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SPAIN’s most important national park finally gets the money it needs to replenish its water resources.
Doñana National Park – one of Europe’s last great wetlands – will have money pumped in to save it from drying up.
After years of empty promises and hand-wringing, the central government and Junta finally agreed to save the critically endangered aquifer under the park.
Under the so-called ‘Agreement for Doñana’, Madrid approved the first €28.5m to pay off farmers willing to ditch their water-guzzling crops.
In the plan, 400 hectares will be taken off production and returned to nature. Working out at €70,000 per hectare, paid over 10 years.
Once a lush haven for migratory birds, lynx and wetlands bursting with life, the water table has been slowly drying out – parched by rogue wells and illegal berry farms tapping into its veins.
The berry boom in Huelva province – famous for strawberries and other ‘red gold’ – has come at a heavy cost.
Every hectare is sucking 5.7 million litres per year from the aquifer.
After years of turning a blind eye, authorities now have closed hundreds of illegal wells, and offer farmers a solution.
Andalucia’s regional government is sweetening the deal with another €20,000 per hectare, while Huelva’s local council is chipping in €10,000 more.
That brings the total to €100,000 per hectare for those willing to walk away.
In total, some €1.4 billion is being thrown at the problem by 2027 – split more or less evenly. The goal is to restore Europe’s crown jewel for biodiversity and stop the illegal water grabs.
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Sara Aagesen has said that there will be as many grants needed.
Even ‘legal’ farms can cash in – if they agree to renaturalise their land, swapping crops for native trees and wild flora for the next 30 years.
Recent rainfall has offered a temporary reprieve – staving off the usual summer desiccation.
Already, restoration work is underway for El Partido and other important waterways that feed marshes. One site – Los Mimbrales – is being held up as a blueprint for the park’s future.
Read more Green News at The Olive Press by clicking here.
