The Tinto, Odiel and Piedras basin is located in Andalucia, southwestern Spain and occupies the central-southern sector of Huelva province, between the Guadiana and Chanza rivers to the west and north and the mountain front of the Sierra de Aracena to the east, extending southwards to the Atlantic coastline in the Gulf of Cádiz.

The catchment system covers 4.762 km² of which 98% corresponds to the province of Huelva and 2% to the province of Seville (Junta de Andalucía, 2022). The population of the Tinto, Odiel, and Piedras Hydrological Demarcation (DHTOP) reaches 523,664 inhabitants, while Huelva being the only major city in the demarcation with 142.668 inhabitants (Junta de Andalucia, 2022).

The region's economy is centred around the service, industrial, and agricultural sectors (Junta de Andalucía, 2022). A key industrial activity is mining, located in the Iberian Pyrite Belt, which has historically led to intense mining activity and sever pollution (Càceras et al. 2023). The landscape also features extensive areas of Dehesas, a unique man-made agroforestry system characterized by scattered oak trees that are managed to support grazing and agriculture. These Dehesa landscapes are highly valued for their specific adaptation to its rather harsh environment, as the trees improve soil quality, regulate water balance, and enable a longer growing season for the underlying grasses in an otherwise water-limited and low-fertility climate (Joffre et al. 1999).

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