categoría de lugar de interés etnográfico de la red hidráulica de la huerta de Murcia. El fallo reconocía tanto por las partes como por el propio tribunal la importancia histórica y actual de la red de acequias y azarbes de la huerta murciana, junto con su carácter de obra excepcional de la ingeniería hidráulica, con su propia regulación y con un tribunal propio que es el Consejo de Hombres Buenos. Recogía que, si bien se incluían en la red estructuras de gran valor arqueológico y etnográfico, no podía extenderse esta protección a un sistema de riego que se extiende por más de 500 kilómetros. Apuntaba el órgano que esta protección “solo cabría predicarlos en aquellos concretos lugares que resulten testimonio vivo del regadío tradicional de la Huerta” y que de hecho muchos de ellos ya constaban como BIC en Murcia. Esta sentencia ha sido recurrida en casación. Es cierto que es discutible la proporcionalidad de la declaración y si de hecho su reconocimiento podría generar unos inconvenientes mayores que la protección que se brindaría. Sin embargo, está resolución y otros hechos como, por ejemplo, la paralización de las obras de entubamiento de la acequia de Benetúcer este año, nos plantean la duda de si a través de una institución de derecho administrativo en principio tan alejada de la gestión hídrica como es la protección del patrimonio, es posible proteger tanto el paisaje, como el agua.
El objetivo de esta comunicación es analizar si una declaración de BIC puede garantizar la protección de los paisajes y los recursos hídricos asociados a los mismos y si de hecho fomentan una gestión del recurso más tradicional pero quizás más sostenible.
Murcia's High Court of Justice in its judgment 725/2015 annulled the initiation of the procedure for the declaration of the hydraulic network of Murcia's orchard as an Cultural Heritage Asset (BIC) with the category of place of ethnographic interest. The ruling recognised, both by the parties and by the court itself, the historical and current relevance of the network of irrigation channels and ditches of Murcia's orchard, together with its character as an exceptional work of hydraulic engineering, with its own regulation and its own court, the Council of Good Men. It stated that, although structures of great archaeological and ethnographic value were included in the network, this protection could not be extended to an irrigation system that extends for more than 500 kilometres. The court pointed out that this protection "could only apply to those specific places that are living testimony to the traditional irrigation of the orchard" and that, in fact, many of them were already registered as BIC in Murcia. This ruling has been appealed in cassation. It is true that the proportionality of the declaration is debatable and whether in fact its recognition could generate greater inconvenience than the protection it would provide. However, this ruling and other events such as, for example, the stoppage of the piping works on the Benetúcer irrigation channel this year, raise the question of whether it is possible to protect both landscape and water through an administrative law institution that is in principle so far removed from water management as is the protection of heritage. The aim of this communication is to analyse whether a declaration of BIC can guarantee the protection of landscapes and the associated water resources and whether in fact they encourage a more traditional but perhaps more sustainable management of the resource.
Murcia's High Court of Justice in its judgment 725/2015 annulled the initiation of the procedure for the declaration of the hydraulic network of Murcia's orchard as an Cultural Heritage Asset (BIC) with the category of place of ethnographic interest. The ruling recognised, both by the parties and by the court itself, the historical and current relevance of the network of irrigation channels and ditches of Murcia's orchard, together with its character as an exceptional work of hydraulic engineering, with its own regulation and its own court, the Council of Good Men. It stated that, although structures of great archaeological and ethnographic value were included in the network, this protection could not be extended to an irrigation system that extends for more than 500 kilometres. The court pointed out that this protection "could only apply to those specific places that are living testimony to the traditional irrigation of the orchard" and that, in fact, many of them were already registered as BIC in Murcia. This ruling has been appealed in cassation. It is true that the proportionality of the declaration is debatable and whether in fact its recognition could generate greater inconvenience than the protection it would provide. However, this ruling and other events such as, for example, the stoppage of the piping works on the Benetúcer irrigation channel this year, raise the question of whether it is possible to protect both landscape and water through an administrative law institution that is in principle so far removed from water management as is the protection of heritage. The aim of this communication is to analyse whether a declaration of BIC can guarantee the protection of landscapes and the associated water resources and whether in fact they encourage a more traditional but perhaps more sustainable management of the resource.
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