Will Irrigating Andalucian Wetlands Jeopardise Spanish Water Quality?

Spain's environment minister, Teresa Ribera, has accused the Andalucían regional government of pandering to the far-right and engaging in "short-term electoral demagoguery" by pressing ahead with controversial irrigation plans for strawberry farms. These plans could threaten the survival of Doñana Natural Space, one of Europe's most important wetlands, and even jeopardize Spain's water quality. 

Over the past 30 years, water supplies to Doñana, which extends across almost 130,000 hectares and includes a Unesco-listed national park, have drastically declined due to climate breakdown, farming, mining pollution, and marsh drainage. Despite concerns and warnings from Unesco and the European Commission, the regional government has fast-tracked a new law that will increase irrigable land around Doñana by 800 hectares, effectively granting amnesty to strawberry farmers who have already sunk illegal wells there. 

Environmental groups have campaigned to protect the area, which sustains millions of migrating birds and is home to a major population of endangered Iberian lynxes. They argue that the illegal wells used to irrigate the region's soft fruit farms are stressing the aquifer. A recent report from Spain's national research council noted that 59% of Doñana's large lakes haven't been full since at least 2013, and the area is in "critical condition." The largest permanent lake dried up last year for the third time in half a century. 

Ribera believes the proposed law is more about the upcoming local elections than coherent policymaking. She said the ruling conservative People's party (PP) and the far-right Vox party are under pressure from the far-right, who want to capitalize on the fears of the local population. Ribera thinks that the PP's desire to compete with Vox for the "fear vote" will only give people false hope, and harm both the environment and Spanish democracy. 

If the Andalucían authorities fail to drop the plan, Ribera said the central government would take the matter to the constitutional court. She appealed to the regional government to stop peddling "a mirage" and focus on plans to diversify the local economy instead. 

The decision could also damage those growing soft fruit legally, as it could provoke a consumer-led backlash and boycotts of strawberries from Doñana or Huelva. Carlos Dávila, head of the Doñana office of environmental NGO SEO/BirdLife, accused the PP of risking the area's future "for a handful of votes." 

The European Commission and Unesco are closely monitoring the situation and have warned that Spain could face penalties for failing to safeguard Doñana. In 2021, the European Court of Justice ruled that Spain had not fulfilled its obligations on preventing illegal water extraction around Doñana and had failed to take necessary measures to stop "significant alterations" to its protected habitats. The European Commission is "deeply worried" about the potential impacts of the proposed changes and has not ruled out taking Spain to court again. Unesco has also said that the situation could jeopardize Doñana's world heritage status. 

Ultimately, the irrigation plans for Andalucian wetlands not only risk the survival of the fragile ecosystem but may also have detrimental effects on Spain's water quality. As tensions rise between political parties and environmentalists, the fate of Doñana Natural Space hangs in the balance.