The authorities in the Andalucian region stopped a temporary deal with the Spanish government and stopped voting on the expansion of the irrigation area.
Located in the heart of southern Spain is the stunning Doñana National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994. The site is an important stopover for millions of migratory birds each year, is home to the most endangered Iberian lynx, and sprawls with fauna and flora. But, these wetlands face an existential threat from illegal irrigation practices that damage their delicate ecosystems.
Over the past 30 years, water supplies have fallen due to illegal extraction of water for fruit and berry crops, and this has been exacerbated by the climate crisis.
Last year, the conservative regional government led by Andalucía announced its intentions to expand irrigable land around Doñana by 800 hectares. With this, they can effectively legalize the wells dug there illegally by the farmers.
Greater Flamingo, copyright Glyn Sellors, from surfbirds gallery
According to experts, more than 1,000 illegal wells have been dug near the park, where some farmers use powerful pumps to extract water from wetlands. This causes significant damage to the area’s natural habitats, affecting plant and animal species.
A report released earlier this year by Spain’s National Research Council highlighted an alarming statistic: 59% of Doñana’s large lakes had not reached full capacity as of 2013. The report described the region as being in a “critical state.” For the past two years, Doñana’s main permanent freshwater lagoon has completely dried up in the spring.
Our Partner in Spain, SEO/BirdLife campaigned hard with other environmental groups to stop the Andalucian government’s destructive plans.
On October 3rd, the regional president of Andalucia, Juan Manuel Moreno, announced that the upcoming vote on plans to increase the amount of irrigable land around Doñana was temporarily suspended, and could be completely eliminated on the table. This depends on the government approving a 350 million euro investment in “economic and social development plans” in the county where Doñana is located.
Asunción Ruiz, Executive Director of SEO/BirdLife, comment: “This is good news. We cannot go against science, violate established international commitments towards environmental law, and ignore citizens calling for the protection of Doñana. The Doñana will disappear, and the approval of this law is a death blow for this wetland. Common sense prevailed and we hope that regional authorities and the government will work together to find science-based solutions for Doñana. This means that we need a plan that supports the sustainable development of agriculture in accordance with the green transition, the regenerative hydrology, adaptation to climate change, and the conservation of nature, and social justice.”
