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Date Published: 27/11/2023

Spain finally reaches deal to protect threatened Doñana Natural Park

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Massive amounts of money will be invested to deter farmers from planting highly water-intensive crops in the drought-ridden wetlands

Spain finally reaches deal to protect threatened Doñana Natural Park

After weeks of negotiations, the central Spanish government in Madrid and the regional junta in Andalucía have reached an agreement over the blighted Parque Doñana natural reserve, which straddles the provinces of Huelva and Seville.

The national park, which is a wetland area used as a migratory habitat for many species of birds, is under threat from a lack of water, a situation which was exacerbated recently by plans to set aside more land from the park for growing water-intensive crops like strawberries and for building a new golf course.

Now though, after the deal struck this Monday November 27 between the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Junta de Andalucía, there will be massive amounts of money handed over to any farmers who choose to abandon irrigated crops grown in the area and either rewild the land or replace them with other rainfed or organic farming crops.

The Minister for Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, said that if Doñana “is the greatest wealth we have, it is worth valuing it.” She also said that she is totally convinced that the news of this agreement “is going to be enormously well received” in Brussels, where the worrying developments in the natural park were being followed very closely.

One of the objectives of the agreement, and that the president of Andalucía, Juanma Moreno, always established as a necessary condition to reach an understanding, was that it would resolve the entrenched problem that thousands of farmers in the area have suffered for years.

For this reason, one of the measures in the final document is the granting of aid to all those who request it to abandon irrigated crops and replace them with others that are less harmful to the Doñana aquifer. Up to 100,000 euros will be granted for each hectare over a period of five years, at a rate of 20,000 euros per year. Of these, 70,000 will be provided by the central government, 20,000 by the Junta de Andalucía and another 10,000 by the Provincial Council of Huelva, which has joined the agreement.

More money will be set aside by the bodies party to the agreement for various other initiatives, including 30 million euros for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects in the area; 32 million euros to improve the living conditions and accommodation of seasonal (and mainly migrant) workers who come to Huelva each year to harvest crops; and 335 million euros for new hydraulic infrastructure works.

The agreement is similar to that designed to protect the Mar Menor saltwater lagoon in Murcia, with the objective being to protect the ecosystem while promoting socioeconomic conditions in the area.

Image: Archive

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