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Water-scarce regions, like the Mediterranean, face worsening conditions due to climate change, intensifying pressure on key economic sectors such as hydropower. Additionally, environmental conservation policies, particularly the implementation of environmental flows, present challenges for hydropower systems. Certainty regarding the impact of these factors on future hydropower production is crucial for informed decision-making in the transition to sustainable energy. This study introduces S + HydPower, a tool coupled with SWAT+ to assess climate change and watershed management effects on small hydropower plant (SHP) systems. In this study, we used this tool to investigate the consequences of implementing environmental flows and climate change on run-of-river SHPs in the Catalan River Basin District (CRBD), in Catalonia. The results show that applying environmental flows would lead to a significant 27% reduction in SHP production. However, this reduction would represent only 0.25% of the region's current energy demand. Furthermore, the study reveals a potential 38% to 73% reduction in SHP production by the end of the twenty-first century due to the combined effects of environmental flows and climate change. This suggests a substantial decline in run-of-river SHP's contribution to the CRBD's electricity supply. These findings emphasize the need to explore alternative and sustainable energy sources to ensure the long-term reliability and resilience of the region's energy supply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Legume-based livestock forage systems are widespread and socially relevant agroecosystems that are essential for delivering high-quality forage. Therefore, it is critical to determine how climate change and management might affect the functioning of forage agroecosystems. The objective of this study was to explore the potential of sainfoin swards under different management regimes by combining results from an experiment on species diversity effects on yield developed under extreme climatic conditions and a survey of sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia Scop.) swards and nutritive value in mountain regions in Catalonia, Western Mediterranean. Our results show that 12–59% of the variability in forage nutritive value parameters was accounted for by management. Young cattle-grazed swards showed higher nutrition quality that decreased faster than sheep-grazed or only mown swards. Mixing sainfoin with orchardgrass increased fiber content (e.g., +22% neutral detergent fiber) and decreased protein (−26%) and lignin (−11%) compared to sainfoin monocultures. However, under the extreme climatic conditions of the last three years, the only diversity effect found on yield was the identity of the species present. We propose that a combination of different sainfoin management regimes might be beneficial regionally for both quality forage production and overall biodiversity conservation, whereas traditional systems may be vulnerable to changing climatic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]