*2.1. Study Area*

The study area encompasses the Minho and Lima river basins, which are two of the five international river basins shared between Portugal and Spain that are integrated into a single international RBD, in accordance with the WFD. The major part of the RBD total area is in Spain, and only about 10% of that area is located in Portugal, that corresponding to 48% of Lima and 5% of Minho total river basins area (respectively, 2522 km<sup>2</sup> and 17,067 km2) [27].

Regarding water management, in Portugal, the Minho and Lima river basins (Portuguese parts) integrate and form the Minho-Lima RBD (RBD1), with each river basin part being considered a specific and independent hydrological analysis unit. In Spain, the two river basins' Spanish parts constitute the Miño-Sil RBD, which is divided in 6 territorial operational managemen<sup>t</sup> units (TMUs) (5 in Minho, 1 in Lima), as shown in Figure 2.

**Figure 2.** Portuguese and Spanish parts of the Minho and Lima river basins, with their corresponding Spanish territorial managemen<sup>t</sup> units (TMUs) identified.
